Resources

Members of the Association of Theological Schools' Chief Academic Officers Society (CAOS) -- deans and CAOs at more than 250 theological schools in the United States and Canada -- face a number of unique vocational tasks and trials. C(H)AOS Theory brings together in one volume perspectives from more than thirty veteran deans on a variety of topics related to academic leadership, from understanding institutional contexts and nurturing relationships to negotiating conflict, setting and meeting academic goals, building budgets, working with assessment and accreditation, and more. With its rich amalgam of useful information, bold instruction on a host of academic leadership issues, and lively narratives on the ways different colleagues address common challenges, C(H)AOS Theory will serve as a helpful resource for academic leaders. (From the Publisher)

The authors’ purpose in this book is to provide “a collection of practical tips drawn from real-life experiences.” We believe this particular book is so important to share with today’s audience, we almost called it Take My Book, Please! On the other hand, does the scholarly world need another book on the importance of scholarship? Further, if the book standard for tenure is slowly disappearing because so many academic presses are closing, why would we bother to write one? And recent studies show that new faculty members consider university employment a 9:00-5:00 job, so doesn’t that leave out time for job-related reading? Finally, with the instant gratification of the internet, aren’t books dead in our culture or at least well on their way to extinction? Why, then, in the name of all that’s sane, did we put this collection together? a. Our publisher wanted a follow-up to our It Works for Me as a Scholar-Teacher as he believed we had a lot more to say on the subject. b. With over 800 publications, we thought we had something insightful to say. c. Most books on the importance of scholarship are either textbook in nature or extremely theoretical, while this book is neither. d. With our successful It Works for Me series we’ve found a niche in the marketplace. e. Being a large collaboration, this book provides many voices who all believe that reiterating the importance of scholarship is important. f. With a series of short, practical tips on scholarship, this book is very easy to read and, hence, might be read. Actually, all of the above are true. We feel certain you will benefit from the collective work found between these covers. To find information on the full “It Works for Me” series, go to www.newforums.com. (From the Publisher)

Susan Peck MacDonald here tackles important and often controversial contemporary questions regarding the rhetoric of inquiry, the social construction of knowledge, and the professionalization of the academy. MacDonald argues that the academy has devoted more effort to analyzing theory and method than to analyzing its own texts. Professional texts need further attention because they not only create but are also shaped by the knowledge that is special to each discipline. Her assumption is that knowledge making is the distinctive activity of the academy at the professional level; for that reason, it is important to examine differences in the ways the professional texts of subdisciplinary communities focus on and consolidate knowledge within their fields. MacDonald’s examination concentrates on three sample subdisciplinary fields: attachment research in psychology, Colonial New England social history, and Renaissance New Historicism in literary studies. By tracing, over a period of two decades, how members of each field have discussed a problem in their professional discourse, MacDonald explores whether they have progressed toward a greater resolution of their problems. In her examination of attachment research, she traces the field’s progress from its theoretical origins through its discovery of a method to a point of greater conceptual elaboration and agreement. Similarly, in Colonial New England social history, MacDonald examines debates over the values of narrative and analysis and, in Renaissance New Historicism, discusses particularist tendencies and ways in which New Historicist articles are organized by anecdotes and narratives. MacDonald goes on to discuss sentence-level patterns, boldly proposing a method for examining how disciplinary differences in knowledge making are created and reflected at the sentence level. Throughout her work, MacDonald stresses her conviction that academics need to do a better job of explaining their text-making axioms, clarifying their expectations of students at all levels, and monitoring their own professional practices. MacDonald’s proposals for both textual and sentence-level analysis will help academic professionals better understand how they might improve communication within their professional communities and with their students. (From the Publisher)

• A faculty member publishes an article without offering coauthorship to a graduate assistant who has made a substantial conceptual or methodological contribution to the article. • A professor does not permit graduate students to express viewpoints different from her own. • A graduate student close to finishing his dissertation cannot reach his traveling advisor, a circumstance that jeopardizes his degree. This book discusses these and other examples of faculty misconduct—and how to avoid them. Using data collected through faculty surveys, the authors describe behaviors associated with graduate teaching which are considered inappropriate and in violation of good teaching practices. They derive a normative structure that consists of five inviolable and eight admonitory proscriptive criteria to help graduate faculty make informed and acceptable professional choices. The authors discuss the various ways in which faculty members acquire the norms of teaching and mentoring, including the graduate school socialization process, role models, disciplinary codes of ethics, and scholarship about the professoriate and professional performance. Analyzing the rich data gleaned from the faculty surveys, they track how these norms are understood and interpreted across academic disciplines and are influenced by such factors as gender, citizenship, age, academic rank, tenure, research activity, and administrative experience. (From the Publisher)

In university teachers’ hectic lives, finding space to reflect, restore, renew, and recommit can seem impossible. Jean Koh Peters and Mark Weisberg believe regular reflection is critical and have designed A Teacher’s Reflection Book to help teachers and other professionals find that space. Growing out of the authors’ extensive experience facilitating retreats and leading teaching and learning workshops, the book builds on their discoveries in those settings, supporting and promoting teachers’ self-directed development. Inviting that development, A Teacher’s Reflection Book is a cornucopia of stories, exercises, and examples that will inspire teachers to make reflection a cornerstone of their daily lives. With its multiple suggestions and strategies, it offers something for every reader, and is responsive to teachers’ needs at all stages of their careers. The book’s six chapters offer readers several perspectives from which to reflect. Some sections offer glimpses of teachers in the midst of their daily teaching lives, while others step away, inviting readers to reflect on what it means to have a vocation as a teacher. The book explores how we listen, a crucial yet rarely taught skill, essential for reflecting, as well as for learning and teaching. And it invites teachers to reflect on their students: who they are, and what and how they learn. For those latter reflections, the authors turn the focus on fear, which so pervades university life and which can distort learners’ and teachers’ perspectives and responses. Throughout this book, readers will visit several classrooms and listen to the evocative voices of several thoughtful students. (From the Publisher)

The Effective, Efficient Professor: Teaching, Scholarship and Service develops methods to improve the proficiency and time management skills of faculty in all areas of their careers. Most faculty are discipline experts but have not studied methods to improve their teaching, scholarship or service. This book applies efficiency and time management methods to academe. Throughout the book, the author shows how student learning and academic productivity can be improved by being aware of effective time management techniques. A variety of efficient and effective teaching methods are explored. Scholarship, service, and working with graduate students are also discussed. This book will help college faculty at all levels of instruction take charge of their careers! For college professors in all disciplines. (From the Publisher)

The Survival Guide for New Faculty Members: Outlining the Keys to Success for Promotion and Tenure provides new faculty members with practical, down-to-earth wisdom and suggestions for successfully working through to tenure and promotion. The authors—both successful and experienced administrators and experts in higher education—have provided an extremely well-organized and useful guide for new faculty members. It focuses on all aspects of becoming a new faculty member including the various expectations in completing a successful journey toward promotion and tenure. The book underscores the importance of recognizing the three facets of faculty life of teaching, research, and service. This volume clearly sets out, compares, and separates those three components with clarity and provides very useful advice for putting the three together. Taken together with the chapters on “Documenting Your Progress” and “Promotion and Tenure,” new faculty are provided with a solid, practical introduction to building a foundation for success in higher education. Feedback and tips are also provided within each chapter. It is written in a style that readers will be able to easily comprehend and understand and is supported with many examples. In addition, the information can be easily applied to new faculty at various types of institutions of higher education. (From the Publisher)

A tool to facilitate discussion about diversity in hiring at colleges and universities. The website includes a study guide and order form for a free live action film in which a search committee debates candidate qualifications for an open position.This web site will prepare you to show the film and help your audience to demystify subtle discrimination, examine assumptions, and become change-agents.