SSSP DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENT & TECHNOLOGY Spring 2016 Newsletter Message from the Chair 1 Graduate Student Corner 2 SSSP Annual Meeting 4 E&T Annual Meeting Sessions 5 Other Conferences 6 SSSP Deadlines 7 Co-Editors’ Notes 7 Message from the Chair Greetings! Things are well under way as we gear up for Seattle. We have lots of great sessions shaping up and I’m hoping for large turnouts. Please come to the division meeting—details in the next newsletter, which is where we will be making plans to take over Montreal. Clare Cannon and Lisa East have returned as newsletter editors. I’m thankful for their hard work and help in running the division. If you would like to write something for the newsletter or have an advert or CFP, please reach out to them (ccannon3@tulane.edu, eeast2@vols.utk.edu). I’d like to make the same plea as last year. Our membership continues to decline, so if possible talk to those colleagues that might have dropped their E/T membership when SSSP reduced the number of “free” divisions we get with our membership. If you don’t know if they dropped, go ahead and assume that they have and just give them a pep talk anyhow. I would also like to ask our members to start sending in announcements of their publications. We’d like to beef up the newsletter and start to create more of a community here at E/T. Finally, since I promised in my extensive campaigning for this position to not turn it into a dictatorship, we need to find my replacement. If you are interested (or can be coaxed) in running for chair, please email me (dharvey@holycross.edu). Please visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ssspet. As always, feel free to email us with ideas, questions, or comments at: etsssp@gmail.com p.2 Graduate Student Corner Developing a Research Agenda With Dr. Laura McKinney One expectation of graduate students is to develop a research agenda. Think broadly in terms of research interests and questions that are long-term goals, but also use your research agenda to guide short-term choices of courses, mentors, projects, and professional associations. The following insights are a few helpful guidelines in developing and sticking to your burgeoning research agenda. • Write every day. In order to publish research you have to do research. Commit time every day to devote to research-related activities. Be sure to include writing. • Develop strong organizational and time-management skills. Graduate school is academic boot camp and you have to learn to do it all at once: coursework, publishing, professional service, research, working with faculty, applying for grants, etc. • Be proactive. Introduce yourself to faculty and ask about their current projects. Do background research by looking up their vitae and reading their work. • Get involved. Attend department talks—these are excellent ways to learn about current projects. Face time in the department and at departmental events is important. • Be mindful and realistic about how long it takes get published. Articles are rarely accepted for publication outright. The process of review—revising/resubmitting—review can take years. Once accepted for publication, it can be months before your article is actually in print. Bottom line: start the process early and get a few things in the pipeline. • Don’t be discouraged by rejection. Carefully consider the basis of rejection. Revise according to reviewers’ comments, as it is possible (if not likely) they will be asked to review your work again. • Keep a file of research ideas. Jot down ideas that strike you as important and interesting, but perhaps currently unfeasible (due to e.g., time constraints). Go back and review your entries—you’ll be very glad you kept them! • Become an independent learner. In particular, if there are methods that you want to learn but no courses offered, take the initiative to teach yourself. p.3 • Make investments in your education and professional development. Graduate students are on limited budgets, but don’t underestimate the importance of investing in your own professional development by joining professional organizations (students are often given discounted rates), attending meetings, and paying for workshops to gain skills that will give you a competitive edge on the job market (e.g., ICPSR summer workshops). • Identify the overarching thematic that ties your research together. What is the theoretical importance? Practical importance? These are big questions that develop over time. • Think carefully about your career aspirations and gather information on the expectations for entry into the job market. Keep this in mind as you decide how to invest your time. • With the right balance of breadth and depth, a research agenda can last an entire career. Remember: research agendas are dynamic and subject to revision—nothing you decide is set in stone, but it is wise to have some general goal posts to guide your reading and writing in directed ways that are congruent with your career aspirations. Social Problems Journal Social Media Social Problems, the official journal of the SSSP, has recently established a social media presence. Here, the most recently-published articles are featured, as well as additional content like editorial commentary, vodcast interviews with authors, practical advice for professional development, funding opportunities, and general disciplinary announcements. https://www.facebook.com/socprobsjournal https://twitter.com/socprobsjournal https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLy4FC_WNN4rz3hnp28RXPQ https://uic.academia.edu/SocialProblems Come "like," "follow," or "favorite" Social Problems at your preferred social media venues: p.4 Don’t forget to register for the 2016 SSSP Annual Meeting! Register for the 2016 SSSP Annual Meeting To register for the annual meeting, visit the SSSP Annual Meeting portal here: http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/641/2016_Annual_Meeting/ Some important Annual Meeting dates to remember: • Online registration will be available in late March. • Preliminary program will be available on May 16. • All program participants must register by June 1 p.6 2016 SSSP Annual Meeting Environment & Technology Division Sessions Division Sponsored Sessions 48. Interdisciplinary and Environmental Studies (Critical Dialogue) (Thematic) Victor Perez, victorfp@udel.edu 49. Environmental Problems, Politics, and Debates Elizabeth East, eeast2@vols.utk.edu 50. Barriers and Opportunities: Addressing Climate Change and Energy Issues Across Sectors Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, geroesch@iastate.edu Co-Sponsored Sessions 14. Rethinking Environmental Justice Movements Marko Salvaggio, markosalvaggio@gmail.com, and Gabrielle Roesch-McNally, geroesch@iastate.edu Co-Sponsored with Conflict, Social Action, and Change 19. Environment, Law and Regulation Janet Lorenzen, jlorenze@willamette.edu Co-Sponsored with Crime and Juvenile Delinquency 51. Environment and Health, Harm and Inclusivity Nels Paulson, paulsonne@uwstout.edu Co-Sponsored with Law and Society 52. Globalization and the Environment Clare Cannon, ccannon3@tulane.edu Co-Sponsored with Global 53. Health and the Environment Paul Draus, draus@umich.edu Co-Sponsored with the Teaching Social Problems Division p.7 Other Conferences of Interest 79TH RURAL SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING 7-10 August 2016 Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Register: http://securereg.mauconsulting.ca/rss/ Directly following the 2016 RSS Annual Meeting International Rural Sociology Association XIV World Congress of Rural Sociology 2016 For more information visit http://www.ruralsociology.us/ p.8 SSSP Reminders The 2016 Annual Meeting Preliminary Program will be available May 16th, 2016 SSSP Conference participants must register by June 1st, 2016 SSSP Online registration until midnight July 16th, 2016 Co-Editors’ Notes We hope everyone is enjoying their spring semesters! A few notes on submission to the E&T newsletter: • If you are a graduate student or recent graduate on the market and would like to be featured in the E&T newsletter, please contact us! • If you have any content that you would like to share with members (new publications, a short article/interview, a teaching note on E&T topics), send along! We can be reached at: etsssp@gmail.com. We look forward to working with E&T division members throughout the year. Clare and Lisa 2015-2016 E&T Newsletter Co-Editors Special thanks to Laura McKinney for her contributions to this newsletter!