Comments on: Grad School; Grad School Words

By: Jamie

Jamie — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:31:05 +0000

Yes, it seems mostly interchangeable with “objectify,” but I think it can also mean almost the exact opposite for Marxists–like maybe imbuing inanimate objects or concepts with human feelings and spiritual meanings. That part seems useful, but I just can never hold it in my mind in the right way to figure out what people really mean when they use it in seminar. It’s not really one of the funnier grad school words, I guess.

By: Yours Truly

Yours Truly — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:43:25 +0000

I like “reify,” except it seems weird how often it comes up, because it seems like a thing you wouldn’t actually need to say that often. Doesn’t it just mean “turning something into a thing?” Like reifying music when notation was invented. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I just talked myself out of understanding/liking this word.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:20:27 +0000

“Always already” is HUGE up in the Comp Lit world!
Also, “reify”/”reified,”which always makes me think of refried beans and how that’s a terrible mistranslation and then how “reiterate” is redundant and then I hope that there’s a similar story with reify, because even though I’m a Marxist I have can never really get handle on what people mean when they use it.

By: kerry

kerry — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:03:44 +0000

fecal-oral route
gumma
fistula
cyst

I love my program so much.

By: Yours Truly

Yours Truly — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:25:03 +0000

These are GREAT. I can sort of tell which disciplines you people are from, or at least that you’re not from mine, some of you. For example, Hannah, none of us ever says all that “always already” stuff, and I’ve never heard someone say “praxis.” Gesture, bracket, and gloss are probably universal, though. THERE’S ANOTHER ONE: “Universality”

By: hannah f

hannah f — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:55:24 +0000

praxis
always already
the problematic
gloss
gesture
bracket

By: Vicki

Vicki — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:16:57 +0000

“Whenever I met someone who complained about it I knew that they (a) had never had a real job and (b) were possibly psychotic. Or also (c) just didn’t like school and had thus made kind of a bad life decision.” Word. WORD.

Congratulations Dr. Regarding! I am really truly glad you have kept this blog for so long and that I was once pointed in your direction.

Also: “homosocial,” “performativity” “queer” (v.)

By: Jamie

Jamie — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:46:59 +0000

“Teleological,””ontological,” and “foundational myth” are pretty popular where I am. And “problematize” gets used and then made fun of and then used again unironically by the same people. Also “phallus” is an oldie but a goodie and related to “Other-with-a-capital-O” (or l’Autre-with-a-capital-A if you’re snobby and want to confuse the conversation). My program is clearly dominated by Lacanians. Our department T-shirts from a few years ago actually say “Your desire is the desire of the Other.” It’s kind of embarrassing when the people in my community running club ask me what the message on my shirt means.

By: Yours Truly

Yours Truly — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:38:01 +0000

oh yeah, “unpack!” Such a good one. I also thought of another one I forgot, on my jog this morning: CANONICAL

By: elizabeth

elizabeth — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 17:33:09 +0000

I have another one for your list: “unpack.” I love this post!