From Student to Scholar

From Student to Scholar is an extraordinary book. I have never seen anything like it. -- Leon Bramson, founding chair, department of sociology and anthropology, Swarthmore College Steven M. Cahn's guide to becoming a scholar-teacher is at once wise, pragmatic, and personal. It has none of that frozen, from-a-distance tone that can be so off-putting. Cahn has been there, done that, and retained his interest in it all. His epilogue about his own mentor is particularly warming. -- Mary Ann Caws, Distinguished Professor of English, French, and Comparative Literature, Graduate Center, City University of New York Although the tone of this guide is practical and benignly ironic and wry, the book is at heart an idealistic love letter to the profession of scholar and teacher. -- Catharine R. Stimpson, University Professor, professor of English, and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University

Steven M. Cahn's advice on the professorial life covers an extensive range of critical issues: how to plan, complete, and defend a dissertation; how to navigate a job interview; how to improve teaching performance; how to prepare and publish research; how to develop a professional network; and how to garner support for tenure. He deals with such hurdles as a difficult dissertation advisor, problematic colleagues, and the pressures of the tenure clock. Whether you are beginning graduate study, hoping to secure an academic position, or striving to build a professorial career, Cahn's insights are invaluable to traversing the thickets of academia.