In Rani Neutill’s How to Leave Academia, Neutill discusses the toxic environment of
academia as well as the lack of job stability that led her to leave academia. One of the problems
she talked about was the elitism of academia. She discussed how academics only talked about
academics and looked down on popular culture. They often complained about other academics
they did not agree with and other mundane things, such as how hard it was to be a white male
academic in the uncultured America, while ignoring actual problems. The culture of elitism and
always feeling the need to be better than everyone else only contributes to the environment where
people compete against each other instead of supporting each other. She discusses how many
universities only want to meet quotas for diversity but will never exceed them, creating only a few
opportunities of people of color to receive tenure. This added with the move to hiring mostly
adjunct professors and part-time lecturers only makes relatively stable jobs even more competitive.
In Opening the Box, Akiko Takeyama touches on the competitive environment of academia and
how it makes professors easily replaceable. More people are earning PhDs while universities are
cutting tenure track positions. The imbalance between supply and demand only gives universities
leverage when it comes to controlling faculty, discouraging professors, especially those belonging
to minorities, from speaking out.
academia as well as the lack of job stability that led her to leave academia. One of the problems
she talked about was the elitism of academia. She discussed how academics only talked about
academics and looked down on popular culture. They often complained about other academics
they did not agree with and other mundane things, such as how hard it was to be a white male
academic in the uncultured America, while ignoring actual problems. The culture of elitism and
always feeling the need to be better than everyone else only contributes to the environment where
people compete against each other instead of supporting each other. She discusses how many
universities only want to meet quotas for diversity but will never exceed them, creating only a few
opportunities of people of color to receive tenure. This added with the move to hiring mostly
adjunct professors and part-time lecturers only makes relatively stable jobs even more competitive.
In Opening the Box, Akiko Takeyama touches on the competitive environment of academia and
how it makes professors easily replaceable. More people are earning PhDs while universities are
cutting tenure track positions. The imbalance between supply and demand only gives universities
leverage when it comes to controlling faculty, discouraging professors, especially those belonging
to minorities, from speaking out.
Question: Neutill says that she enjoys teaching, but the weaponizing of students stopped making
teaching enjoyable. Although this may just be her personal choice, I was wondering why she did
not become a high school teacher if she enjoys teaching. Is the weaponizing of students also a
problem in high schools and is majoring in ethnic studies while seeming overqualified a barrier
to becoming a high school teacher?
teaching enjoyable. Although this may just be her personal choice, I was wondering why she did
not become a high school teacher if she enjoys teaching. Is the weaponizing of students also a
problem in high schools and is majoring in ethnic studies while seeming overqualified a barrier
to becoming a high school teacher?
References
(n.d.). Elitists. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://thelonelylacuna.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/elitists.jpg.
Neutill, R. (2019). How to Leave Academia. Unpublished manuscript.
Takeyama, A. (2019). Opening the Box. Unpublished manuscript.
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