The Joys of Teaching Literature, started in September 2010 and with a Spanish version since July 2021, is a blog for ranting and raving about teaching and researching English Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender Studies, and other aspects of the Anglophone world. I publish a post once a week, usually on Monday. Please, download the yearly volumes for free or read the volume collecting some of the entries (Passionate Professing: The Context and Practice of English Literature, 2023). The comments option is not available, sorry, but you may contact me through my e-mail address, Sara.Martin@uab.cat. The contents of this blog are protected by a type 4 Creative Common License (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (by-nc-nd)).
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STUDENTS CAN’T OR WON’T READ?: SOME THOUGHTS
An article by Tyler Jagt, published on 1 June 2026, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “My Students Can’t Read” has been creating a bit of a stir this past week and I’d like to comment on its gist. Jagt claims that his BA students’ inability to read a 20-page article (he teaches Rhetoric)…
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¿LOS ESTUDIANTES NO SABEN O NO QUIEREN LEER?: ALGUNAS REFLEXIONES
Un artículo de Tyler Jagt, publicado el 1 de junio de 2026 en The Chronicle of Higher Education, “My Students Can’t Read“, ha causado cierto revuelo esta última semana y me gustaría comentar su fondo. Jagt afirma que la incapacidad de sus estudiantes de grado de leer un artículo de 20 páginas (él enseña…
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THE STAGES OF AN ACADEMIC CAREER: NOTES FOR BEGINNERS
Somewhat rashly, I told my last-year BA students that if any was interested in an academic career they were welcome to discuss their future plans with me. The first email message I have received indicates that they are not necessarily familiar with the concept ‘academic career’, so this post is intended as a beginners’ introduction…
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LAS ETAPAS DE LA CARRERA ACADÉMICA: NOTAS PARA PRINCIPIANTES
De forma algo precipitada, les dije a mis estudiantes de último año de grado que si alguno estaba interesado en una carrera académica, podía hablar conmigo sobre sus planes de futuro. El primer correo electrónico que he recibido indica que no necesariamente están familiarizados con el concepto de ‘carrera académica’, por lo que esta entrada…
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LOOKING FOR THE POSTER BOY: MASCULINITY AND CINEMA TODAY
I was interviewed a few days ago by the Colectivo Cala of Alburquerque (Badajoz, Extremadura) for their radio segment (available as a podcast) ‘Hombre tenías que ser’, in which they comment on diverse aspects of masculinity. I was asked to comment on ideal masculinity, men and cinema, a topic which I had not considered in…