Emily Waller Singeisen

Told my sister I’m taking my qualifying exams this week.

Her: Then you’ll have a PhD?
Me: No, then I have to write and defend a prospectus.
Her: But then you’ll have a PhD?
Me: No, then I have to write and defend a diss.
Her: Then what?
Me: Then I’ll be done.
Her: and you’ll get a job?
Me: …🫠

“I watched him die… then I watched them maneuver his body like a rag doll— only to discover it was because they wanted to count the bullet wounds and see how many they ‘got’, like he was a deer.”

It’s meeeeeeeee!

Let me know what you think.

Congrats Hardeep! Can’t wait to read this!

tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging

There certainly were some who found unexpected books that excited them, don’t get me wrong! It was simply noteworthy to me that many students measured success or failure in terms of “time spent.”

Screenshotting my worksheet for anyone interested!

3. One of the most valuable takeaways from the session was helping students see how information is arranged and connected. Students shared that the process of physically moving between ideas helped them see connections they hadn’t thought of before. Digital search simply doesn’t facilitate that.

2. One of the most common responses I received was that finding physical books “wastes time” or “takes too long.” In the age of AI searching, my students overwhelmingly view research as a task to complete; I want to help them view it as a meandering path—even one to find pleasure in.

1. The physical space of the library is overwhelming. Not only do students struggle to understand the Library of Congress classification, but actual wayfinding can be a challenge! Encouraging students to wander through the stacks helped overcome the intimidation.

Last week, I asked my 20 undergrad students who had checked out a physical book from the library and only 2 raised their hands. So today, we went to the library to change that. Here’s what I learned:

In Ruins Archaeological Warfare in the West Bank

“The struggle over the flag, fought among the ruins, is also a struggle over the ruins themselves, the history those ruins speak to, and what they say about who gets to live on this land.”

www.thedriftmag.com/in-ruins/

#academicsky Are there other college instructors out there that have used standards-based grading? I’m considering switching from a contract grading system and would appreciate some insights…

Forget the Ken Burns American Revolution doc—this is my American Revolution. #RHOSLC

How I did not even know there was a British version…?!

For my intro class next semester, I’m teaching a close reading unit focused on narrators and narration. texts I’m considering include:

-Arrested Development
-Billy Budd
-Love Island
-Fall of the House of Usher
-Lucian’s True History
-Fleabag

…#AcademicSky what else should be on this list?

Overlooked No More: Sabina Spielrein, Visionary Lost Between Freud and Jung

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/o...

Critical Speaker Series welcomes Prof. Dan-el Padilla Peralta - UNC English & Comparative Literature For the inaugural event of the 2025–26 academic year, the Critical Speaker Series of Department of English & Comparative Literature (ECL) partnered with the Department of Classics to welcome Dan-el Pa...

Prof. Dan-el Padilla Peralta’s work has inspired me and so many other young scholars across disciplines. It was a privilege to be able to organize an interdisciplinary gathering at UNC to engage with his current and forthcoming publications!

englishcomplit.unc.edu/2025/11/crit...

Today’s used book store delivery: “Petronius”’ unexpurgated guide to New York (feat. disinterested cat)

Aubrey Beardsley’s fetuses are unsettling for *many* reasons, but one of the main reasons is because they look like Dr. Moron from Loony Tunes

UNC Professor on Leave After Alleged Advocacy of Political Violence Dwayne Dixon’s name surfaced after fliers for a leftist gun rights group circulated on Georgetown University’s campus.

For more on the circumstances of Prof. Dixon’s situation: www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

Sign the Petition Reinstate Professor Dixon at UNC

To all fellow academics concerned about censorship and the violation of faculty members’ first amendment rights, please consider signing this petition to reinstate Prof. Dixon at UNC:
www.change.org/p/reinstate-...

The first thing they said about the article was “It was weird” 😂 but they ended by saying “He had some good points” …in freshman speak that is a slam dunk.

The discussions about narrator v. author and about imagination (it’s “about” the urn but he’s more interested in imaginative scenes beyond the urn) were the portions they lingered on the most.

But even that proved fruitful for discussion: can sexual desire be compatible with admiration? Why do we assume that the speaker is intrinsically noble or good? Can we say that the speaker is rapey without saying that Keats is? Perhaps Keats’ desires are not transparent to Keats himself…

It was a really interesting conversation. Consistent with other classes I’ve taught (maybe because of geography? Age? Covid generation?), they are ~so~ scandalized by reading sexuality in the poem—they seemed to view this as cheapening the beauty and admiration that the speaker expresses

Excited to introduce Vibes from Meta. Eat your slop, piggies!

Assigned this fabulous essay by @drbeard79.bsky.social to my freshman students for class today and the discussion felt like a sociological experiment into Gen Z’s conservative sexual politics.

The Onion: How do you respond to accusations that you’re beholden to large donors? Newsom: I assure you, there is no one I won’t betray in my pursuit of power.

The Onion’s Exclusive Interview With Gavin Newsom
https://theonion.com/the-onions-exclusive-interview-with-gavin-newsom/

Reading about Noel Billing’s attacks on Maude Allen after her 1906 performance of Salomé. His hit piece was titled, “The Cult of the Clitoris”… I just want to know why a lesbian punk rock band hasn’t stolen this title because it’s truly inspired.