Archive for the ‘Teaching and Research’ Category

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Research: The Goals


2013
06.01

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Summer & Fall 2013: Research To-Do List
If only I could get motivated.

Revising paper on policy subsystems for submission to the Journal of Policy History | Status: 60 percent completed as of June 1.

Revise paper from last year’s Louisiana Studies Conference for submission to a journal | Status: Currently investigating journal options.

Write paper for 5th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference | Status: Waiting to see if proposal is accepted. –> This project is tied to one of the chapters in the theoretical book.

Write paper for presentation at the 10th International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability in Croatia in January 2014 | Status: 20 percent completed as of June 1.

Continued work on book project | Status: Currently at 108 pages double spaced. Would like to have a prospectus ready by September 2013.

NCSS Presentation on the Cuban Missile Crisis Project with The Coach | Status: Ask The Coach

Collect data on the politics of developing a new Mississippi River “compact” | Status: Small chunk to be included in book project; final meeting not until late fall.

Investigate the possibility of a research project related to environmental statements included in State Constitutions | Status: Planning phase.

Develop panel proposal for the 2014 Policy History Conference | Status: Have recruited panel members, proposal due in December 2013.

Outline series of essays on Food Politics | Status: Planning phase; currently collecting background research and thinking about how to organize the essays.

Continue to work on background for New Zealand essay | Status: Data collected; need to find funds and/or time to transcribe archival photos. Another trip to NZ may be necessary to complete this work.

Netherlands, Great Britain, and US Comparative Project | Status: On Hold

Environmentalism and Religion Project | Status: On Hold

Rural Disaster Management Project | Status: On Hold

Dead Zone, Ag Extension, BMP Project | Status: On Hold

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The Real Summer List


2013
05.23

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On Monday, I posted my list of summer ambitions: to relax in my rednecky Walmart pool, to garden, to watch copious amounts of Dr. Who, to see lots of summer blockbusters and listen to lots of bluegrass music, to visit family, to write. Those are the things I aspire to.

The real list, sans “real” research which gets its own blog entry, is below the break.

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The Last Two Crates


2013
05.22

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Always, always back up your research materials
Fire-Damaged Master’s Thesis Surveys circa 1996

Last week, The Coach pulled the last two ‘research crates’ out of the closet in the spare room and hauled them up to my office at school. One crate is full of the EIS statements I used in my dissertation; the other was a surprising collection of papers from the late 1990s. Not only did I find the copies of the surveys I used to write my master’s thesis, I also found copies of my Ohio taxes, a quote for renter’s insurance (which was almost twice what we currently pay for homeowner’s insurance because no one will insure you after a fire), hand-colored maps for a research project, and my father’s application for Medicaid.

Almost two decades later, the surveys still smell like smoke.

I’m not sure why I’ve been hauling this stuff around for almost 20 years. It certainly wasn’t for sentimental value, I’ll tell you that. Back in the day, The Coach and I were so ungodly poor that we lived in a trailer that we could barely pay for. Thankfully, we had insurance when the fire gutted that place — and I was lucky that the fire only singed the corners of the surveys so I could start over on my thesis.* Not so lucky was our dog Churchill who died from smoke inhalation. I’ve been thinking a lot about those days, mostly because we had to tell our life stories for our adoption home study. I tend to complain (a little, a lot?) about our low salaries here at the University and about the fact that our student loans will probably follow us into retirement, but we are so much better off now than we were then.

As for the crate, almost everything went into the trash — surveys, newspaper articles, umpteen drafts of the thesis. I did keep a couple of government documents in case I ever want to revisit the Wabash River Corridor (20 year retrospective perhaps?) and a few lesson plans because they amused me, but everything else: POOF!

One crate remains.


* Tip: Never store your backup copies in the same building with your computer. I was completely paranoid when I wrote my dissertation, keeping copies in a fire safe, my work office, and the glove compartment of my old car.

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Here’s Where I Stand


2013
05.15

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Summer I started today and I still have a few things left from my End of Semester To-Do List:

On the teaching front, I need to write the final exam review sheet and record one last audio lecture. Once that’s done, my Summer I class will virtually run itself — except for two sets of papers, a reading quiz and a bonus question that I’ll need to grade by hand. It also means that Summer II is prepped because I can (theoretically) roll all of the materials over into a new Blackboard shell. I’ll still need to tweak the information a bit (e.g. change syllabus, change deadlines on quizzes and exams, update the calendar), but that’s pretty minor stuff.  I also need to revamp my syllabus for the independent study course I am administering in Summer III and review the LIBGUIDE for that class.

On the administration front, I need to work on the schedule for Spring 2014. Yeah, can you believe I have to do that already? I’m also dealing with some other personnel issues (that I can talk about here); let’s just say some of the student complaints are both justified and annoying (not the students, but the fact that I have to deal with the same issues over and over again with the same people). I also need to mess with the course applications for the new Core Curriculum. << All of these things are things that I am going to try to do during my required 20 days of service; I’m trying very hard not to let it trickle over into my research and/0r summer fun time.

When it comes to Academic Service, I’m totally screwed. I was asked to serve on a Task Force, not knowing that it was going to meet over the summer. So there’s that. I also have to finish writing that peer evaluation that I’ve been carrying around for the last few weeks. Plus, the student research journal — which has landed on me because the editor has disappeared. Community service are also on my list: monthly environmental team meetings, Master Gardener service at the Zoo, Authority meetings downtown.

At least I managed to get the Adoption paperwork filed out and submitted. Next week, we’ll be doing our home study and our physicals. Then, we’ll wait. TQE tells me I should read The Kid at some point — maybe I will if i can ever get to the library.

Update: Newish stuff has hit my plate as well — more on that later.

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Will I Make It?


2013
05.10

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Five study guides
Two paper assignment guidelines
1 slide show
10 quizzes
13 taped audio lectures
Final syllabus updates
Read Me First document

All by next Wednesday. I might be screwed here.

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Close the Book


2013
05.08

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I just closed the book on Spring 2013’s grading.
That said, don’t expect much out of me yet;
I’ve gotta’ prep that DE class before next Wednesday.

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End of Semester Countdown


2013
04.27

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Posted in Teaching and Research | 3 Comments »

I bet you can relate to this?
The syllabus is the most important thing you will read all semester.

The semester ends on May 8.
I’m not sure I’m going to make it until then.
Look at all the sh*t I have to accomplish by then.

I obviously need a clone.

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I need a to-do list


2013
04.23

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I need to write a to-do list or else something is going to get done.
Ugh.

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Preparing for the Windy City


2013
04.13

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NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FLATLANDS OF ILLINOIS

I’m off to Chicago tomorrow morning on the 8:25 train out of Centralia. I don’t know what I was thinking when I booked myself onto the Saluki; Centralia’s a 2-hour drive from here which means I will have to get up before the dawn and drive down one of the most boring stretches of interstate in America.* It should be worth it: I’ll be attending another symposium about the Mississippi River watershed.

Taking the train also affords me some peace and quiet … compared to my office, that is. I’ve been trying to grade papers for almost two weeks now and I haven’t gotten very far. My grading time has been “nibbled to death by ducks.” You know what I mean: a conversation here, a favor there, a desperate student over there. You’d think I’d be used to it since I’ve been chair for four years now, but I’m not.

So, here I sit, at the office on a Saturday night, getting my shit together. As in,

Printing out fundraising critique memos to grade;

Making sure I have copies of my train tix, my hotel confirmation, and a map from Union Station to the Blackstone;

Looking for the textbooks I need to review for my upcoming summer class and realizing that they are actually in my office at home;

Putting an ‘away’ sign on my office door;

Setting my away message on Outlook;

Grading blog entries so my students will not feel like I abandoned them;

Printed out the fundraising plans that I didn’t get to grade yet; and

Typed up and sent out the two fundraising plans that I graded on Friday but didn’t have a chance to send out.

By the time I printed all those fundraising plans, I decided I couldn’t fit anything else into my briefcase, so I gave up.

I probably should have done all of this after my Faculty Senate meeting yesterday afternoon, but my brain was dead and The Coach took me out to eat at the lob. I should have come in earlier today, but campus was invaded with all of those healthy runner types, so I had to wait until I could find a place to park. And then I procrastinated by going to the movies with The Coach. Oh, and my sunglasses broke, so I had to go get those fixed.

Yeah. I know.

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Spring Break, by Theme


2013
03.12

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Looking over my Spring Break To Do List (Boo!) is making me sad. Well, that and the fact that this is the first time in six years that I haven’t been traveling somewhere (Mexico, Peru, Mexico, Germany, Louisiana). Originally, I wasn’t too upset about that: after all, I had my New Mexico trip to look forward to. But now, thanks to all the things that go along with being an adult (re: my mother-in-law’s recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis), we had to cancel that too.

I’m not going to dwell on it, because, there’s just nothing that can be done about it now. Maybe I’ll get the chance to go somewhere cool this summer once The Coach gets back from his fabulous trip to France. That butthead* better bring me back presents, let me tell you!

In fact, I’m trying very hard to find the silver lining in this whole “You’re Stuck in the Ville” Spring Break. In fact, I’ve themed my days:

Monday | Conference Plannapalooza

Tuesday | Scanning Dissertation Files Day (Part II)

Wednesday | Grade *All* The Things Day

Thursday | Attack on Adoption Paperwork Day

Friday | Where the Heck Did My Spring Break Go? Day [Plans: TBA]

And, I’m trying to sprinkle a little fun into the week. Today, for example, I read in bed until 10 a.m. and later I plan on seeing Silver Linings Playbook because I love going to movie matinees by myself. Tomorrow, I might break out that latch hook project I haven’t finished yet while watching more Game of Thrones. Friday night, I’m thinking about ordering the “Grab and Go” meal from the little Italian grocery store one town over. We shall see.

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