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[birainia]

Is this done? I am in a humanities field, and I have noticed colleagues and recent job candidates teaching their own books. Weird, or not weird?

[systeme_d_]

Yes, it's done, as you already know.

But when it's done, it must be done right.  If you're teaching your own book, either donate all royalties to the university's scholarship fund or something, or post the manuscript on your CMS so that students can access it for free.

Some universities have rules about this, while others don't.  I've only once used an article of mine in a class, and in that cases, I posted the article on the CMS. 

Usually, it's a better idea to use someone else's work.  After all, you can provide your own perspective in class if you must.  However, there are definitely cases in which your own work might be the best thing to use in class.  One of my former colleagues wrote a definitive survey of his subfield, and it was perfect for use in his intro classes.  He posted chapters on the CMS.

[birainia]

I was very surprised. Even aside from the rules, which probably varies by institution, I had no idea anyone did this. I don't direct this at anyone in particular, because I really like my colleagues, but it strikes me as arrogant. I can't help it. I would never teach one of my own books.

[systeme_d_]

I think you're being a bit judgmental.  And yes, you can help it, if you choose to do so.

I know folks who wrote books specifically for classroom use, because there really were no appropriate undergrad-friendly materials that would work in their classes.

That's not arrogance, it's pragmatism.

[birainia]

I think textbooks or things designed for classroom use are in an entirely different category. I always approach it as you do, by communicating the ideas verbally in class.

I need to think about it, I guess. I only realized today that it was considered to be typical practice. I think I am still not quite believing it! I only had one professor in grad school teach his own book, but it was a coauthored book that made cognitive linguistics semi-accessible to those outside his discipline. That is more in line with the textbook model.

[birainia]

Also, at what point in an academic career can you do this? As a grad student? A visiting prof or contingent faculty member? Tenure track? Tenured? Full professor?

[prof_smartypants]

I don't like it. I also think it's arrogant.

The students are already getting the professor's take on the subject matter in lecture. Assign a different perspective in class.

I once provided an article I wrote on a subject matter on the CMS as optional reading because students asked me about the topic in class. I have no idea whether any of them actually read it.

[luckychance]

I don't like it. I also think it's arrogant.

The students are already getting the professor's take on the subject matter in lecture. Assign a different perspective in class.

I once provided an article I wrote on a subject matter on the CMS as optional reading because students asked me about the topic in class. I have no idea whether any of them actually read it.

I've never written a textbook but I assume anyone writing a book would think their book offers strengths beyond all other available books. (Otherwise, why right the book?) So wouldn't it make sense to assign the book that you think is the best among available options? I agree with systeme_d's comments about not financially profiting from it though.

[birainia]

But would you rather have had a philosopher like Richard Rorty teach his own book, or have him teach you other people's books and show you how he thinks about them? It is exactly the idea that one's own work is the best on a subject that I consider arrogant.

And how would you have felt if a member of your cohort in grad school had been teaching their own article? I think where you are in your career is relevant.

[penultimate24]

when i was a student i found this arrogant. as a working academic, i see the value in sharing your own research and areas of expertise with students. i have used around 3 of my articles in a class, and while students didn't 'jump for joy,' they also got to ask questions of the author/researcher and learn about applying theory to text. that was my goal. i used self-effacing humor a lot so they felt comfy critiquing it--which some did.

if it fits with the scope/theme of the class...do it! just have the right humor.

[oldfullprof]

I wrote a textbook because I didn't like the ones out there.  I do use it.  It's probably all used copies now, so I don't make a penny.  When published, it was $30.  I teach the course right in line with the book.  A great deal of comparison is generally wasted on my state college students.

I get permission of the president each time I use it.

[birainia]

Yes, again, I think textbooks are very different. It makes sense to use them, since you will have your curriculum based around them.

I am always learning something new. In my subfield in the department it would be particularly inappropriate to teach our own research. I hadn't realized that even within a department, there could be such different norms.

[totoro]

I set my own journal articles as readings when appropriate. My professors did this and so I never thought there was anything wrong about it.

[traductio]

Arrogant? I’m not sure that’s necessarily the case. I have a specific pedagogical purpose when I teach my own articles, namely to demonstrate how scholars engage in ongoing inquiry and how the working-through process takes place. I don’t present myself as the ultimate authority on a topic (heaven knows, I’m not), but I do want students -- both undergrad and grad -- to see the way that knowledge, such as it is, develops out of an ongoing dialogue, or in some cases, argument.

To make that point, I ask students for critiques of my articles, just as I ask them for critiques of other things we read in class. When they are too timid to offer any (which often happens -- it’s a frustrating aspect of the student culture at the university where I teach), I provide critiques, sometimes even bringing in the responses I got from peer-reviewers. Peer-reviewers are not timid.

My point in sharing my own articles, I suppose, is precisely to demonstrate how knowledge in my humanities-oriented field is contested. I want students to see that they, too, can offer reasoned critiques of what appears -- by virtue of being published -- to be authoritative.

[totoro]

In the course I am teaching next semester I use one of my articles because the text book has a very out of date view of the issues in my opinion (as do a lot of empirical papers being published still). The theory papers are too tough for intro level students (by far) and so I set my review paper. It has hundreds of citations in Google Scholar, so I don't think it is too arrogant to set it :)