

The Academic Life
Christina Gessler
A podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! Created and produced by Dr. Christina Gessler, the Academic Life podcast is inspired by today’s knowledge-producers around the world, working inside and outside the academy.Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 8min
Gender Bias in the Study of Science
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: studying the brain, women in STEM, your inner limiter, gender bias in the scientific method, and a discussion of the book Gender and The Brain.Our guest is: Gina Rippon, author of Gender and Your Brain. She is a British neuroscientist, feminist, and an honorary professor of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University in Birmingham, England. In 2015 she was made honorary fellow of the British Science Association. Rippon has also sat on the editorial board of the International Journal of Psychophysiology, and is a member of the European Union Gender Equality Network, belongs to WISE and ScienceGrrl, and the Inspiring the Future initiative.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She seeks the extraordinary in the ordinary, writes poems about small relatable moments, and takes many photos in nature.Listeners to this episode might be interested in:
Blakemore, S.J. Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain.
Hines, M. Brain Gender.
Jarrett, C. Great Myths of the Brain.
Joel, D. and Vikhanski, L. Gender Mosaic: Beyond the Myth of the Female Brain.
Matthew D. Lieberman. Social: Why Our Brain are Wired to Connect.
Mitchell, K.J. Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are.
Rippon, G 2019. TedX talk: A Gendered World Makes a Gendered Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s1hrHppl5E
Schiebinger, L. The Mind Has No Sex?: Women in the Origins of Modern Science.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 8min
The Detective Work of Research: A Conversation with Polly E. Bugros McLean
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: how doing research is like being a detective; when you have to get off the internet and go do field work; why the person known as “the first” usually wasn’t the first; and a discussion of the book Remembering Lucille.Our guest is: Polly E. Bugros McLean, associate professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she has served as director of Women and Gender Studies and as the faculty associate to the Chancellor. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Chancellor’s Committee on Women Award, the Chancellor’s Equity and Excellence Award, Robert L. Stearns Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award for teaching excellence, and the Best Should Teach Gold Award. In 1999 and 2000 she was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to the University of Namibia. She is the author of Remembering Lucille.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She reinterprets the historical narrative in both traditional and creative forms. She finds meaning in her personal life, her research, and in nature. She supports her work-life balance with long walks and her photography, which you can find here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 6min
On Writing Well: Feminist Biography-A Conversation with Anya Jabour
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear about: finding elusive primary resources, following the intersections of women’s lives, how to write biography, what to do with the research you can’t fit in your book, and a discussion of the book Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America.Our guest is: Anya Jabour, Regents Professor of History at the University of Montana. Her books include Topsy-Turvy: How the Civil War Turned the World Upside Down for Southern Children and Scarlett's Sisters: Young Women in the Old South. She is the author of Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America.Your host is: Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She’s run mentor programs, worked in museum education, evaluated history grants for government funded education programs, and taught writing and women’s history. She also decodes the diaries left behind by 19th century New England farm women. She is the co-producer of the Academic Life channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 3min
On Writing Well: Really Personal Essays-A Conversation with Rebekah Taussig
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about writing personal essays both online and in print, disability as a constructed cultural barrier, and a discussion of the book Sitting Pretty [a collection of personal essays].Our guest is: Rebekah Taussig, the author of Sitting Pretty. She is a Kansas City writer and a teacher. She earned a PhD in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies from the University of Kansas. She is interested in the powerful connection between the cultural narratives we tell and the world we live in, from physical spaces and economic opportunities to social roles and interpersonal relationships. She writes personal essays that participate in the stories being told about disability.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She credits her ability to read nearly-illegible things to a childhood spent trying read her dad’s handwriting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 21min
How to Deal With Structural Inequality in Academia
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you’re not an island, and neither are we. So, we are reaching across our own contacts – and beyond - to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Want to hear a particular expert or topic? Email your ideas to cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com or DM us on Twitter @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode, you’ll hear: a discussion of the book Presumed Incompetent and Presumed Incompetent II; the intersecting roles of race, gender and class for academic women of color; structural inequalities; and the barriers to being hired and getting tenure.Our guests are: Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann, who is the Interim Chair and Professor of the Department of Psychology at University of North Texas. And Dr. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, who is the Theilene Pigott McCone Chair for the Humanities and professor of modern languages and women studies in the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department at Seattle University. They are co-editors of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia, and of Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender and sexuality.Listeners to this episode may also be interested in:
Barlow, F. K. and Sibley, C.G. The Cambridge Handbook of The Psychology of Prejudice, Concise Student Edition.
Boyd, Beth, Caraway, S. Jean, Niemann, Yolanda Flores, Eds. Surviving and Thriving in Academia: A Guide for Members of Marginalized Groups.
Caroline Kieu-Linh Valverde. "Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia," Seattle Journal for Social Justice: Vol. 12 : Iss. 2 , Article 5.
Niemann, Y.F., & Carter, C. Microaggressions in the Classroom.
Njie-Carr, V. P. S. Niemann, Y.F., & Sharps, P. W. Eds. Disparities in the Academy: Accounting for the Elephant.
Kimberly D. McKee and Denise A. Delgado, Eds. Degrees of Difference: Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School.
Kerry Ann Rockemore and Tracey Laszloffy, Eds. The Black Academic's Guide to Winning Tenure-Without Losing Your Soul.
Takaki, R. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Revised Edition).
Vest, Jennifer Lisa. "What Doesn't Kill You: Existential Luck, Postracial Racism, and The Subtle and Not So Subtle Ways the Academy Keeps Women of Color Out," Seattle Journal for Social Justice: Vol. 12 : Iss. 2 , Article 7.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 55min
Researching Racial Injustice
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about the process of researching a current event, the history of policing in the US, what “defund the police” means, the importance of mentors, challenges of demonstrating safely, and a discussion of the book Hands Up Don’t Shoot.Our guest is: Jennifer E. Cobbina, the author of Hands Up Don’t Shoot. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her primary research focuses on the issue of corrections, prisoner reentry and the understanding of recidivism and desistance among recently released female offenders. Her second primary research area is centered on examining how race, gender, and neighborhood context impact victimization risks among minority youth.Dr. Cobbina’s work appears in a number of top criminology journals, such as Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice & Behavior, British Journal of Criminology, and Journal of Drug Issues. She currently serves as the co-chair for the ASC Division on People of Color and Crime. She is on the editorial board of the scholarly journals Justice Quarterly, Journal of Crime & Justice, and Sociology Compass: Crime and Deviance Section.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality.Listeners to this episode might be interested in:
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: New Press.
Butler, P. Chokehold: Policing Black Men. New York: The New Press.
Brunson, Rod K. 2007. “‘Police Don't Like Black People’: African American Young Men's Accumulated Police Experiences.” Criminology &Public Policy. 6:71-102.
Jones, Nikki. The Chosen Ones.
Norris, Zach. We Keep Us Safe: Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities. Boston, Beacon Press.
Rios, V. Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys. New York: NYU Press.
Ritchie, A. J. Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 1h 2min
Research, Whiteness, and Campus Monuments
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an expert about something? Email us at cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: about getting an MFA in nonfiction, conducting research for your book, confronting your privilege, the fight to remove a campus monument, and a discussion of the book Down Along With That Devil’s Bones.Our guest is: Connor Towne O’Neill, the author of Down Along With That Devil’s Bones. He is a graduate of Vassar College, and earned an MFA from the University of Alabama. He teaches at Auburn University, and is a producer on the NPR podcast White Lies.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women, gender, and sexuality. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century, and is the co-creator of The Academic Life podcast series on New Books Network.Listeners to this episode might be interested in:
The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward Baptist
Race and Reunion by David Blight
“Applying Critical Race and Memory Studies to University Place Naming Controversies: Toward a Responsible Landscape Policy” by Jordan Brasher, Derek Alderman, and Joshua Inwood
“Landscape Fairness: Removing Discrimination from the Built Environment” by Stephen Clowney
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Memorial Mania by Erika Doss
Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates
Nathan Bedford Forrest by Jack Hurst
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 6, 2020 • 57min
How to Maintain Your Artistic Practice After Graduation
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you’re not an island, and neither are we. So, we are reaching across our own contacts – and beyond - to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Want to hear a particular expert or topic? Email your ideas to cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com. Find us on Twitter @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode you’ll hear: author Beth Pickens discuss Your Art Will Save Your Life, and wisdom on why you need to preserve your artistic practice, and what to do with what blocks you.Our guest is: Beth Pickens, a Los Angeles-based consultant for artists and arts organizations and the author of Your Art Will Save Your Life. She has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, and provides career consultation, grant writing, fundraising, and financial, project, and strategic planning services for artists and arts organizations in the U.S. She teaches at the California Institute of the Arts School of Theater, and specializes in supporting queer and trans artists, women, and artists of color.Your host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She credits her ability to read nearly-illegible things to a childhood spent trying read her dad’s handwriting. She reinterprets traditional narratives in her blogs, podcasts, essays, photography, and poetry. Christina supports her artistic practice by taking daily photos in nature, which she posts at: https://www.facebook.com/themeditationwalks/Listeners to this episode might be interested in:
Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
Art INC. by Lisa Congdon
Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic by Lisa Congdon
How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland
How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price
Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles by Beth Pickens (out April 6 on Chronicle Books)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life

Nov 5, 2020 • 49min
Introduction to 'The Academic Life' Podcast
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you’re not an island, and neither are we. So, we are reaching across our own contacts – and beyond - to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Want to hear a particular expert or topic? Email your ideas to cgessler@gmail.com or dr.danamalone@gmail.com or DM us on Twitter @AcademicLifeNBN.In this episode, you’ll hear: our paths to college and graduate school, and the instructive moments along the way, why you might need a mentor (or two or three) to accomplish your goals, and how this channel offers a virtual community for your journey – in, out, or through – academia.Your co-host is: Dr. Dana Malone, a scholar and practitioner energized by facilitating meaningful learning experiences for students and educators alike. She loves connecting with kindred academic spirits, like Christina, and collaborating on inspiring projects. When she’s not having engaging conversations on TAL podcast, she writes, teaches, and works with institutions on a contract basis. Her specialty areas include student cultures, the intersection of gender, sexuality, and religious identities as well as student success, assessment and evaluation, and strategic planning. She provides invited talks on her book, From Single to Serious. Dana is also known for kitchen dance parties, wandering the Jersey shore, and crushing hills on her spin bike. Check out more: www.danammalone.com.Your other co-host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian. She specializes in decoding diaries written by rural women in the 19th century. She credits her ability to read nearly-illegible things to a childhood spent trying read her dad’s handwriting. In high school she was trained in peer mentor programs; as an undergrad she worked in her campus Writing Center; while pursuing her Ph.D. she developed and ran a Mentor Program for graduate students. She enjoys presenting history in nontraditional forms, like creating photography exhibits about the fields and farms that are no longer in use, and nonfiction poems about the intersection of nature and history. She met Dr. Dana Malone when she interviewed her for an episode on the NBN Gender Channel, and they’ve been friends ever since. Christina supports her work-life balance by taking photos in nature, which you can find at: https://www.facebook.com/themeditationwalks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/academic-life


