Daily Nous (RSS Feed) on Nostr: Surviving the “Precarious Years” “Lassiter taught nearly 50 courses before he ...

Surviving the “Precarious Years”

“Lassiter taught nearly 50 courses before he began a tenure-track job in 2013. He ordinarily took on three courses in Fall and Spring semesters, plus three or four courses during the summer… Similarly, before starting a tenure-track job in 2014, Atkins taught over 60 courses. As a graduate student, he would usually cover between two and five courses every year, but after he graduated with a Ph.D. in 2010, his course load increased to four or five courses each semester.” Richard Atkins, professor of philosophy at Boston College, and Charlie Lassiter, associate professor of philosophy at Gonzaga University, were both graduate students at Fordham University, and during that time they worked extensively as adjuncts “while simultaneously completing their Ph.D. program requirements by writing term papers, passing comprehensive exams, and writing dissertations.” Nathan Ballantyne (Arizona State), was on the faculty at Fordham when Atkins and Lassiter were there, and decided to include them in his series of interviews at The Workbench. He writes: “Years after meeting them, I wanted to know: What compelled them to write and how did they work during those precarious years before finding tenure-track employment?” I recommend reading the whole thing, but here’s an excerpt in which Atkins and Lassiter answer questions about how they got any writing done while being so busy with teaching and other responsibilities. Ballantyne: How did you organize your life? Where did you do your work? Atkins: I worked wherever I could. In our apartment in Queens, I had a desk in the living room. Other times, it was at the kitchen table. My wife has pictures of me sitting in our apartment, holding our daughter, while working on my dissertation. As far as organizing my life, I’ll tell you the same thing that I tell all of the philosophy grad students at BC. One of Charlie’s colleagues, Greta Turnbull LaFore, who went to grad school at BC, coined the name for it—the “Atkins Diet.” Every day, read at least one essay or chapter related to your research, write at least one paragraph, and jog at least one mile. Ballantyne: How did you stick with that routine over the years? Was it habitual? Was someone encouraging you? Atkins: I committed myself to doing..
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