Classics Graduate Education in the 21st century
This panel explores challenges facing Classical graduate programs now and in the coming decades. In the face of changing trends in education, such as emphasis on STEM fields, heightened career mobility, the increasing instability of academic employment, a new emphasis on job placement beyond the academy, changing funding of public institutions, and internationalization of the discipline, many graduate programs are evolving rapidly. This panel asks for reflections on the directions we are headed and where we should be going.
This call comes amidst a period of major reflection on the nature and importance of graduate education. The coherence of classical studies as an academic community provides a unique opportunity for assessment and renewal. Potential topics for inquiry include: How does overall PhD production sit in relation to the size of the academic market? Do the SCS and individual programs bear any responsibility for setting cohort size in light of these? Are there discernable patterns in the size and skillset of recent admissions cohorts? Are we meeting students where their skill set lies? What does appropriate training for publication and teaching look like? Should programs deliberately prepare students for alternate career paths? To what degree should graduate students have a say in the education they receive? Is there an optimal time to degree? How does PhD training align with the actual careers of recent doctorates? How can we ensure that PhD programs meet the needs of working-class, first-generation and underrepresented/minority populations in the discipline? Are programs preparing students for the institutional and geographic diversity of the profession? How does the proliferation of tuition-charging post-baccalaureate programs sit in relation to the discipline's pipeline problem?
We welcome proposals on these and related topics. Panelists may approach these issues through many methods, including but not limited to case studies on specific programs, quantitative analysis, comparative reflection on Classics programs or between Classics and related disciplines or reflections on online versus on-campus programs.
Please send abstracts that follow the guidelines for individual abstracts (see the SCS website) by email to Ariana Traill at traill@illinois.edu by March 30, 2019. Please remove identifying information from any attached files. Co-organizers Clifford Ando and Jennifer Rea will review submissions anonymously. Decisions will be announced by the end of March 2019. Please address questions about the panel to Ariana Traill at traill@illinois.edu.