The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) is attempting to learn more about the career trajectories and work situations of those who have pursued or are pursuing Middle East studies in the United State and Canada. If you are a graduate student or PhD holder (irrespective of current employment) based in the United States or Canada, please consider completeing the anonymous survey below. The survey will take no longer than 10 minutes, and is designed to collect data in the areas of academic and non-academic employment, language teaching, language training, and academic freedom.
Who Should Fill Out the Survey
Please invite everyone you know in a Middle East studies-related field in the United States or Canada to take the survey, whether academics, professionals, or civil servants. Help us capture a picture of where we are so that we have data that will help us understand where we are going.
Rational for Survey
According to the AAUP, non-tenure-track positions of all types now account for sixty-eight percent of all faculty appointments in American higher education. Like you MESA is concerned with how changes that are occurring in the academic workforce are affecting our jobs, our fields, our programs, our students, and our expectations.
For example, what are the implications for academic freedom of the growing use of contingent labor in our academic fields? Are adjuncts more vulnerable?
Language instruction is a core element of our training. What languages do we routinely use in our professions and studies? This information will help us in our advocacy efforts on behalf of funding for language learning.
How the Survey Will Be Used
The data we compile will be presented in a panel at the 2013 MESA Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans during a panel entitled “On Unstable Ground: Adjuncts, Academic Freedom and the Future of the University Workforce.” We need to hear from as many people (US or Canadian residents ) as possible from retirees to graduate students!