A great article by Dr. Nadia Brown, School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professor of Political Science and first-year American Studies student Bry Reed that was recently published in the Washington Post. washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/…

Professor Cheryl Cooky, professor of American Studies and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, discusses the importance of activism in Black women athletes in this NY Times article. buff.ly/34nrYhm

We’ve now been editing ISR for a bit over three years! I’m so grateful for our team, especially our fantastic managing editors (@ryanyulinliou & previously @nbsisu). Here are some things I’ve learned so far:

1. Introductions and abstracts are the most important part of a paper. I would imagine that lot of reviewers have already made their mind up on a manuscript based on the introduction.

2. The review process is stochastic. Sometimes, we all just get a really bad Reviewer 2. As an editor, I try to weigh all the evidence, but a very critical and thorough review is hard to overcome.

3. Similarly, the typical reviewer recommends “revise and resubmit” way too much, even including the wording in their review. The recommendation can be at odds with the rating the reviewer gives the manuscript.

As an author, I need to remember that what seems like a positive or lukewarm review may not really indicate to the editors that the piece could be successfully revised.

4. If we’ve given a revise and resubmit, we really do want to see the paper successfully revised. It pains me to have to issue a reject after resubmission. That said, the tone and thorough content of the revision memo is key at this stage.

This might be a situation like the “customer is always right.” Even if you disagree with the suggested review, it’s best to do so in a way that is respectful to the reviewer.

5. Reviews vary. I think reviews at both ends of the spectrum (too short and too long) can be problematic. Too short, it comes across as dismissive and potentially biased. Too long (>5 pages), it really can be too much to deal with and is often nit-picky.

6. Editors, reviewers, and authors, we are all doing too much in a very imperfect system. Grace, humility, and patience are required.

7.I’ve enjoyed the job more than I thought I would. I’ve realized how much I don’t know, even in my own subfield. International relations and international studies are diverse fields, and we need to make sure we are talking to each other in a way that we can all understand.

Edmundite Graduate Fellows Program: Purdue Liberal Arts Purdue AMST Jolivette Anderson-Douoning is currently a PhD candidate in American Studies at Purdue University. Rafiqur Rahman is a PhD candidate in the Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America.

Wonderful to see from Purdue AMST grad student: RT Ariel D. Smith, PhD: To be included along with soulfoodscholar EatOkra® Black Food Folks Blk Restaurant Week and so many others is an honor! Thanks Time Out Chicago timeout.com/usa/food-drink…

March 1-5 is Mental Health Action Week.

CLA alumnus Jack Klink (FVS '15) and the team of editors who contributed to "SNL at Home" have been nominated for an ACE Eddie Award for Best Edited Variety Talk/Sketch Show. The winners will be announced on April 17. Read about Jack's work on SNL: ow.ly/qgvD50DZrmM

Check out our Spring 2021 Newsletter. We have some great things happening in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. cla.purdue.edu/academic/sis/d…

This Fall 2021 Honors course HONR 399, Disability, Technoscience, and Cultural Critique is available to all Purdue Undergraduates with a 3.0 or higher. There are no prerequisites. The course is on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 - 11:45 am. Image: from cover of Catalyst

Linguistics graduate student Jiao Jian (PhD '21), through the challenges of the pandemic, graduated in May. Such a great accomplishment! Congratulations Dr. Jian! purdue.edu/gradschool/new…

"Games Make A Difference: The Purdue Academic Gaming and Esport Symposium". When: Friday, April 8, 2022 8am-4:30pm (in-person and virtual options) Where: Córdova Recreational Sports Center purdue.edu/newsroom/purdu…