Know Your Field - Activity

Take an inventory (10 minutes)

Assess how confident you feel about each of the following aspects of your field.

“Your field” can be as broad as the areas of expertise described in job ads you might eventually want to apply for, or as narrow as the specific subfield most relevant to your current project.

Research and literature:

The history and evolution of the field
Foundational works and major journals
Important theories
Relevant methodologies
Popular and emerging topics
Recently published or forthcoming works

Professional networks and resources:

Organizations and conferences (local, national, and worldwide)
Top academic department or centers (local, national, and worldwide)
Fellowships and grants
Major institutions (museums, libraries, archives, etc.)
Major scholars in the field
Social media: what to join and who to follow

Come up with a plan (10 minutes)

Of the items in the lists above where you feel least confident, which is the most important?

Choose one to work on right away, and one more to work on in the near future. Identify a resource or strategy that you will use to gain more confidence in this area. Use the tips on All About: Getting to Know Your Field page, or other ideas you might have.

Make a plan to return to this as your needs change.

Compare notes

Talk to your friends and colleagues about how they stay informed about the different aspects of an academic field identified in this module.

How did you learn about the history of your field?
What’s your go-to resource for looking up a method or name that everyone else seems to have heard of?
How do you keep up with new publications and conferences?

You have completed Know Your Field. Explore more modules.

Introduction | Prep | Activity