21 September 2005
problem solved
well, i solved the aforementioned "situation" ("crisis", "ego-boost") by giving the student references to two more or less obscure books that answer 2/3rds of the questions. i mean, for goodness sake, the name of the MA thesis topic / my dissertation topic is IN the title of these books, but said student clearly didn't know abou them given the questions that were asked. ah well, see p. 234, p. 119, p. 7, oh, and wait, the TITLE! i was nice about it though, a la "i assume you're familiar with...", and then offered a few insights that contradicted the assumptions this student was making.
not to be facetious, but one gets the distinct sense that many people do their research online with g**gle nowadays, and don't rely on such splendiferous databases as RLIN/EUREKA, WORLDCAT, MLA, etc. so easy, so rich... but no. *sigh*
the student wrote back, delighted for the info. so i think the situation was handled well.
other than that, i have a conference in october that i am dreading. mostly because of seeing certain faculty members that i don't want to see since they'll get mad at me for a) not applying to jobs (hello, my husband has a supporting job out here in the northwest and we just bought a house and i can't move to the midwest and commute); b) for not sending chapters (hello, you told me you wouldn't read any until i was totally done); and c) i'm sure there will be another reason. just because.
so that's that.
more later!
dandlioneyes at 9:26 am