I recently began work as a visiting assistant professor at a new university. I've finally settled into my office. My books surround me, and I love the feeling of it. Here is my favorite section of the shelf. It seems timely. I like being surrounded by books.
I wrote my dissertation about women's experiences as practitioners of technical and professional writing in the workplace. I graduated earlier this month, but I'm still working on getting the formatting of the final document approved by the graduate school. It turns out that formatting a dissertation is more tedious than writing one! As I've gone... Continue Reading →
As you know, I've been working on a Ph.D. in technical and professional communication. I've finally hit dissertation phase, and I'm looking for participants. Here's the official call: As part of my current research for my dissertation at Utah State University, I’m conducting a study about women’s work experiences in the field of technical and... Continue Reading →
A social rhetoric surrounding household technologies, such as the dishwasher, is that these devices are “labor-saving.” Ruth Schwartz Cowan (1983) argued that this assumption of technology, especially technologies made for domestic work, is wrong. She instead posited that so-called labor-saving devices have actually increased work for women. Cowan traced household technologies in detail from industrialism,... Continue Reading →
We hear people say this all of the time, and yet they often go on to express “feminist” ideas and could identify as a feminist. There are many reasons why people distance themselves from the feminist movement. I can’t possibly explain or guess them all. But I can explain the different types of feminism according... Continue Reading →
Have you ever looked down on a waitress, hair stylist, plumber, carpenter, electrician, or welder? The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker (2004) by Mike Rose addresses the smarts it takes to work in any one of these vocations, and he makes a compelling case for recognizing and appreciating the varied... Continue Reading →
The Trial Lawyer’s Art (2000) by Sam Schrager is a folklore study of trial lawyers as performers and as authorities. Apparently, lawyers are really actors! We see this through the personas lawyers take on, such as an aging hippie lawyer from San Francisco, whom juries usually dislike at first and then learn to love because... Continue Reading →
Much of my research centers on women in the workplace, whether that be the home or a traditional office, and I look at women historically and in the current workplace. So when Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (2013) was released last year, I was intrigued. I got my... Continue Reading →
Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street (2009) by Karen Ho, an anthropologist, sounds intriguing before you open it. However, the actual read is somewhat dry and boring, except for certain parts. I read it for my folklore and work class last semester, and because I had an essay test that required me to write about... Continue Reading →
Why are secretaries so grumpy? As a former secretary, I know the job isn’t glamorous or ultra rewarding, but part of the job is to be welcoming and perky, so why are so many secretaries failing at this? I know why my previous secretary job inspired grumpiness (his name was BOSS), but I didn’t let... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 