Adjunctification—The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

To begin my remarks today, I would like to recognize that we are on American Indian land here in Denver and in Colorado—the homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, Shoshone, and Apache nations—and that our work takes place within the context of indigenous homelands. I also want to thank the session organizers for inviting me to speak; I am honored to participate in a panel of such wisdom and distinction.

As an adjunct professor for over ten years, I would like to share my reflections and advice not only with those who may find themselves working as an adjunct instructor but also with those with little firsthand knowledge of the challenges of adjunct life. I earned my PhD in religious studies in 1997 and was subsequently hired into a tenure-track position in women's and gender studies. Unfortunately, however, I did not write the book required for tenure. Many academic careers do not survive the failure to earn tenure. How does one recover from such professional devastation? Do you simply leave the academy? Having survived in academia for over twenty-five years and transformed myself into a successful adjunct professor, I think of myself as a kind of road warrior. I somewhat humorously subtitled my remarks today about being on the road, "the good, the bad, and the ugly."

First, the good—these are some good steps to take. I recommend those considering a future in academia to both generalize and specialize in their areas of scholarship and teaching. In my doctoral program I chose a very narrow area of religious studies—American Indian religious traditions—but I also knew to expect few job opportunities. So, in graduate school I developed secondary specializations in religion in America and in women and religion. I believe it was due to this diversification that I attained a tenure-track position, which was not in religious studies but in women's and gender studies. Overall, I have taught the vast majority of my classes in women's and gender studies, Native American studies, ethnic studies, and humanities, not religious studies. I currently teach in a total of six different departments across two different institutions as a result of the ongoing diversification. At the same time, I continue to develop my specialization in Native American religious traditions through reading, research, and participation in the American Academy of Religion (AAR).

To pursue teaching opportunities outside of your specialization, identify where your institution offers courses outside of traditional academic departments. For instance, I have taught for several years in upper-division degree-completion programs designed to help working adults return to college. I have also taught in "freshman-year experience" (FYE) and other first-year student programs. Universities may offer these courses under the umbrella of "Extended Education" or "University Studies."

I also strongly recommend that you learn how to offer your courses online. Online education is the future of academia, whether the courses are offered fully online or partially as hybrid courses that include a face-to-face component. Online teaching may be particularly advantageous to adjuncts, who may need to teach courses through several institutions and across geographic areas to maintain a full course load. I encourage you to enroll in online and hybrid courses if you have not already done so to gain experiential knowledge from the student perspective. More important, take advantage of workshops, courses, or certificate programs in online education that your institution may be offering. Teaching online often requires trying new pedagogical approaches, which are not always self-evident, and gaining at least a working knowledge of constantly evolving technology. These workshops can flatten the learning curve, and as a bonus, improve your face-toface teaching as well.

Another "good" that I recommend is developing a writing practice, by which I mean a habit of writing regularly if not daily. Writing practice may take many forms but often consists of free-form or relatively unstructured writing exercises intended to stimulate the flow of words and ideas from the mind to the page or screen...