A substantial component of the theoretical analysis in The Virtues of Vulnerability is wrestling with the way that choice and freedom are presented within the medical environment but are delimited in what we can actually choose and what we understand and know about these choices as well. This concept of freedom and choice are also connected to the way that neoliberalism frames our experiences, thus we perceive of our autonomy in these medicalized environments through the appearance of choices we get to make, or options provided to us, but often these are actually quite narrow in scope, constrained by the demands of health insurance and healthcare/medical marketplace. Rushing’s analysis gets at these many competing dimensions of healthcare and how it is operationalized, leading the reader to consider how we experience our interactions and how we might reconsider our autonomy within these environments by understanding how our vulnerability and humility can help us work more collaboratively with those who are engaging in this ethics of care with us. Lilly J. Goren is professor of political science at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI. She is co-editor of the award winning book, Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture, and Presidential Politics In the next lines, she describes her ideal relationship as being one that allows her to become like a “candle lit at noon.” She will be burning amongst a great plethora of light. The next section of lines are used to remind the listener that she does still care about them. It is not exactly this person’s fault she is unhappy—they are still “beautiful and bright.” Butler, Judith. 1993. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of ‘Sex’. New York and London: Routledge. But in trying to find out if there’s a spouse involved, hiring committees can end up asking an illegal question. Unfortunately, there is no way for a candidate to gauge whether having a spouse is a help or hindrance to the hiring process. For example, Ross is certain that when she and her husband were interviewing for faculty positions 10 years ago, one institution bypassed her for another woman who didn’t have a spouse who needed a job. So broaching the topic of a spouse is an awkward dance between the candidate and head of the department.

Butler, Judith. 2017. “We Are Worldless Without One Another: An Interview with Judith Butler.” Interview by Stephanie Berbec. The Other Journal 27: 64–75. However, a candidate can voluntarily bring up the need for a job for a spouse during the first interview. Heads of departments interviewed for this story say they appreciate being told early in the process if they need to find a position for a spouse. “By waiting to reveal that information, it makes it harder for the chair to actually try to do something,” says Serio. “A lot of people are hesitant to mention their spouse because they think they won’t get the offer because their situation is more complicated. I always tell people if that’s the case then it’s better for you as well to know that early on.” More aware In the winter of 2014, Alexis Webb went to a small liberal arts college to interview for a science faculty position. Webb, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and has completed a postdoctoral fellowship, was looking forward to learning more about the department during a dinner with several female faculty members. Instead, the faculty members “all sat around talking about what their experiences were like, whether they were married and had family, whether they were single at the time they joined the faculty and what dating in the small college town was like,” she says. “I felt, to engage in the conversation, I had to talk about very personal aspects of my life with people who were also evaluating whether or not they wanted to hire me for the position.” A substantial component of the theoretical analysis in The Virtues of Vulnerability is wrestling with the way that choice and freedom are presented within the medical environment but are delimited in what we can actually choose and what we understand and know about these choices as well. This concept of freedom and choice are also connected to the way that neoliberalism frames our experiences, thus we perceive of our autonomy in these medicalized environments through the appearance of choices we get to make, or options provided to us, but often these are actually quite narrow in scope, constrained by the demands of health insurance and healthcare/medical marketplace. Rushing’s analysis gets at these many competing dimensions of healthcare and how it is operationalized, leading the reader to consider how we experience our interactions and how we might reconsider our autonomy within these environments by understanding how our vulnerability and humility can help us work more collaboratively with those who are engaging in this ethics of care with us. Butler, Judith, Ernesto Laclau, and Slavoj Žižek. 2000. Contingency, Hegemony and Universality: Contemporary Dialogues on the Left. London and New York: Verso.We know men who have families are valued” for having families, says political scientist Sara Rushing at Montana State University, who is a co-director of the university’s ADVANCE program. “For women who have families, people worry that their attention will be divided.” This is something she clearly states in the next two lines. She says that she is who she is. There is no changing how she feels or the relationship she is looking for. At this point in her life, she is looking for a situation that would allow her to be “Lost as light is lost in light.”

Without fail, everyone who was interviewed for this story brought up the issue of a candidate’s spouse. Figuring out if a candidate has a spouse who also requires a job at the institution is one of the biggest hurdles faced during hiring. After all, “83 percent of women in STEM have partners who are academic scientists,” notes Rushing. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory Aldred, Rachel. 2004. “In Perspective: Judith Butler.” International Socialism 103. Accessed March 1, 2019. isj.org.uk/in-perspective-judith-butler/. Elizabeth Mery, Mathematical Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award for Teaching Approaches That Enhance Diversity, Equity Message This“Missions is embedded in our kids,” states Sara Rushing, CenterPointe Assembly of God children’s pastor. So, when Rushing proposed the church host a Community Fun Day to benefit BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge) with the funds being allocated to F.R.E.E. International and its Say Something School Assemblies, kids, parents, and leaders excitedly approved.Butler, Judith. 2004a. Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence. London and New York: Verso. In the next set of four lines, the speaker redirects her words to her intended listener. She wants to make sure this person understands what she has to say. The speaker begins by making sure her listener knows that she understands their feelings. This person loves her, but that fact doesn’t make her emotions irrelevant. She needs more than love. McNay, Lois. 2000. Gender and Agency: Reconfiguring the Subject in Feminist and Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press.