Steve and all:

Just to set the historical record straight and to be fair regarding the issue of laptop use during job talks: I recall from all approx. 15 job talks I attended at Mason that it were faculty members, and not the very few students who usually attended, who were using their laptops during the seminars, but even in these cases the noise was within tolerable limits. The only exception were the job talks of the digital history faculty candidates, some of which were held in smaller rooms and attended by a large group of people using laptops. The attending crowd consisted again mostly of faculty members and employees of the Center for History and New Media and very few students (and you can say dealing with extensive laptop use in that case came as part of the job requirements). So, while it can’t hurt to send out a reminder about conduct during job talks, I think the first address of such a reminder should be the faculty, and not the PhD listserv.

Best wishes, Katja (alumna 2009)

> Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:22:37 -0500
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Invitation to participate in European history search
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Greetings, all,
>
> As you recently heard from Dr. Kierner, over the next couple of weeks we are hosting three candidates for a faculty position in 19th century European history. Dates, times and locations are listed below.
>
> We greatly appreciate your involvement and input on the search. You are welcome to attend the research presentations of each of these candidates, and I would also appreciate any feedback that you have about them which should arrive to me no later than the morning following the departure of the last candidate (with no weather delays, that will be Tuesday, February 8).
>
> I would kindly ask that you leave your laptops off for their presentations (as faculty commented to me on some attending previous searches who were quite noticeably checking e-mail and doing other things than actively participating in the seminar). Remember that we are not only choosing a new colleague, but we are trying to put our best foot forward to recruit them to Mason.
>
> I think we have a very interesting group of scholars coming who are working on very different projects on France and the French Empire. Hope to see you there.
>
> Monday, January 31: Elizabeth Heath, Johnson Center Meeting Room F, 1:30-3:00pm
>
> Friday, February 4: Judith Surkis, Johnson Center Meeting Room F, 1:30-3:00pm
>
> Monday, February 7: Thomas Dodman, Mason Hall, Meese Conference Room, 1:30-3:00pm
>
> Best,
>
> Steve
>
> Steven A. Barnes
> Director
> Center for Eurasian Studies
> (Covering Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus and East Central Europe)
> Associate Professor of Russian History
> Department of History and Art History
> George Mason University
> MS 3G1
> Fairfax, VA 22030
>
> [log in to unmask]
> http://gulaghistory.org