A Field Guide to Grad School : Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum

477 Pages·2020·4.093 MB·English

by  Jessica Mccrory Calarco

A FIELD
GUIDE
TO GRAD
SCHOOL

Jessica McCrory Calarco
A FIELD
GUIDE
TO GRAD
SCHOOL
Uncovering
the Hidden
Curriculum
PRINCE TON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCE TON AND OXFORD
Copyright © 2020 by Prince ton University Press
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work
should be sent to [email protected]
Published by Prince ton University Press
41 William Street, Prince ton, New Jersey 08540
6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR
press . princeton . edu
All Rights Reserved
ISBN (pbk.) 978-0-691-20109-2
ISBN (e- book) 978-0-691- 20110-8
British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available
Editorial: Meagan Levinson and Jacqueline Delaney
Production Editorial: Jenny Wolkowicki
Cover design: Chris Ferrante
Production: Erin Suydam
Publicity: Kathryn Stevens and Maria Whelan
Copyeditor: Joseph Dahm
This book has been composed in Arno
Printed on acid- free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all the mentors
who have helped me uncover
the hidden curriculum of grad school
and academia as a whole

CONTENTS
Acknowl edgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Choosing a Program 10
Chapter 2 Building Your Team 55
Chapter 3 Deciphering Academic Jargon 84
Chapter 4 Reading and Writing about Other
People’s Research 108
Chapter 5 Staying on Track in Your Program 119
Chapter 6 Doing Research and Finding Funding 152
Chapter 7 Writing about Your Research 177
Chapter 8 Publishing and Promoting Your Work 212
Chapter 9 Talking about Your Research 265
Chapter 10 Going to Conferences 285
Chapter 11 Navigating the Job Market 302
Chapter 12 Balancing Teaching, Research,
Ser vice, and Life 349
Conclusion 386
Appendix A: Sample CV— Master’s Degree 393
Appendix B: Sample CV— Job Market 395
vii
viii Contents
Appendix C: Sample CV— Pre- tenure 399
Notes 407
References 431
Index 451
ACKNOWLE DGMENTS
I didn’t have a field guide to get me through grad school, but I did
have a team of mentors who helped me uncover the hidden cur-
riculum and who have continued to help me navigate academia as
a w hole. This book, like my academic career more generally, would
not have been pos si ble without their advice and support. And this
book is my effort to pay it forward—to share with you the insights
they’ve shared with me.
As an undergrad at Brown University, I stumbled into sociol-
ogy, not knowing what it was but enamored with the first two
courses I took (Sociology of Education and American Society) my
freshman year. The professors I met in t hose courses, John Modell
and Michael White, were critical mentors for me in so many ways.
In their courses, I learned the concept of the “hidden curriculum”
and about the inequalities that exist and persist in schools.
I learned to see social prob lems as structural prob lems and to rec-
ognize how research can inform good policies. Those professors
also encouraged me to consider a PhD for grad school— before
that, I thought I’d maybe be headed to law school instead. Outside
of the classroom, Professor Carl Kaestle gave me a chance to see
faculty life from the inside. As his research assistant, I got to help
with editing manuscripts, collecting data, and juggling the de-
mands of teaching, research, and ser vice. Without that kind of
“insider” experience, I don’t think I would have ever considered
an academic career.
As a grad student at the University of Pennsylvania, I knew
where I wanted to get (a job as a professor), but not exactly how
to get t here or what to do along the way. Thankfully, I found a ter-
rific team of mentors who told me t hings I d idn’t know to ask and
helped me keep the imposter syndrome at bay. Annette Lareau has
opened so many doors for me and helped me choose which ones
to go through when the options left me feeling overwhelmed.
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