Revisiting academic work and academic trajectories: Why? How?
Christine Musselin (CSO, Sciences Po et CNRS)
University of Kent, October 2012
Plan
1. Many studies but still some shadow issues
2. Towards a sociology of academic work
3. Academic trajectories/careers
4. The academic profession and other activities
1. Many studies but still some shadow issues
1. Many studies but still some shadow issues (1)
1. Many studies but still some shadow issues (2)
The development of institutional management expanding along with and superseding self-regulation
Last but not least, the academic profession has lost some of its prestige
1. Many studies but still some shadow issues (3)
Some “shadow” Issues
Measuring evolution over time within a single country and between countries.
The “invisible” workforce: we lack descriptions and analyses of those working in this “secondary academic labor market”
Faculty members as citizens or private persons (some renewal with N. Gross).
2. Towards a sociology of academic work
2. Towards a sociology of academic work (1)
Analyzing Academic Activities
The divide between research and teaching.
Research activities as a profession or as a network
Teaching and pedagogy
Research against teaching
2. Towards a sociology of academic work (2)
2. Towards a sociology of academic work (3)
2. Towards a sociology of academic work (4)
The role of universities in the production of new norms (PhD of Simon Paye)
Universities as employers
Human resources offices as norms producers
Formalization of procedures (yearly assessment for instance)
Formalization of criteria
Formalization of career paths
3. Academic trajectories
3. Academic trajectories (1)
Most works on the academic labor markets describe how careers are structured by nation
More recently,
Some studies used the distinction between bounded (organizational) and boundaryless careers
In fact they oppose and separate what sociologists from the Chicago school considered as interdependent.
3. Academic trajectories (2)
First potential development: bringing together labor markets, employment relationships, and organization of work
Second potential development: the transformation of careers using cohort analysis to compare trajectories and the odds of entry, promotions, and institutional mobility
3. Academic trajectories (3)
Age of access in physics for instance
3. Academic trajectories… (3)
0.05
.1.15
.2
20 30 40 50 60 70age_entree
coh1 coh2coh3 coh4
3. Academic trajectories (3)
3. Academic trajectories (3)
0.05
.1.15
.2
20 30 40 50 60 70age_entree
gestion histoirephysique
Distribution by age and discipline in cohort 3 for instance
3. Academic trajectories (4)
4. The academic profession and other Activities
4. The aca. profession and other activities
Most of the time, the academic profession has been studied as autonomous and specific
It has seldom been compared with other professions, until recently
Some research deals with the transformation of work in firms
Others focus on the transformation of academics into knowledge workers
New perspectives ?
Thank you very much !
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