Yeah, this dilemma has been on my mind a lot recently. I am certain that my interest in religion, intellectual history, and history in general is strong enough for me to keep studying. In fact it's hard to imagine a life without studying those things. What I'm not so certain about is that I could survive the politics and the pressures of higher ed. Once I got that cushy teaching job, I'd be fine; I think I would be good at teaching. But I don't want getting there to turn me bitter and cynical. That would be like tearing out my heart, my Swarthmore experience has been so great.

Where did your mom get her M.Phil, and in what?

It's funny, I was talking yesterday with some of the Religion professors about setting up a small masters program at Swarthmore, sort of as an extension of the Honors program, where an Honors student could stay on an extra year or so and get a graduate degree (it would ideally only be available to Swat undergrads). The idea would be that since (in the opinion of these Religion profs) the seminar experience here (at least in Religion) is actually better than in most graduate programs, students may as well get the most from it. We decided it would have to be an M.Phil that was awarded, not just a plain M.A., to give it that extra bit of cachet.

It probably wouldn't work for most departments here; seminars are already too crowded and professors too busy. But in my dreams, perhaps...