My research question: How does the demand for flexibility from Composition and Rhetoric Ph.D. candidates make them feel economically exploited?
Composition and Rhetoric is the field I plan to do into in grad school and my future Ph.D. endeavor, and it’s always attracted me because I am fascinated in communication. Comp/Rhet students do a lot of writing, as they are in the process of creating their thesis—which is often on the topic of writing itself. With a job so based in writing, though, I wonder what kind of position this can put these students in, in terms of exploitation.
Both because of their complicated role as students/employees/teachers, and the way being part of the knowledge economy can lead to people being the means of production themselves, I’ve noticed that there is a huge demand of flexibility from these students. From their students they teach, the bosses they report to, their colleagues depending on them, going from role to role each semester…it seems like there is a never ending amount of change being inflicted on these students, and I wonder if that makes them feel economically exploited.
The concepts that have influenced my research question come from “Writing for a Living” and “On Friday Night Drinks.” I want to combine the ideas of people being the means of production with the concept of a higher demand of productivity—I think both of these concepts are complimentary, and could deeply impact how Comp/Rhet students feel exploited.
I think the best way to answer this question is to collect the opinions of multiple Comp/Rhet Ph.D. students. I think interviewing just 1 student wouldn’t be enough, so I am hoping to collect answers from 3 students. This way, I can get a more holistic view on how the average student feels.
Interview Protocol:
- How did you decide to go into Comp/Rhet?
- What are you currently studying?
- What do you hope to do after your program?
- What is an average day like for you at work?
- Do you do similar tasks day to day?
- Do you hold similar positions semester to semester?
- How flexible does your job demand you to be?
- How does this level of flexibility make you feel?
- Do you feel like you earn enough money for the work you do?
- Do you ever feel burnt out?
- Do you ever feel exploited?
Script:
Hello! I am currently working on a project for my 245 seminar that explore a topic in the area of writing and the economy. I would like to interview you for my project, as I am working on a paper that focuses on how Comp/Rhet students feel under a high demand of flexibility in the work place. Would it be ok if I record our interview? Your name will be changed to an alias in my paper to protect your identity.
