I have been completing hours for an AA to transfer for an English undergrad degree. Recently it has come to my attention that teaching university English is a field mostly closed to new blood, due to the number of highly-qualified individuals already there. I'm considering switching to a career path in teaching Digital Humanities or New Media instead, but feel a little lost as to knowing what would be a fruitful undergrad degree versus one that's actually worthless in the face of a teaching career. What degrees are useful? Which schools are good? Are there any in the Kansas City area?? Thanks a bunch.
Recommended course of study for New Media/DH teaching career?
(2 posts) (2 voices)-
Miriam Posner
MemberBest AnswerHi mariazoey,
I think you may have a few questions packed in here! First, you're absolutely right that finding a job as a faculty member in an English department is really tough. Unfortunately, the academic job market is pretty bad all around, not just in English. And it's a big investment of your time. As you might know, a Ph.D. is pretty much required to teach at a university. Getting one usually takes about six or seven years after your B.A.
Some people will tell you that job prospects for faculty are so bad that it's not worth your time to get a Ph.D. in the humanities, period. Others will say that you should go if it's really what you love more than anything else, but you should be aware that there may not be a job waiting for you at the other end.
The other question I see in your post is about "new media" versus "digital humanities." Confusingly enough, these are actually two separate fields. To make some really broad generalizations: People who study new media write and think about the effect of new media on people's lives. In digital humanities, the emphasis tends to be on making things — designing software, analyzing data, creating online archives, things like that. Here's a good article that does a nice job summarizing the "making" part of digital humanities.
So I guess I have more questions for you than answers: Is teaching at a university what you really, really want to do? How important is secure employment to you? Do you want to be a university professor because you love studying and writing, or because you're seeking a secure career? If it's the latter, there may be better routes for you.
This is not meant to dissuade you from studying new media or digital humanities! I think these are both wonderful things to study, and the University of Kansas even has a digital humanities center that you could take advantage of. But it does sound as though sitting down with a career counselor, either at your current institution or at the one where you end up, might be a good idea.
Very best of luck to you!
Posted 4 years ago Permalink
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