Reading on the Dark Side: Or, the Productive Pleasures of the Scholarly Administrator

abstract:This article builds on the models of the teacher-scholar and the public scholar to delineate the role of the scholarly administrator. Literary studies faculty members who transition to the administrative ranks face obstacles to continuing their scholarly research and writing, and Johnsen argues that such administrators should persevere in their efforts as these can serve ethical, civic, and institutional progress. Reading is the foundation for this work, and scholarly administrators should read widely for pleasure and productivity. Sources include literary criticism on women's writing, crime fiction, and mass observation along with personal experience as faculty member and academic affairs administrator.