eek

[pylduck]

From a job application announcement:

Successful applicants will teach the equivalent of seven courses a year (21 hours), provide service to the college and department, profess commitment to teaching a culturally diverse student population in an urban environment, and have a personal program of research and publication.

They're totally kidding, right? SEVEN courses a year PLUS research and publication?

Comments

[slanderous.livejournal.com]

That's insane. I'd rather leave the academy and work at a bookstore.

[saltbox.livejournal.com]

Yeah wow. That's a lot. I kinda hope for an "on the second thought, we were just kidding about the research and publication." Or maybe that applicants would be doing the same class (though ugh! boring!) so as to limit the prep time.

ugh

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

I hear conflicting reports about what schools with 3/3+ teaching loads really want in candidates. Some people say that to mention research as if that's your primary interest is death for those kinds of jobs. But the language in most of the ones I've seen, the like one I posted, always says that continued research and publication your field is expected. Sigh. I want someone just to recruit me to a nice job.

Re: ugh

[saltbox.livejournal.com]

I'd found that you have to really feel your way around this. Last year when I interviewed, there were a lot of postings that said they wanted research and publication, but when I actually went for the interview, you could tell what the interviewers wanted to hear was a focus on the teaching. Cynical rule of thumb: never say anything first! Principled rule of thumb: say what you really want so you don't accidentally get stuck at a job you'll hate.

Re: ugh

[slanderous.livejournal.com]

Which do you follow? :)

Re: ugh

[saltbox.livejournal.com]

I luck out in that I feel about as strongly (or, conversely, as weakly) about both. What I really like the most is litigation (except I needed a change because of the administration in charge), but I keep my mouth shut about that because it's totally not what they want to hear. Teaching is fine, research is swell, and, honestly, I do enjoy them both, but what I'd really like to have is a regular income so I can do all the pro bono litigation I want!

Re: ugh

[slanderous.livejournal.com]

Is this a private college, a public or state university, or a research I? I think that makes a difference. Some private colleges want an emphasis on teaching, with an article or two on the side, for your tenure.

Man, I just want to be recruited too!

Re: ugh

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

It's a smaller college that's part of a larger city-wide (New York) university system. I guess I do just have to keep in mind that research means different things to different schools. And also, many of these schools with heavy teaching loads AND research expectations are probably trying to pull the "better" job candidates (a way of thinking about humanities scholars that I hate, often an emphasis on pedigree) even though they know they can't compete with Research I schools and the like.

yah

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the book publishers! Seriously, I'm not committed enough to the discipline of English studies to break my back to stay in it. By the middle of next semester, if it appears that I just have no chance ever finding a teaching job, I am totally going for a career change.

[icecrmassasin.livejournal.com]

we have a 3/4 as well

whoah

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

As a graduate student?

Re: whoah

[icecrmassasin.livejournal.com]

haha, no...but the professors here (cuny system) have a 3/4 and are told to research, though most really don't...just the young ones who want to go elsewhere

[poetofthefuture.livejournal.com]

Run. Screaming.

YAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH(ugh)AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Ack.

[poetofthefuture.livejournal.com]

That was awesome.

thank you, thank you very much

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Giles still wants to meet you, Rob, and Auf.

Re: thank you, thank you very much

[poetofthefuture.livejournal.com]

E-mail me when you know if you're going to be in NC for New Year's. We might venture down South if so.

Re: thank you, thank you very much

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Awww. That's a nice thought. But do you realize how far Durham is from DC? It's a four hour drive, six hour train ride (that is often delayed because the tracks are so old and rickety). I plan on being in DC for those pre-New Year festivities, so we'll see each other then? Will you bring the crazy pup? Giles and Rob will be staying in NC, unfortunately.

[ivan-durak.livejournal.com]

Hate to tell you, perhaps, but as an incoming faculty member in this job market, that's a pretty GOOD load. Most Carnegie division IIA and IIB schools are going to give you a load of eight courses a year, not seven. Check whether or not this school actually financially supports research for its faculty, because a lot of places that expect it don't do anything to facilitate it. Sadly, my 3/3 load at Maine is actually considered pretty plum.

yeah

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

I guess as long as the expectation for continued research and publication is more reasonable than a book..... But yeah, research support I hear is hard to come by from many schools that expect faculty to travel to conferences and all that.

Ugh.

Re: yeah

[saltbox.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, this statement just jumped out at me as a perfect illustration of how "research and publication" means different things to different people. For some reason, in law, books really don't count. Nope. Just articles. And, really, only articles in law reviews, not in trade publications, publications in other disciplines, etc. So people always advise you against doing books until getting tenure. Books are regarded as things you do for fun! Or something!

Re: yeah

[peebles.livejournal.com]

Books don't count for shit in chemistry, either. Neither, apparently, do chapters in books.

Oh well. I get paid, anyway.

Re: yeah

[saltbox.livejournal.com]

You get paid? I co-wrote a book chapter and got paid nuthin'. Mmph. I guess my coauthor got a free trip to Chicago because I was all shy and stuff and let him take it.

Re: yeah

[peebles.livejournal.com]

Hypothetically. I haven't seen the check yet.

"personal program"

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Looking at the announcement again after reading your comment has made the phrase "personal program" jump out. Sounds unlikely they're really going to provide much research support... Like "personal initiative" or something....

Re: "personal program"

[(Anonymous)]

Could be, though my guess is that they just wrote the ad on short notice.

Honestly. Having been on these hiring committees, a lot of stupid language that "feels" like boilerplate to the person writing it but comes off very differently to the audience receiving it gets put into such ads, especially when the person responsible for writing the ad has been "off the market" for a while and has no idea what a job-market in which your advisor simply calls up friends at other schools to "see what you've got available" is like.

I wouldn't read too much into the language. If you find yourself actually interested in the job despite the ad, go to the part of that college's website designed for the faculty and see if there's anything that shows what kinds of research support are available, especially if they're contractually mandated (as is the case with a lot of unionized schools, which this presumably would be, given your description of it as what sounds like a CUNY branch). Of course, you can also see if the English department faculty have CVs listed on the department's website and look what kinds of work the junior faculty have been doing. If there are a lot of assistant profs who haven't published shit but have gone to a lot of conferences, then you're looking at a pretty light definition of "personal research program" (i.e., a conference a year and whatever articles you can squeeze out during summer breaks, and boy, we'd love a book if you could see your way clear to writing it, but it's not absolutely necessary...)⁄

Re: "personal program"

[ivan-durak.livejournal.com]

Could be, though my guess is that they just wrote the ad on short notice.

Honestly. Having been on these hiring committees, a lot of stupid language that "feels" like boilerplate to the person writing it but comes off very differently to the audience rec eiving it gets put into such ads, especially when the person responsible for writing the ad has been "off the market" for a while and has no idea what a job-market in which your advisor simply calls up friends at other schools to "see what you've got avai lable" is like.

I wouldn't read too much into the language. If you find yourself actually interested in the job despite the ad, go to the part of that college's website designed for the faculty and see if there's anything that shows what kinds of resear ch support are available, especially if they're contractually mandated (as is the case with a lot of unionized schools, which this presumably would be, given your description of it as what sounds like a CUNY branch). Of course, you can also see if the Eng lish department faculty have CVs listed on the department's website and look what kinds of work the junior faculty have been doing. If there are a lot of assistant profs who haven't published shit but have gone to a lot of conferences, then you're looking at a pretty light definition of "personal research program" (i.e., a conference a year and whatever articles you can squeeze out during summer breaks, and boy, we'd love a book if you could see your way clear to writing it, but it's not absolutely necess ary...)⁄

Re: "personal program"

[ivan-durak.livejournal.com]

Sorry 'bout the double post. I forgot to log in and I'd never take anonymus advice about the job market myself. ;-)†

Re: "personal program"

[icecrmassasin.livejournal.com]

i can tell you from working as an adjunct and being friends with profs...there is no research support in CUNY...just office that help "manage" your grant money while they take 30%.

also very little departmental money for conference travel