More Ways of Understanding the Academy

Marcheta Evans meeting with AALCI Fellows

Yesterday, Marcheta Evans, Associate Dean for the College of Education and Human Development at UTSA, and Bridget Drinka, chair of the Department of English at UTSA, participated in our conversation series. Evans and Drinka provided us with a wide range of advice on understanding the academy based on their experiences as researchers, professors, and administrators.

Evans discussed the challenges and rewards of working in various positions in the academy as well as the importance of being an active member in professional organizations. Her diverse experiences serving in leadership roles on university campuses and in organizations associated with counseling made it possible for our Fellows to gain quite a bit of information, if not insight.

Bridget Drinka discussing geographic dimensions of speech patterns

In addition to providing professional and educational advice, Drinka opened with a stimulating discussion of regarding speech patterns and language variety in New York City, where our group will travel to soon. Drinka's discussion of sociolinguistics and the gendered implications of how and why men and women speak certain ways was really fascinating and gave our group more ideas for considering how the roles of structural and cultural factors in shaping behavior.
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