Spanish and Portuguese 2013-2014

Page to track academic jobs in Spanish and Portuguese that begin in 2014.

Last year's page: Spanish & Portuguese 2012-2013

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Offers
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Campus Interviews
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 * Morehead State - Invited for late January on 11/26. (x2)
 * California SU, Fullerton - Invited for the second week of December
 * Is this for linguistics or literature?

MLA Interviews
List NEW information at top (please put "Any news?" questions in "Word on the Street" section below)


 * Wellesley College (MLA interview scheduled via email, 11/26)
 * Fairfield University (phone, 11/26)
 * University of Kentucky (email, 11/23). Is this the position at Louisville in Afro-Hispanic Literature? No, LA colonial at Lexington.
 * Marquette University (phone, 11/19 X2) (Phone, 11/22)
 * University of Denver (e-mail on 11/21)
 * Texas State U-San Marcos-  Medieval (11/19) (x2). ---> Did they contact you via email or phone? They called me. Medieval? Yes. Good Luck!
 * University of South Carolina, Columbia (email on 11/17)
 * University of Nebraska, Omaha (Interview scheduled on 11/15) (3X)

Phone / Skype Interviews
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 * Middle Tennessee State University: request for Skype interview on 11/27
 * Ball State (Latin American lit): received request for phone interview on 11/27
 * Pitzer College, language interview by phone; confirmed 2nd hand 11/26; I'm guessing it is to check for fluency
 * Wake Forest (indigenous studies): phone interview scheduled on 11/26
 * Kansas State (Skype interview scheduled on 11/26)
 * UC-Santa Cruz (Phone interview scheduled on 11/25)
 * SUNY Geneseo (11/22) Did they give you a timeline for notifying about campus visits? A: Nope, none at all. Q: They said if visits would be before or after the break? A: No info about campus visits in my brief interview.
 * University of Buffalo (Skype interview scheduled on 11/22)
 * College of Charleston - Spanish, General Linguistics (11/22) (X2)
 * Harvard - Open Rank (11/22) (X2)
 * Did they request interviews or you had the interview? Could you clarify what field? Peninsularist or Latin Americanist?  Thank you. - Scheduled for the first week of december


 * Florida SU- TT Spanish Sociolinguistics- Skype interview scheduled 11/19
 * University of Georgia - TT Portuguese - Skype interview 11/18
 * Ball State University (phone) - received request 11/14.
 * I believe there were several positions available. Could you clarify for which this is? Thanks!
 * Oops! Spanish linguistics (open speciality).


 * Wofford College - Generalist (Skype) - received email 11/12


 * West Chester- TT cultural studies & film (skype)- received request 11/12.
 * I am wrong, or the deadline and beginning of the review process is this Friday? Are they already requesting skype interviews?
 * You are not wrong. I went to the web page and saw that there was another position advertised with a Oct 15th deadline...Keeping my fingers crossed to be hopefully considered for this one. 11/13
 * My understanding is that there are 3 TT positions. The last one was posted on 11/11.


 * University of Illinois at Chicago - Spanish Phonology (Skype) - received request 11/11


 * Morehead State U (phone) - received request 11/5.  *I also have a phone interview for this position.* Me too.


 * Mount St. Mary's (Skype) - received request 10/29.
 * Can you tell me what month the interview will take place? Not asking for a date, just would like to know if in November or later. --> Mine was on Nov. 4. My understanding is that they are hoping to do campus visits in early December.
 * Mount St Mary - Skype interviews are being conducted between Oct 31 and Nov 5.


 * Susquehanna University (Skype) 10/28 (x2) <--- Is the Department still doing Skype interviews, or is the Skype interview process already closed? Have all Skype interview candidates been notified that they are selected
 * Not sure if Skype interviews are still taking place or if all candidates have been contacted, but I got a call on Monday and the interview was Thursday 10/31.
 * Thanks, and good luck!
 * Can anyone confirm that the selection of finalists has been made, so we can stop praying? Thanks!


 * Cornell University (skype)- received request 10/24 (Latin American colonial).Skype interview process already closed.

Additional Materials Requested
List NEW information at top; note type of material requested whenever possible (please list EEOC / Aff-Action Requests in "Acknowledgments" section below)


 * Mount St. Mary University: Letters of reccomendations, teaching philosophy, and writing sample requested on Nov 13 to be sent by Nov 20 - Were you one of the people who had a Skype interview with them? Yes


 * Franklin & Marshall 11/5 - Additional materials requested (teaching philosophy, research statement, 3 letters of recommendation, sample teaching evaluations, and graduate transcript)
 * Yes, same additional material requested 11/5. Is there any way to know if they have requested this material from everyone that applied?
 * Also had additional materials requested 11/5.
 * They did not ask for more materials from everyone. There were some applicants who did not receive the request. (X2)


 * Hope College 10/25, 11/5 (statement of interest in joining the faculty, participating in minority/diversity development, and encouraging student development in the context of the Christian faith). (x3, on 11/5)
 * Discussion regarding faith statements moved down to Questions/Inquiries/Discussion.
 * I thought this position was due Jan 1? It is no longer on the employment site... and here I thought I had plenty of time to apply! (Athough I'd be put off by the statement of faith too, so possibly for the best?)
 * I don't think the search is over; In the e-mail, they just asked for additional materials to create a more complete file, and said that they will be "reviewing applications as they are completed."
 * The Interfolio link to the application says the deadline has passed, and it has expired/disappeared from the MLA JIL.

Rejections
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 * Rejection from Bellarmine U (linguistics position) - 11/25.  Strange, as the deadline is 12/1.
 * Rejection from Gustavus Adolphus (Spanish, peninsular/transatlantic) Nov 22 (x2)
 * Did this arrive in email or letter form? Thank you.
 * Email. It seems like it was a generated automatic response for those who didn't make the first cut. So there still might be hope for some if you haven't received it!
 * Thanks for the info!
 * Rejection email from U of Nebraska Omaha Nov. 15.
 * Rejection letter from Cornell University (TT, Latin America) Nov. 6 (x2)
 * Received notification from California SU Channel Islands that application was no longer under consideration. (applied Sept. 10, notified Nov. 1).
 * Not necessarily a rejection, but the Catholic U of America search has been suspended until further notice because of "budgetary difficulties" (email 11/25).

Acknowledgements
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 * Monmouth College email acknowledgment of receipt of app materials (11/13) (11/26)
 * Wittenberg email: Applicants who have been selected for an interview will receive email notification by Thursday, December 19.
 * Cornell College email acknowledgement of receipt of app materials (11/22) (x4)
 * San José State University letter acknowledgement of receipt of app materials. (11/19)
 * Ursinus College email acknowledgement of receipt of app materials (11/18) (x10)
 * Spring Hill College email acknowledgment of receipt of app materials (11/14) (x3) - said they got 185 total applications - holy cow! That's normal. Elon University got a similar number.
 * Exact words: "The search committee has started reviewing the 185 applications we received and we will get back to you in mid-December when we have decided on a short list of candidates we wish to interview. We will be conducting these interviews via skype during the week of January 13, 2014."


 * Cal State Long Beach email acknowledgment of recipt of application materials (11/14) (x2)
 * Received affirmative action form request via email (11/18)


 * California State Polytechnic, Pomona - Affirmative Action form requested (11/4). Similar to the situation below, not sure if this is pertinent or if it was requested of all applicants.
 * Seems like all applicants got one. I got it the day after I applied. I'm still waiting for Long Beach's.


 * Kansas State U - Self Identity Affirmative Action form requested (11/14). I'm not sure if everyone received this request but I thought it was worth noting just in case.
 * Cal State Poly Pomona email acknowledgment of receipt of application materials (11/13) They didn't email me, so I emailed them and they verified that they had received my application.
 * Texas SU sent snail mail acknowledgment of receipt of application materials 11/8 (x5)
 * Texas SU (Latin Americanist) Acknowledgement letter sent by regular mail 11/25
 * Ball State University 11/7 (x4) Acknowledgement received through email of receipt of application and documents.
 * Fullerton, email acknowledgement of materials they received through the post. (x4)

Sorry, but why is this category even necessary?
 * Some schools, like Ball State, still want application materials mailed to them. So it's helpful to know if they're notifying applicants they've recived the hard documents since Interfolio doesn't provide tracking on standard mail deliveries.

JOBS: Spanish & Portuguese for 2014 (Tenure Track & Full Time) (Please list in alphabetical order)
Amherst College (MA)  - Two Positions in Spanish
 * Position 1: Open-Rank, Tenure-Track Professor in Spanish (specialization Golden Age and/or Colonial)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013
 * Position 2: Lecturer
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Arizona State - Spanish Linguistics (specialization in Heritage Speakers)
 * RANK: Assistant or Associate
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 22, 2013

Armstrong Atlantic State U (GA) - Literature, open specialization
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 18, 2013

Augustana College (IL) - Two Positions in Spanish
 * Position 1: Literature, Medieval and Early Modern (Could be VAP or tenure-track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 2, 2013
 * Position 2: Linguistics, Phonology (Could be VAP or tenure-track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 2, 2013

Ball State University (IN) - Two Positions in Spanish
 * Two tenure-track faculty positions available August 14, 2014.
 * Position 1: Spanish Linguistics (open specialty);
 * Position 2: Latin America (open specialty)


 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin November 1, 2013, and will continue until the positions are filled.
 * One contract faculty position
 * LINK

Baylor University (TX) 
 * Position 1: Lecturer
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: October 15, 2013
 * Position 2: Director, Division of Spanish & Portuguese
 * RANK: Associate or Full Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Bellarmine U (KY) - Applied Linguistics
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 1, 2013

Boston College - the Practice in Hispanic Studies
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Bradley University (IL) - Spanish Peninsular Literature (specialization in Film Studies or Caribbean Studies)
 * RANK: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 11, 2013

Bringham Young U (UT) - Latin American Literature and Culture
 * RANK: Open
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: October 14, 2013

Brooklyn College (CUNY)
 * RANK: Full Professor-Chairperson
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) - Spanish Peninsular Literature (specialization in Early Modern or Twentieth/Twenty-First Century)
 * RANK: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 8, 2013

California State University Channel Islands - Spanish Generalist
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Application review date begins September 9, 2013.

California State University, Fresno - Mexican Literature
 * RANK: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

California State University, Fullerton - Two Positions
 * Position 1: Spanish-American (Central American or Caribbean)
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 10, 2013
 * Position 2: Linguistics
 * RANK: Assistnat Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 10, 2013

California State University, Long Beach - 19th-20th century Peninsular Literature
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Carroll College (MT) - Linguistics & Literature, Generalist
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 10, 2013

Centre College (KY) - Generalist, with specialty in 18th-20th century and Transatlantic Literature
 * RANK: Assistant or Associate Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: ?

Christopher Newport University (VA) - Three Positions
 * Position 1: Lecturer (TESOL)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013
 * Position 2: Lecturer (Caribbean Studies)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013
 * Position 3: Lecturer (Contemporary Spain)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Clayton State U (GA) - Generalist
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013

Colby College (ME) - Four Positions
 * Position 1: (A) Assistant Professor or Instructor of Spanish
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013
 * Position 2: (B) Assistant Professor or Instructor of Spanish
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013
 * Position 3: (C) Assistant Professor or Instructor of Spanish
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013
 * Position 4: Faculty Teaching Fellow (Contemporary Peninsular Lit & Culture)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

College of Charleston (SC) - Two Positions
 * Position 1: Instructor (one-year appointment, renewable)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013
 * Position 2: Linguistics, Theoretical or Language Acquisition
 * RANK: Assistant
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013

Colorado State U - Two Positions
 * Position 1: Modern Mexican Literature and Culture
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 10, 2013
 * Position 2: Translation & Interpreting
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 10, 2013 (EXTENDED until Dec 5th!!)

Community College of Philadelphia
 * RANK: Tenure-Track Instructor or Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 3, 2013

Cornell College (IA) - Two Positions
 * Position 1: Peninsular Literature
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013
 * Position 2: Latin American Literature
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Cornell University (NY) - Two Positions
 * Position 1: Latin American (expertise in visual studies, Colonial/19th Century preferred)
 * RANK: Open
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: October 15, 2013
 * Position 2: Lecturer/Sr. Lecturer in Spanish Language
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013

DePauw University - Generalist with expertise in Peninsular or Hispanic Transatlantic Studies Duquesne University - TT Assistant Professor with specialization in Latin American Literature and Culture
 * RANK: TT Assistant/Associate Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 22, 2013
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK: http://www.duq.edu/work-at-du/employment/faculty-hiring/faculty-openings/mcanulty
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Franklin & Marshall - Spanish & Linguistics, open specialization, preference for Spanish in the US & History of Spanish
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: October 15, 2013

Harvard University - Tenured or TT Prof. in Spanish or Latin American Lit., preferably with an emphasis on gender or LGBTQ studies
 * RANK: TT or Tenured
 * Chronicle
 * DEADLINE: Open Until Filled; "We will start reviewing applications on October 31st."

Hope College - "should be prepared to teach a seminar on Medieval and Golden Age literature"
 * RANK: TT Assistant/Associate Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Jan 1

Kansas State University - "emphasis on contemporary literature of Spain as well as translation, interpretation - interpreter certification desirable"
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 11, 2013

Lehigh University - Contemporary Mexican literature and culture
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Nov 22

Marquette University - Contemporar Spanish prose, 20th-21st centuries, secondary interest in contemporary Spanish thater
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Nov 4

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - contemporary Latin American Studies Michigan State University - 20th- and 21st-century Spanish Peninsular studies
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Oct 15
 * RANK: TT Assistant Prof
 * LINK https://www.mla.org/jil_listing?id=20168
 * DEADLINE: Dec 13

Monmouth College - background in 20th- and/or 21st-century Peninsular literature and culture
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Nov 28

Murray State University - 19th-21st-century Peninsular culture
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor of Spanish
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15

Pitzer College - Spanish and Portuguese Language and Culture with a concentration in Latin American Studies
 * RANK: tenure-track Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: 10/25/2013

Reed College - Contemporary Latin American Literature (post-1980’s literature, film, and/or visual culture (with the exception of the Southern Cone)
 * RANK: tenure-track Assistant Professor
 * LINk
 * DEADLINE: November 15

San Diego State University -  Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Cultures
 * RANK: Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 2, 2013

San Diego State University - Spanish linguistics and/or Spanish Language Acquisition (SLA)
 * RANK: Associate Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 2, 2013.

SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY -  Modern Latin American Literature and Culture, Department of World Languages and Literatures
 * RANK: Assistant Professor of Spanish (tenure track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

Sewanee: The University of the South - Peninsular 19th-21st Century and/or Transatlantic Studies (interest in Brazil is welcome, but not necessary)
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 1

Spring Hill College - Generalist with experience teaching all levels of Spanish language, literature, and culture SUNY Buffalo
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * DEADLINE: November 15

SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology - Spanish position
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Not listed

SUNY Geneseo  - 18th and/or 19th century Latin Americanist
 * RANK: Assistant Professor of Spanish (tenure track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15, 2013

SUNY Stony Brook - 19th-Century Peninsular Literary and Cultural Studies
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Nov 20

Susquehanna University - Modern or Contemporary Studies of Spain
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Oct 18

Trinity College - Contemporary Latin Americanist (1) Contemporary Mexico, Central America and Border studies; 2) Caribbean and diaspora studies; or 3) the Southern Cone.)
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Nov 15

University of Arizona - Border Studies and or Chicano Literary and Cultural Studies
 * RANK: Assistant Professor (tenure-track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 21

University of California, Riverside - XIX-XX or Colonial
 * RANK: Assistant Professor (tenure-track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Nov 15

University of California, Santa Cruz - Spanish Applied Linguistics
 * RANK: Assistant Professor (tenure-track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin on October 21, 2013

University of Chicago - Medieval Spanish Literature University of Georgia - Luso-Brazilian literature and culture
 * Rank: Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: December 15, 2013
 * Rank: Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 4, 2013

University of Kansas - Latin American/Latina/o Studies
 * Rank: Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013

University of Louisville - Caribbean Studies, Department of Classical and Modern Languages
 * Assistant Professor of Spanish (Tenure-Track)
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Applications received by November 15, 2013 will receive full consideration

University of Mary Washington - "Expertise in contemporary peninsular Spanish literature and culture preferred" University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee -  Assistant Professor of Modern Spanish Peninsular Literature
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 30, 2013
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: Applications received before January 1, 2014 will receive full consideration

Ursinus College - "multidisciplinary approaches to Hispanic cultural products along with education in Peninsular and Latin American language and literature"
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: "Review of applications will begin November 15th"

Wake Forest University - Contemporary Hispanic Cultural Studies: "Preference given to candidates who specialize in indigenous studies, interdisciplinary studies (music, art, film, media), and/or have considerable experience introducing digital research tools and methods into the classroom."
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1

Wellesley College - "specialist in Transatlantic Film and Media Studies with strong Spanish language teaching credentials" West Chester University - Spanish or Hispanic Studies
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 1, 2013
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 15
 * Another position (with a very similar description, but different job number) due December 18
 * LINK

Western Oregon University - "Main field of interest should be one of the following: Colonial Latin America, Mexico/Caribbean, or Chicano/US Latino"
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor of Spanish
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: November 29

West Virginia University - Specialization in Spanish Linguistics
 * RANK: TT Assistant Professor of Spanish
 * LINK
 * DEADLINE: October 15/18
 * Any word on this position?

Word on the Street

 * Has anyone heard back from Elon U? No (11/25)
 * Q. Are there multiple positions at Texas SU San Marcos? If so, any word on the Spanish Americanist position, not medieval...? I haven't heard anything either.
 * Yes, there are two positions.


 * Question on Wellesley College - Has anyone heard back yet? Anything? (11/20) No 11/20 (x4)
 * Question on Cornell U - Has anyone heard back yet? Not me. Anyone? (11/19) No. 11/21 They already finished the skype interviews and they said they will let the candidates know about campus visits within this week (11/21).
 * Question on Florida SU- Has anyone heard back yet? Nope. (11/19). Yes, see above for Skype
 * Question on UC-Santa Cruz- Has anyone heard back yet?  No, and it's been an eternity (x2). Seriously
 * Question on Lehman College - Has anyone heard back yet? Not me.
 * Question on MIT (Latin American Studies)- Anyone hear back yet? Not me. (x3) (11/19)


 * Question on West Virginia University (Spanish linguistics) - Anyone hear back yet? NO (x6)
 * WVU - haven't heard a thing.  Also applied for a position there last academic yr, never heard back then either. Do you think they only have inside candidates?
 * I don't think it's an inside-candidate issue. They have two job searches going right now (the other is for a phonologist), so I imagine that is contributing to the delay.

That SUNY Geneseo position looks like an inside gig, given they've got a visiting latin americanist who has just defended, or is about to. Any thoughts?


 * Response: Maybe, but probably not. And if it is, most departments have too many idiosyncracies and conflicts to guarantee that the job will go to the "insider." Though it's almost impossible not to speculate about such things, I urge you not to think about it too much.


 * Response 2: I agree with the original response above. You should just apply for the job. It's the only thing you can do. If there is an inside candidate, then you won't get it. But if there isn't, then you might get it. If you don't apply, you certainly won't get it. Plus, I have personally seen very credible inside candidates completely sabotage themselves, and I have seen committees completely ignore an inside candidate. My real concern with this job is that it seems to be a 5-5 job. Did your eyes just pop out? I didn't even know there was such a thing in higher ed, not even at the most teaching intensive institutions (community colleges). At any rate, I don't know if this is the case: I looked at the course schedule and noticed that some, but not all, professors were teaching 15 credits (each course was 3 credits). Just wanted to know if anyone could confirm/deny my guess.


 * Response to R2: It looks to me like some of the courses are split level (grad/undergrad), giving the appearance that some profs are teaching more courses than they really are. Does look like some do 4/4, but not all. Also, I second the comments above. It's entirely possible that there is an inside candidate, but by no means is that person guaranteed a job. If anything, I think that's an indication that it's worth applying even if you don't fit all of the specifications; if the job ad is somewhat tailored to what that person does and they don't pan out for whatever reason, then the search committee may consider a slightly different teaching/research profile than what they originally asked for. But that's just my (relatively inexperienced) take on the matter.

Questions / Inquiries / Discussion
1. What's up with "Transatlantic" studies? I've never seen so many positions asking for this. VERY little going on with Latin American studies. If there is, they're looking for Colonial or Mexican. The job market gods must be crazy!

Agreed! Do SCs even know what they really want? Their use of "transatlantic" strikes me as grasping at a buzzword to avoid saying outright, "please be able to teach everything." Ugh.

I don't know, given that the periphery always knows what's going on in the center (and rarely the other way around) I have no problem with transatlantic studies. If you do Colonial through 20th century you should be transatlantic, right? I don't care if it's Guaman Poma writing to Spain or Borges travelling in Paris, Latin American lit has a pretty transatlantic nature...

Your point is well-taken, but most of the ads seem to indicate that this is a desired specialization. I could easily teach a class with the sort of focus you indicate above, even within my area of expertise, but I'm a Latin Americanist by training, experience, and interest (with particular focus on a specific region and period). I liken it to ads requesting a "Colonial" emphasis. Am I familiar enough with the literature and art to teach an undergrad course? Certainly. Would I apply for a job that lists it as a specialization? No. I'm a 20-21c person. Perhaps this indicates short-sightedness on my part, and you definitely have me thinking about it now.....thanks, and suerte!

This whole thing about the "desired" specialties is a killer. I agree with the above poster that I could teach most staple courses with enough warning. I could seriously do you a Golden Age course, but I'm a Latin Americanist, so no way in hell would I apply to one of those jobs. But it does seems like more and more these ads are wish lists and/or expressions of not knowing what they want. I'm applying to a few jobs that aren't technically in my specialty, but I can reframe what I do to make it "fit." Of course, once they look at a reading sample, the jig is up. I have no idea, though, whether they would keep going or rule me out at that point. There are certainly examples, though, of committees hiring someone who did not fit the original search parameters. All we can do is try and see what happens.

2. Sometimes I'm a little confused with the term "generalist". Would search committees consider linguists under the "generalist" umbrella, or is this a strictly literature/culture term?

Re: Given what I know about most linguistics programs, my answer would be probably not. Romance linguistics maybe, but that's a big maybe. "Generalists" is usually implying wide-ranging knowledge in lit., cultural studies, AND language, but if the first two weren't of significant interest, they'd likely ask for an applied linguist, and tack on first-year coordinator or something of that nature. With that said, much depends on your own profile and the whims of the committee.

3. Does anyone know what the teaching load (3/3, 4/4, etc) at Cal State universities is?

Re: My understanding is that the teaching load is 4/4--or at least supposed to be. That seems to be the case at SF State, which is one of the "better" campuses (so better working conditions). But one never can tell. I know of one humanities department at a Cal State in which faculty have a 3/3 load and even 2/3 is not out of reach. But this can be fairly difficult to determine: often times, even if you can find the teaching load, it is listed by credit hours (12). You might think that if the Spanish courses bear 4 credit hours, that means 3/3, but I know of places where professors have had to argue for 4 credits per (language) course and still consent to a 4/4 load (so as not to upset the other faculty, who see it as an attempt to "work less"). Random aside: except for very good schools, language departments are under attack or more and more become language only depts (leaving lit, culture, theory behind). The schools might say they care about languages, but they don't unless there is a strong constituency advocating for it, a geographical reality, or very deep pockets that fund traditional humanities. What I mean to say is that 4/4 is the NORM not the exception, even in languages (which usually carry more contact hours than regular lecture courses).

Re: Thanks for the detailed response! That's very helpful.

4. The Murray St U job requires PhD completion by June 1 (and this doesn't look flexible). For some of us who will be finishing in June, that early date of completion immediately disqualifies us. Should we still apply?

Re: Apply for the job. If you get it, you'll just have to push yourself to finish. Many people have had to do this in the past, and you will too if you get it. Just part of the deal. Don't forget that once you get a job your diss committee will go into finish mode themselves.
 * Thanks for the reply. I'm probably going to sit this one out, though. Finishing my diss. in June is already pushing it. Finishing it earlier? Impossible.

5. Something to consider for those of us in the job market: when you are selecting schools to apply/are applying, check whether foreign language is a university requirement or whether your department/your courses fulfill a priority mission of the college/general education requirements. I can't imagine a research university without a foreign language requirement, but apparently there are MANY SLAC's where there is NO language requirement. I'm sure that this is not an issue for many foreign language departments; they survive just fine without such a structural need. But there are places where it is hard to get kids to enroll in language courses, and people are scrambling to get bodies in their classes and/or trying to figure out what else they could teach in order to teach their semester load. If you're applying to places like this, be aware of it. Also, if interviewed, I would ask what enrollment levels and how they are kept healthy (though this would be more of a campus visit question). Or at least try to find out that information somehow. Getting a job is great, but if it gets phased out because the system is stacked against you, well..

6. Re: faith statements as part of an application 7. I've noticed several jobs are asking for a writing sample. My best writing (to my chagrin) is in my dissertation. I am reluctant, however, to submit a 40+ pg chapter (who wants to read something that long?). I have some other articles I could submit, but their quality is regrettably much lower than one of my diss. chapters. If no instructions are given in the advertisment, how long should the writing sample be? Is there a maximum page count? A minimum? Does quantity matter more than quality? Or vice-versa?
 * THIS IS A STATEMENT OF FAITH. THANKS BUT NOT THANKS. I APPLIED TO TEACH SPANISH LITERATURE NOT TO BE RECRUITED TO A CULT.
 * If one had looked at Hope's website before applying one would have realized that it's a Christian institution in the Reformed tradition and belongs to the CCCU. If one views being a person of faith as equivalent to being a member of a cult, then this position would not be a good fit.
 * Probably shouldn't apply for the Marquette job, either.  A: Marquette being a Catholic school, not sure if it would be an issue, since they are probably more laid-back. I WENT TO MARQUETTE AND MOST FACULTY ARE NOT CATHOLIC; VERY ACCEPTING COMMUNITY, FANTASTICALLY MOTIVATED STUDENT AND DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE. Highly recommend!
 * I'm wondering if the person who wrote the all-caps comment is the same person who had the materials requested of them.
 * No, it wasn't the same person.
 * With places like this, professors cannot do their job. I remember a former colleague in a religious institution who could only teach the prayers to the Virgin Mary from the Libro de buen amor. It is ridiculous. Those prayers are almost irrelevant in the text, but if they only want to learn what does not challenge their beliefs, you cannot do anything to fight ignorance.
 * As with any "class" of institution there is variation. It's a vast and inaccurate generalization (at least from the anecdotes colleagues and friends have shared) that working at a Christian institution means that you can only do X, or must leave out Y (see also note on Marquette above!). While some institutions may be more limited in their understanding of academic freedom, many are not.
 * One position I applied for had a 25 page limit on writing samples, which seems pretty reasonable to me. Article-length.

8. Does anyone know something about the position at Harvard? / It was Bradley Epps position. Word on the pipe line is that it is unlikely they'll hire a tenured faculty unless it is a peninsularist.

9. This Mount St. Mary's gig is confounding. They never acknowledged receipt of my email materials, even after I inquired about them, and then now it seems like they're requesting extra materials of candidates after already having done a round of skype interviews?
 * Agreed. I'm wondering if the person they requested materials from was one of the people interviewed, like maybe they used the interview process to narrow down the candidates and are only requesting materials from their top choices, the people they wish to bring to campus. Anyone have any insight?
 * yes, I was interviewed and I was asked for more material and that's pretty much what they explained. They said that next step would be campus interviews in December.
 * Campus visits have been pushed back to January/beginning of the spring semester. Candidates should be notified by the end of November (correction from previous post).

10. Question regarding University of South Carolina, Columbia (email on 11/17): Did they send you an email on Sunday? Is this possible? Is there any other interviewee who recieved an email on Sunday fron USC Columbia? Thank you for your response.
 * I'm also interested in this response. Thanks!
 * It is not only possible, it happens. You can even receive a call on Sunday.
 * In the old days, back when the MLA was held right after Christmas, people would sometimes get called as late as 12/24 for an interview basically three days later. Do not worry yourself silly about getting a phone call during the weekend or very late in the game. You can't control that. But it is def possible because search committees have to squeeze in this work when they can - and seeing a weekend date does not mean that the OP is making that up.

Demographics
Are you a (an)...?


 * ABD (will finish this academic year): 22
 * ABD and currently in a one-year, VAP, Completion Fellowship, visiting instructor, lecturer or adjunct position: 3
 * Ph.D. in hand (one-year, VAP, Lecturer, post-doc, adjunct): 13
 * Ph.D. in hand (unable to find academic employment at the moment): 2
 * Ph.D. in hand (currently working outside of academia): 2
 * Assistant Professor: 11
 * Associate Professor:
 * Full Professor:

How many applications have you sent out this year?:
 * 0: 1
 * 1-10: 11
 * 10-20: 8
 * 21-30: 10
 * 31-40: 2
 * 41-50: 1
 * 50+: 1

How many MLA interviews (or other prelim if they are leading to campus visits)?:
 * 12+:
 * 8+:
 * 4+:
 * 2+:
 * 1+:
 * 0 (with 15+ applications sent):