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Posted by Naomi Rockler-Gladen Jan 28, 2007 |
So, I've been writing about my last semester as a college professor, and a few days ago, I received in the mail my very last academic journal. It was the latest issue of Critical Studies in Media Communication, one of the more prominent journals in my field. As a graduate student, I longed for the day that I would be published in this journal. And a few years ago, I was. I published an article about The Boondocks, the controversial comic strip created by Aaron McGruder.
I met Aaron McGruder. It was an awful experience, but kind of cool in retrospect.
A few years ago, I was teaching at Indiana University, and my article about The Boondocks had just been published. Then, to my delight, the campus Black Culture Center invited Aaron McGruder to be the keynote speaker for Black History Month. I contacted the office, and they graciously arranged a little time for me to meet with him. Wow, I was going to meet Aaron McGruder! Was I ever nervous and excited.
So after the keynote address, we met. I told him about my article and about a scholarly book chapter that had come out recently about The Boondocks. He told me he had read that book chapter, or tried to, but gave up after a few pages because the writing was so obscure.
Aaron McGruder proceeded to denigrate academic writing, saying that this kind of writing was a complete waste of time and had no relevance to anyone or anything outside of academia. He also had some unkind words about white people like myself who wrote about African American issues (a point well taken, which I addressed in the Boondocks article which he certainly never read).
I left totally embarrassed and a little freaked out. In retrospect, though, it was a neat experience. How many people get to say that they were personally insulted by one of their favorite celebrities?
So, back to my last issue of Critical Studies in Media Communication. I can't even tell you how many dry pages of journal articles I've plodded through and how delighted I am that I'll never have to read one again.
Was Aaron McGruder right?
Well, partly. But mostly not, in my opinion. Academic journals provide a format for scholars to contribute to the academic body of knowldge, which in turn influences our students and shapes our academic fields. Scholarly thought is an important part of a society that values knowledge and learning. Nonetheless, it's a shame that professors are discouraged from writing for popular audiences and using their knowledge to impact society more directly.
Anyways, if I ever do come across Critical Studies in Media Communication again, I probably will read it. After all, I still read The Boondocks.
And hey, stop by and read more of my acount of my last semester as a professor and leave comments in the discussion.