The Academic Career: Researching and Teaching Across Disciplines

Loras College Professor Will Kanyusik’s first book focuses on masculinity and disability in literature and media
Head and shoulders of person with balding head, black and grey beard, and light skin, wearing glasses and smiling; bookshelves behind

“The interdisciplinary nature of my doctoral studies helped set the stage for my subsequent teaching and scholarship,” says William Kanyusik (PhD 2013), Associate Professor of English at Loras College in Iowa. At Minnesota, his focus on both literature and film led him to advisor Siobhan Craig, who encouraged him to also explore an interest in disability studies. This winter, Kanyusik publishes The Illegible Man: Disability and Masculinity in Twentieth Century America (Indiana University Press), a first book that revises and expands his dissertation. He graciously answered our questions via email. 

What is most fulfilling or energizing about your work?

Teaching and mentoring students. Loras is a very student-centered institution, and I am continually amazed by the insights my students bring to the literature we learn about together in my classes. In addition to teaching courses, I have had the opportunity to mentor students at Loras on semester-long senior capstone projects. The opportunity to see students develop in their studies, and to work closely with them over the course of four years, is such a gratifying experience.

What has surprised you most about your current position?

In spring of 2020, I had the opportunity to direct Loras College’s study abroad semester in Dublin, which was not something I ever thought I would have the opportunity to do. As the director of the study abroad semester, I taught a course on postcolonial Irish literature and an experiential seminar that introduced my students to the history and culture of Ireland, both in Dublin and in the surrounding countryside. Traveling with students is both a humbling and enriching experience, especially when you have a sense of direction that is as bad as mine! Watching my small group of students become seasoned and confident world travelers over the course of a few months was one of the most satisfying experiences I have had as an educator. 

What do you wish you had known as a graduate student?

When I started the PhD program, I planned to pursue a project that was much different from the one I ultimately completed. My dissertation project developed very organically over the course of my time in graduate school. I only encountered disability studies in the process of preparing for my preliminary exam. I don’t think I would do anything differently, but I think I was a bit more anxious about the direction of my project early on than I needed to be.

What advice would you give to current graduate students preparing for the academic job market?

I can only speak from my own experience, but I would say that persistence has been incredibly important to my career path. After defending my dissertation, I taught literature and film studies for one year at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. I interviewed for it in June, very late in the academic job cycle for that year. After that, I taught at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, and my interview also came late in the year. So, things can happen at the last minute! 

I would also say that the interdisciplinarity of my studies at Minnesota was of great value when I began looking for academic jobs, because I was able to apply for positions in both literature and film studies. On a practical level, set small goals related to your dissertation each semester. I wrote my dissertation in a somewhat piecemeal fashion, at least at first. My first dissertation chapter began as the first conference presentation I gave as a PhD student.

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