2226 - Productivity on the Path to Tenure for First-gen and Working-class faculty Members

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Description

Early faculty members from first-gen and working-class (FGWC) backgrounds may confront new kinds of hidden curriculum demands as they transition into professional life and towards tenure. They may also face personal questions about socioeconomic mobility and transitions into a white-collar status.

This workshop will present perspectives from FGWC faculty members working at several campuses. Speakers will present the successful practices they have developed as faculty members—including things they wish they had known earlier in professional life, managing the hidden curriculum, working towards tenure, and managing personal life and work life balance. Participants will be encouraged to share their concerns and challenges, as well as their own personal best practices. The goal of the session is to engage participants in meaningful conversation, reflection, and ultimately strategy development with advice from panelists who can serve as mentors. Moreover, participants may develop lasting informal networks with others who share their interests and/or backgrounds. Graduate students from first-generation and/or working-class backgrounds are encouraged to attend a parallel workshop.

This workshop fits strongly within this year’s theme, Engaging Social Justice for a Better World. During 2018 focus group sessions facilitated by the Task Force, many participants expressed a need for mentorship and advice in navigating professional expectations and practices. One goal of the Task Force is to be responsive to FGWC needs; a second is to increase the numbers of FGWC faculty members working in sociology. This workshop speaks to both goals, engaging social justice by building FGWC faculty strengths and connections.

Sub Unit

• Workshops / Professional Development Workshop

Session Organizer

• Elizabeth M. Lee, Ohio University

Co-Leaders

• Reginald Anthony Byron, Southwestern University

• Kevin J. Delaney, Temple University

• Daisy Isabel Verduzco Reyes, University of Connecticut