Post Academic

“Footnotes” is a semi-regularly occurring list of ephemera we’ve found floating online that is at least somewhat relevant to what we do.  Mostly, they’re just entertaining tidbits that you may or may not be as interested in as we are.

"The Cast of Twilight" by Philip Nelson (Creative Commons license)

1. The Twilight of Cultural Studies: Everyone seems to be waiting with bated breath for the latest Twilight installment this summer and that includes academia!  Inside Higher Ed posted a piece this week covering the cottage industry of academic-esque treatments of Twilight, noting the recent publication of the critical anthology, Twilight and History, itself a sequel to Twilight and Philosophy.  Of course, anyone who’s browsed the “Philosophy” section at your local Barnes and Noble has noticed titles like The Simpsons and Philosophy and The Sopranos and Philosophy, so this isn’t exactly a new phenomenon.  Neither are the fuddy-duddy concerns that pop culture is beneath academia.

2. Freelancing How-To: Cultural critic type Geeta Dayal has offered some tips to help aspiring freelancers make ends meet over at her blog.  Some of the advice is particular to freelancing, like understanding the arbitrariness of pitching stories and how to maintain a regular work schedule for a job that is defined by its irregularity.  But a lot of it is applicable to young starving types of all stripes, like cutting back on eating out and spending no more than 30% of your income on rent.  Overall, it’s a good primer, although I don’t buy the idea that finding fellowships and teaching gigs is all that viable–if those options were, there would probably be fewer academics trying to become professional writers!

3. Funk U!: I’m including this note that Bootsy Collins is starting up an online “Funk University” only because I get to use the tag “Funk U”–there, I’ve done it twice!  This might be a for-profit deal, but it doesn’t mean that Bootsy is just going to accept anyone and everyone that applies.  From the official website:

Because a groove is a terrible thing to waste, this sonic learning institution will be unlike anything before, as Professor Collins and the finest bassists in music will unleash an intense curriculum, on the web, for intermediate to advanced funk disciples within the program. Enrollment is limited for the first year.

(h/t HuffPo College)

"UCI Sign" by Jccooper055 (Public Domain)

4. My Student, Your UC Regent!: Last, but the opposite of least, is this great profile piece syndicated by the AP on the incoming UC Student Regent, UCI third-year Jesse Cheng, who happens to be one of my most memorable students and not just because he was respectful enough to call me “Professor Pan.”  In fact, I do remember him telling me that he was late to one of my classes because he was going to an info session for the student regent application.  Well, that seems like a good excuse to skipping out of lecture as any.  Gotta admire everything that Jesse is doing, particularly representing UC students during this awful budget crisis, as well as other likeminded students, but maybe the AP is going a little overboard calling UC-Suburbs–er, UCI–a “developing activist hotspot.”  Find out more about what Jesse is trying to accomplish at the UC Regent Live blog.  Good luck, Jesse!