Megan R. Flannery

As I enter my fourth and final year of my doctoral program, I begin my journey as job-seeker. While I currently reside in North Carolina, I highly anticipate moving within the next year to official begin my career in higher education. (Ideally, I end up somewhere within driving distance to DFW – but I’m keeping an open mind.)

I am typically drawn to the small, liberal arts schools that value close faculty-student dynamics. After all, college is so much more than just learning what’s in the textbooks; it’s about learning your place in the world and figuring out how to navigate within it. I want to be a mentor and leader as much as a teacher. I wish to conduct research, but not at the cost of neglecting relationships. Plus, I appreciate those communities that serve not just their own campus but the greater area; it’s something I’ve always done and something I hope to continue to do.

The constant throughout my graduate career has been English Composition; however, I identify very much as an interdisciplinary scholar. My work has included methods and research from Rhetoric, Literature, Communication, Media Studies, History, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies. I would love to find a position where I can share more than just my knowledge of writing and rhetoric.

Women’s and Gender Studies is of particular interest to me because one of my special research interests is violence against women. As you can tell from this website, I have dedicated a good portion of my life advocating for victim-survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and much of this is done through my scholarship. I believe that working closely with Women’s Centers and research centers dedicated to women’s issues is vital as it allows me as a researcher to put my findings into practice.

I am someone who struggles to prioritize publishing articles. It’s a taboo thing to say in academia, I know. Publish or perish. At the risk of my career “perishing” before it’s even fully begun, I offer up this information. However, this is not to say that I have not conducted important research or that I keep that research from the world. On the contrary, I often prioritize sharing my findings with the affected communities directly, then I move to publish the results with my fellow academics. This practice comes from my commitment to not only expose faults in our society (through research and criticism) but to take action in the world to make it a better place. While not as widely disseminated, this method has led to tangible change for others, and that’s something I take pride in.

Ultimately, I want to talk about words. The weight of our words. How we use them. When to use them. Who gets to use them. How to make them heard. How they are received. A tenure-track position with full benefits is highly desirable, but at the end of the day, I want a job I love in a community I love.

Here’s hoping I can make it a reality.

Know of an open position or an opportunity that sounds like a good fit? Please share in the comments!

You can also contact me directly via the email form below.