Want more ways to listen? Check out the CAA Conversations page at iTunes or go to the College Art Association's website.
 

My advice for anyone wanting to be an adjunct? Understand that it’s a gamble and you have to be positive but also realistic. – Cheyanne Cortez

Ashley Gardini discusses the realities of adjuncting today 350x350

Ashley Gardini

Adjunct Instructor at various community colleges in northern California

Cheyanne Cortez discusses the realities of adjuncting today

Cheyanne Cortez

Adjunct Instructor at various community colleges in northern California

Ashley and Cheyanne have a candid discussion about participating in today's precarious academic labor market from their perspectives as community college instructors. They also reflect on the kinds of systemic changes that they believe would make adjuncting work more equitable and meaningful.

Unlike Ashley, who views adjuncting as her long-term plan, Cheyanne is weaving together part-time teaching assignments at various schools until she can secure full-time employment in a single department. That difference in the way they imagine the role of adjuncting in their careers manifests itself more obviously on some issues than on others in this particular discussion. More generally, though, it serves as a reminder that adjuncts are not a monolithic group even at the most extreme end of the contingency spectrum.

Runtime: 33:34 minutes.