Comments | academics_anon: My wife, the guest speaker

acsumama in academics_anon

My wife, the guest speaker

Apr 29, 2010 16:46

Next semester, I'm teaching a geography class that has a section on #TOPIC. I'd like to have someone who deals with #TOPIC in the real world come in for a guest lecture in one class period. My wife happens to be a #TOPIC lawyer, so she would be suitable, except that I have a sense that it would be ethically dubious to have her as the speaker. Due ( Read more... )

relationships-and-family, etiquette-and-ethics

Comments 27

qkellie April 29 2010, 20:50:07 UTC

I was on a panel in a course on career planning, and the instructor had included her husband in the panel. Nobody thought anything of it, as he was in a field that was of interest to some of her students.

What about having a panel and just including your wife on it as well as some other experts on the topic? That way, she won't feel slighted but you'd also have a range of points of view present.

dreadpirateange April 29 2010, 20:55:54 UTC

It only ventures in the realm of dubious or unethical if she would get paid for this.

rusleeping May 1 2010, 14:55:34 UTC

This. And only then if there were other people who were more qualified to talk about #TOPIC and were available.

andystarr April 29 2010, 20:59:23 UTC

I agree with the above posters but just wanted to add, "Yay! Another geographer!" :-)

brittdreams April 29 2010, 22:48:31 UTC

Wait, you two don't know each other? Get with it andystarr! If you'd come to the conference, you could've met acsumama but you decided to be lame and skip it.

And, FWIW, I agree that your wife should forgo any honorarium.

andystarr April 29 2010, 22:59:25 UTC

Uhh, our department cut our travel funding this year. So technically, my department is lame not me. :-P

raven_moon April 29 2010, 21:03:57 UTC

Nah no problem. This happens all the time. My husband has a cousin on city council talk to his classes about urban renewal, and a close friend who deals with composting guest lecture on sustainability. My uni has a married medievalist duo that address each other's classes on their areas of specialization, etc.

If you're worried, I'd give your department chair a heads up, and keep it sort of informal. Otherwise, I can't see any reason to be concerned.

aryanhwy April 29 2010, 21:12:56 UTC

I don't see a problem with it. My husband and I are both in the same field, and while he hasn't given a guest lecture in my course yet, it's only because the scheduling hasn't ever worked out. (And while in grad school we occasionally swapped TAing duties (e.g., when he got violently ill 10 min. before class...)).