The self as a work of art: some practical suggestions for graduate students in political science at ANU (with special reference to the academic job market)

Abstract

Graduate study in political science is fascinating. However, it is a means to an end. During the period at which you are at ANU, you have the opportunity to develop your understanding of political science. I would like to suggest that you might also view this as a period of self-creation: as a period in which you develop yourselves, in interaction with the material that you are studying and your colleagues. But do not forget that, in the end, what you are developing is also a commodity which has to be brought to market. You don't get tenure for being a student. Rather, you will need, at the end of the day, to offer yourself to employers, whether in the university sector or elsewhere. This paper sets out some suggestions as to how you might set about this task, with integrity. You may view this either as a process in which you are engaged in self-development, or as one in which you acquire the ability to play a variety of roles or to wear a variety of masks, so that - when it matters, and if you so wish - you will be able to do what is required of you. I should at once make two points. First, what follows is an overview of various suggestions as to things that graduate students might do, rather than a check-list of everything that they need to do. I cannot imagine anyone doing all that I am suggesting; and there is a risk that if they tried to do so, they might not get a good quality thesis written on time - which is crucial. Second, the suggestions that I am making are not about how to misrepresent yourself on the job market. Rather, they are suggestions as to how you might develop yourself, during your period as a graduate student, so that you become the kind of scholar whom people want to hire.