Honor, Prestige, and the Academy: A Portrait of Political Science Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Ph.D.-Granting Institutions (2012-2013)

Political Science and Politics, published by Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming

American Political Science Association 2013 Annual Meeting

APSA 2013 Annual Meeting Paper

54 Pages Posted: 19 Aug 2013 Last revised: 21 Aug 2013

See all articles by Robert Oprisko

Robert Oprisko

Indiana University, Center for the Study of Global Change

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

This paper submits the political science discipline to a Bourdieuian analysis. We focus on the placement of faculty at Ph.D.-granting institutions by Ph.D. alma mater. We find that as one’s prestige rank decreases, their ability to place diminishes. We find that the Ivy League enjoys a tremendous prestige benefit for placement that goes beyond their program ranking that other university conferences do not. We argue that placement and placement efficiency is a more appropriate tool for ranking Ph.D. programs. Finally, we discuss the negative implications of prestige-chasing in Ph.D. programs, which includes: legal risk, academic rebellion, and programmatic irrelevance.

Keywords: Bourdieu, Honor, Prestige, Higher Education, Political Science, Political Sociology

Suggested Citation

Oprisko, Robert, Honor, Prestige, and the Academy: A Portrait of Political Science Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in Ph.D.-Granting Institutions (2012-2013) (2013). Political Science and Politics, published by Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming, American Political Science Association 2013 Annual Meeting, APSA 2013 Annual Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2303567

Robert Oprisko (Contact Author)

Indiana University, Center for the Study of Global Change ( email )

201 North Indiana Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.indiana.edu/~global/staff/facultyProfile.php?id=76

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