Spanish 2010-2011

Position
ABD, not defending soon:2

ABD, defense date set: 13

ABD, no defense, almost finished: 16

PhD in hand: 18

Visiting Assistant Professor/Adjunct: 21

Assistant Professor: 16

Lecturer: 6

Member of a Search Committee: 6

(Schools with which interviews have been scheduled as well as means - MLA or phone. Remember to mention the DATES. Put the most recent at the top

 * SUNY (Purchase) (Spanish Linguistics): Skype interview (12/11, phone)
 * University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (Spanish Linguistics): Skype/Phone interview (12/11, email)
 * Davidson C: 12/11 MLA interview (second hand)
 * Virginia Tech: (12/11) MLA interview, phone contact [What is your area of specialization?]
 * University of Texas: (12/10) MLA interview [Q: Is this U of Texas at El Paso, Linguistics position? Thanks!] UT-Austin? MLA Interview for VAP 18-19 c. Peninsular position (email on 12/10) [Q: Sorry, it is not clear to me which campus and position is? I'm assuming that it's UT Austin b/c they had a VAP position for the above concentration.] [Thanks!] A: Yes, VAP 18-19. UT, not UTEP.
 * Portland State University (12/10) MLA interview scheduled. Una fantástica ciudad para vivir. En el departamento hay buena gente. El sueldo es un tanto moderado, pero no está mal del todo.
 * Emporia State: (12/9) MLA interview, email contact x2
 * IPFW: (12/9) MLA interview
 * Ithaca College (Asst. Prof. of Spanish, Medieval/Golden Age): (12/10, email) MLA interview x3
 * University of Wisconsin, Madison (Linguistics): (12/9, email) MLA interview x3. Q: What areas were they looking for? A: dialectology, language variation, sociolinguistics, syntax, or semantics, according to the job description. There are two positions! Q: Yes, but we'd like to know the areas of those who were called for MLA interviews.
 * West Virginia U (Teaching Asst. Professor position): (12/9) MLA interview scheduled
 * U. of Minnesota Duluth: (12/9) Phone interview scheduled
 * Rockhurst University (12/9) MLA interview scheduled
 * Willamette University (12/9) MLA interview scheduled x3 (email or phone?) EMAIL
 * University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (12/9) Skype interview. Phone call.
 * University of Oklahoma: (Lat) MLA Interwiew scheduled (12/9), phone call x4 //Do you specialize in Souther Cone or Caribbean? A: Southern Cone. And you?
 * American University (World Literature) MLA (12/9 phone call)
 * Dartmouth College (Spanish 21st Century). MLA (12/8 email) x4
 * Dartmouth College (Portuguese position). MLA (12/8 email)
 * University of Evansville : Phone interview (12/8)
 * St. Olaf: MLA interview (12/8; e-mail) x3 (yet again, trash talking gossip about Modern Peninsularist position moved to Word on the Street)
 * Georgia Tech: MLA interview scheduled (12/8), email contact
 * University of Richmond: MLA interview scheduled (12/8), phone contact, e-mail contact. MLA interviw, email contact (12/9).
 * Oakland University (Golden Age): MLA interview schedule (12/8)X4, contacted by phone.
 * West Virginia University (Spanish Linguistic s): MLA interview scheduled (12/7 email) x3
 * Rhodes College: MLA interview scheduled (12/7) Medieval? Medieval/Golden Age
 * McDaniel: Phone Interview (12/7), email contact x3//Do you specialize in Souther Cone or Caribbean?
 * University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) (Spanish and Global Studies): Skype interview (12/6) x3 (gossip moved)
 * Texas State University San Marcos (Medieval): MLA interview scheduled (12/6) x2 (e-mail contact); MLA interview schedule (12/8) (e-mail)
 * University of Oklahoma (Spanish SLA): MLA interview (12/05) x4
 * University of Alabama: Phone inverview scheduled (12/4)
 * University of Cincinnati: Phone inverview scheduled (12/4) x2
 * North Carolina State University: Skype interview scheduled (12/4) x2
 * Colby College: MLA interview (12/3) x4 JOB JUST CANCELLED. UGH! What??? How do you know? This is either inside information, or it's puro cuento. The former is certainly possible, but I suspect the latter.
 * Rider University: MLA interview scheduled (12/3) x3
 * Southern Oregon University: Phone interview scheduled (12/3) x3
 * Providence College: Phone interview scheduled (12/3) x 2 Q: Which position (Spanish/ Women's Studies or Caribbean)? Ans. Caribbean. --Thank you. Campus visit for the Spanish/ Women's Studies position scheduled.
 * Michigan Technological University: Phone interview scheduled (12/3) x2
 * College of Idaho: Phone interview scheduled (12/3)x2
 * George Mason University: Skype interview scheduled (12/3)
 * CUNY-Lehman College (FL Education): Phone interview (12/03) (phone contact)
 * CUNY-Lehman College (Spanish Linguistics): Phone interview (12/2) (e-mail contact)
 * St. Edward's U: Phone interview (12/2)
 * Duquesne U (Spanish Linguistics): MLA interview (12/2) (e-mail contact)
 * Francis Marion University: Skype interview scheduled (12/1) x3
 * University of Connecticut (Golden Age); Skype interview scheduled on (12/1)x2
 * University of Houston (Mexican Literature/Transatlantic Studies): MLA interview (12/1)
 * University of California Irvine MLA interview 11/30 Q: did you received the invitation by phone or mail? A: Both. x2
 * Columbia C (Assist. or Assoc. Prof. and Coord. of the Spanish Program): Skype Interview (11/29) is this columbia u in nyc? Columbia College in SC. thanks
 * College of Charleston (Assistant Professor of SLA in Spanish): MLA Interview (11/29)
 * College of Charleston (Medieval/Golden Age): MLA Interview (11/23)x2
 * Oberlin: MLA Interview (Email contact, 11/24) x4
 * Gettysburg College: MLA Interview (11/23)
 * [which position? They had 3 different ads]
 * Definitely not the Medieval one: they canceled the search. Answer: Latino Lit.
 * University of North Florida: Phone Interview (11/23) x2
 * 'Carnegie Mellon University': MLA interview (11/23) x3
 * (Is this for Golden Age?) [The ad just said peninsular, I think--not necessarily Golden Age.]
 * 'IUPUI' (Spanish Linguistics): Phone interview (11/22) x3
 * University of Evansville: Phone interview scheduled (11/22)
 * Manhattan C (Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics): MLA Interview (11/22)
 * Bentley University: MLA interview (11/17) x3
 * Tulane U: Phone interview (11/12) x2
 * UNC-Pembroke: Phone interview (11/10)
 * Liverpool: Invitations to campus (Nov 25-26) and rejections sent by email on 11/11 (The rejections were sent via email, but how did you find out about the campus interview? Thanks!) (rejections only sent to longlisted candidates?, Thanks!) [The longlisted candidates received details about the dates and brief details about the interview, my guess (and only a guess) is that if you did not receive news of being on the longlist, you should not expect to be contacted. They had over 200 applications.]
 * UNC-Chapel Hill: Videoconference: 1 [When was it scheduled? Thanks!] It was scheduled on 11/07 for 11/18 [Has anyone else heard from UNC? Thanks!] (The internal word is that a guy from Iowa (ABD) got a videoconference interview for this week (11/18). It would be interesting to know how many other applicants received any news from the search commitee) [Have they only interviewed 1 person, or is the Iowa guy #2?] (No clue whether the Iowa ABD was #1 or #10, but the word around was that his interview was scheduled for this week. No other rumor has been spread before, so this may mean something) [Got it. Thanks.] Just FYI, I got a rejection letter from them yesterday (11/23). They must have someone in mind because I had all three of the languages they mentioned in their posting and still didn't get an interview. I know my portfolio does not suck THAT bad.
 * No me cabe la menor duda que tienen a un candidato porque pensaba que mi perfil podría encajar en lo que buscaban (PhD en Lingüística Hispánica Teórica desde el 2009 y, además de investigación aceptable publica en varias revistas y colaboraciones, el plus de bilingüe gallego-portugués de nacimiento) y esta semana he recibido la carta de desestimación. Me río de toda la parafernalia que montan al abrir plazas de profesor en este país cuando al final el sistema es endogámico desde el comienzo. Una vez más intentan vender al público este tipo de proceso de selección para ocultar la falta de profesionalismo e integridad en el mismo. Estoy impaciente por ver el nombre del candidato en la lista de profesorado el año que viene y deseando que sea uno que no se haya doctorado de Iowa, porque, de ser así, tendrían razón los comentarios de arriba, así como otros que he escuchado recientemente por personal del departamento. It gets worse the longer you're in the profession. Apply for an "open rank" position year after year, only to find an enrty-level Asst Prof is always hired. Totalmente de acuerdo. Por lo que he oído y he visto en mi departamento, los trabajos suelen casi siempre ser asignados a candidatos internos o a personas con muy buenos contactos. Esto último es lo que más cuenta.
 * "una investigacion aceptable" does not cut it in UNC-Chapel Hill. But ... Do not despair yet. There are other jobs out there. Many universities are still selecting people to be interviewed. Good luck!
 * Una cosa que aprendi de un actor cuando lo rechazaban en las audiciones: no están diciendo que seas malo, es solo que no eres el que ellos buscan. Nada más. No significa nada sobre el nivel académico ni las cualidades personales. es una cosa de contextos, en los seis años que he estado en una universidad grande y prestigiosa, he visto 4 searches, y en ninguno de los cuatro eligieron necesariamente al "mejor", sino al que: se acomodaba mejor a la cultura del departamento (lo que diablos sea que el faculty entienda por eso), el quilibrio de poderes, géneros, etnias (vi a un tío buenísimo ser rechazado porque buscaban una mujer, y la mujer era muy buena también, por supuesto). Tampoco quieren problemas entre ellos, eso está claro. De allí a decir que son mediocres aquí, hmmmm, en mi país era igual o peor, creo que la proporcion es la misma en todo lado, un tercio son buenos, un tercio son promedio, y un tercio son del tipo "cómo consiguió trabajo este tipo?". Nada sorprendente, es más una cuestión de suerte.
 * En mi país no era igual o peor, sino mucho peor.
 * llevo muchos años enterándome de los que consiguen los puestos y diría que más o menos 40-50% de los casos son casos de endogamía. el campo académico de español es un small world. tener una carta sólida para lo que buscan y cartas de rec de profes famosos son lo que más ayuda, en mi opinión. lo demás (un par de publicaciones, experiencia dando clase...) todos lo tenemos.
 * Sí, en todos lados se cuecen habas...

Campus Visits Scheduled

 * Indiana/Purdue Indianapolis: 12/9 On campus interview scheduled.
 * Q. Didn't they just call to set up interviews at the MLA? A. They did so by videoconference call.
 * Grand VIew University (generalist): (12/9)' On campus interview scheduled.
 * UNC-Chapel Hill (Hispanic Linguistics) [Nov. 25] (previous chatter deleted to prevent clutter)

Word on the Street
'''Hang in there, dudes, it's a long season, but things are just getting rolling. Let's not forget the MLA is later now than it was. Also, if possible, please attempt to provide more pertinent information and less commentary. We all know the job market sucks, so let's focus on what the wiki does best: provide a space to keep informed about the ebbs and flows of the Spanish academic job market.''' Recieved same email on 11/13.
 * Any news from Whittier College?
 * St. Olaf: Not that I'm callow or new to the ways of the world; I do know that there are bad people everywhere. This is certainly a plausible story. But it seems that whenever a certain profile of Peninsular interview comes up, a set of rumors about the institution/position also tend to pop up. St. Olaf: horrible racists; Colby, Carnegie Mellon: positions canceled; NCSU: vague implications that the committee did not practice due diligence; West Chester will fire you as soon as they hire you, if they hire you; Univ. of Minnesota this year and USC last year: it's Teh Gheys, and so on. Either the 18th century-21st century Peninsularists are all heading into poisoned waters, or there's a good deal of manure being spread. Agreed! ¡Totalmente de acuerdo! x3 Pensad lo que querais, si conocierais bien la academia no seriais tan ingenuos. Btw. West Chester tendra que contratar al candidato que echaron de Mansfield -o sea que seguid pensando lo que querais, pero la realidad es esta que planteamos aqui.R. I'm sure that some of the nearly dozen rumors have some validity, but it's rather curious that some of the more ridiculous ones have been about modern peninsular, followed by nasty back and forths.
 * Any news from University of Central Florida?
 * SUNY Oneonta (Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Columbia University?
 * Any news form Ithaca College?
 * NYU: Does anyone know about the open-rank colonialist position? A: They want an advance assistant professor. There is only one AP in the whole department. They know this is one of the best jobs in the market! R: uno de los mejores puestos???!!! i do not think so. el departamento es una barbarie y el sueldo no te llega ni para pagar el alquiler. ya es hora de ir desmitificando NYU... Any news on MLA interviews for NYU? 
 * Ashland University: Email with notice about cancellation of the position (12/6)
 * Does anyone have any info about the Colby position. Has it been canceled??? I'd give it a day or two before jumping to any conclusions, especially if you're an interviewee and they haven't contacted you to tell you the search has been canceled. Insider information is entirely possible, but it's also possible that somebody's trying to work our collective last nerve. In any case, paciencia y barajar. 
 * University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: Word on the street is that they're actively scouting a gay faculty member Good news is that you probably will be invited to give a job talk rather than a job fuck, so whether you dig the same or the opposite, you can just keep em guessing all the way to an offer ; ). Sigh. I've seen a lot of searches and I must say that I haven't come across one where they seek out a faculty member b/c they are gay. Gotta love the anonymity of the wiki! It's a great medium to let your true bigoted self shine. For some reason this (insane homo-paranoia) happened on last year's wiki too; as you say, the kind of conversations that a committee/dept. would be required to have in order to "scout a gay faculty member" are just unimaginable (or rather, perhaps slightly hilarious to imagine, depending on the dept. but still, it just couldn't happen). Such a search assumes a series of invasive questions have been asked and inquires made into areas of candidate's lives are that inappropriate and illegal. (And also suggests that current faculty have submitted themselves to the same. Presumably, in a such an institution a head-count was made of the faculty in which each member identified their sexuality and it was determined that more gay faculty members were needed? Give me a break!) *Shut up. If I want a gay job I'm willing to do what it takes to get it! Honey, if they had wanted a gay candidate, they could have hired me several years ago! ;-) The U of M is one of the great PC universities, which will cancel a search if they can't find a candidate who fits its agenda. If you don't play hockey, you're dead meat as a white male. Como es diferente la perspectiva! la conocí muy bien, y la U of M me parece todo menos PC, qué chistoso comentario.
 * Portuguese and Spanish, please: I think we should mutually cross-reference each other's pages, especially considering that many positions (prime examples this year include Macalester College and Temple U.) seek candidates who can "double-dip" in Portuguese and Spanish, and/or Latin Americanists who incorporate Brazil.
 * NCSU? Scheduled interviews, perhaps lamentably, soon after deadline. (All personal attacks and support have been deleted so as to prevent clutter)
 * Notre Dame?
 * Northeastern Illinois University?
 * Dartmouth College? What are they looking for? It is not very clear for me. Any advice? R. My sense is that they don't really know either; this the recycled form of the search they failed last year. That position was in media studies or something like that (and they interviewed people working with radically different questions and regions). My sense would be to just present yourself well (like always) but I don't think (like almost always) that any calculation can be averred that would guarantee things because what they're looking for, well, they'll know it when they see it, or something like that.
 * Colgate University?
 * College of the Holy Cross?
 * University of Alabama: I received a phone call (12/4) to schedule interview.
 * UC Irvine: I have it from good authority that they're looking specifically for a female candidate. Q: Very strange. Any sense why that is? A: Just a guess, but the dept. has a striking gender imbalance (two female professors out of some 10). A: I heard that the female professors have been quitting because of hostile job environment (one or two male professors who made their lives impossible...) A: This may or may not be the case--it's highly difficult to guess why people take the decisions they do--however, I would suggest that widely heterogeneous factors like professional advancement, the two-body problem, the destiny of the UC system, and plain old retirements have definitely played a large role here. R. conozco algo del caso, y creo que fueron razones económicas, básicamente. Irvione es lindo pero carísimo, parece que no puedes "hacer dinero". by the way, las dos profesoras se fueron a la misma universidad, plop! UCI Spanish and Portuguese has a 2 decade history of adverse conditions for female faculty. However, the primary hijos de la gran **** have passed away or moved away, unless any of the now senior faculty hired in the last 10 years have carried on that ugly tradition. R. Sadly, that description more or less fits most of the Spanish departments I know of. R. UCI took it to another level.
 * UW Madison: anuncian dos (¡dos!) puestos de peninsular moderna (18-21), especialidad abierta. ¿Alguien sabe qué están buscando exactamente? Están interesados en alguien de s. XIX. Q: Any idea when they'll call for interviews?
 * Does anyone know if Temple University will be interviewing in the MLA for their 2 positions?? de acuerdo con el deadline yo diria que no./ I got an acknowledgment letter from them saying they were going to schedule phone interviews.
 * East Carolina U? Letter received 11/25 saying the search committee will select the top 3 candidates from the pool for on-campus interviews. No mention to the MLA at all. (Nov 27) Q. What position? A: TT, not the non-tenure-track. Hang in there!
 * Augustana College? On campus interviews have been scheduled (second hand).
 * Baylor?
 * Davidson College? Colonial position. Did anyone hear from them? Are they scheduling interviews yet? R. Received e-mail acknowledging review of application materials and informing that they would be scheduling MLA interviews in a few days (12/10).
 * Macalester C? They had phone interviews (second hand). Phone inter. (first hand)
 * Wesleyan U?
 * Middlebury C?
 * Bard C?
 * Reed C? They have an inside candidate. Fake search. You can find who is going to be hired if you go to the website of the department of Spanish and find the visiting assistant professor of this year. He does Latin American studies and they developed the description of the position according to his concentration.
 * Does anyone know if Columbia University (lecturer position) interviewed at ACTFL? R. No response, no receipt, no feedback... nothing!
 * Any news or inside info on George Washington University ( Assistant-Medieval -Golden Age)?
 * Any news on University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)- 'Assistant, Golden Age. XV)-XIX does not mean Golden Age, actually means more contemporary than GA.
 * Any news on University of Connecticut (Storrs)??'
 * 'Anything on University of Massachussets (Amherst), Medieval/Golden Age position??? Yes, I got a letter for the acknowledgment of receipt on 11/22.
 * Anyone knows about Wheaton College and their religious expectations on professors??? Look here: http://www.wheaton.edu/welcome/aboutus_community.html).
 * Has anyone heard from West Virginia U?
 * (Secondhand) - requested teaching evaluations November 10th, said application was incomplete without them. This was for the Hispanic Linguistics position.
 * I wonder when/where teaching evaluations had been requested, since it hadn't been announced in the MLA.
 * There are two positions: Tenure-track in Hispanic Linguistics, no teaching evaluations required. Teaching position in Lat Am: Teaching evaluations required.
 * Anybody heard from U. of Liverpool? The closing date was October 15 and they should be now inviting for interviews.
 * They sent emails to the "longlisted" candidates on Nov. 1, saying that they would be meeting on Nov. 4th to decide on the invitations to campus, candidates would be notified shortly thereafter.
 * Word is that next week they will be notifying the candidates who will be invited for a campus interview.
 * Any news (rejections? phone interviews? other?) from John Hopkins U (Lecturer position)?
 * Any news from SU of New York, Purchase C? Is anyone even exactly sure what they are looking for here? Honestly, I wasn't able to tell from the MLA posting.
 * Any news from U of Texas, El Paso (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news from Columbia C (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news from Carnegie Mellon? I heard they cancelled the position, but that info. could be wrong. [are you sure? I got an email for an interview at the MLA. Is your source reliable?] Possibly not. I didn't apply to that institution but one of my colleagues informed me about it; maybe she was talking about another position offered in their department? If you got an interview, I'm sure the position is still open. Good luck! A: un puesto se puede cancelar despues de haber invitado a los candidatos. Es bastante frecuente con esta economia...
 * Any news from Aquinas C? (Position in Spanish Linguistics) --> received email requesting: teaching philosophy, previous syllabi samples, and research agenda.
 * Any news from Bentley U?
 * MLA interviews scheduled 11/17
 * Any news from Penn State (Spanish Basic Language Program Director)? They have a strong inside candidate. A lecturer?
 * Any news from U of Chicago (Golden Age position)?
 * Not yet. It might be too early though. they have someone in mind (inside info): very advanced assist (5th year)/early assoc. with a book on renaissance/baroque poetry.. Anyone heard anything?
 * Any news from the C of the Holy Cross (Position in 19th-21st century Latin American poetry)?
 * Any news from George Mason (Assistant Professor of Latin American Culture)? Word is that they have emailed their "first round" picks and requested letters of reference. ....Were letters of reference not part of the original application? ; Do you know when they sent the letter request? A: Email sent 11/13. It said the search committee "has finished its review of almost 200 applications" and requested letters to be emailed (the original application just asked for a list of references).
 * Universite de Montreal: Contemporary Latin American Lit. - An insider's job? yes, and i know the candidate. besides, in canada they can play with the "canadian" card, which means if you are not canandian mos likely you are not gonna be considered. I've seen several ads from them over the years and this is the first that wasn't written in French (nor does the ad mention that it is a Francophone university). En cualquier caso, se espera que el/la candidato/a sea canadiense y capaz de impartir cursos en español y en francés. All universities have their own expectations, but it seems to me that if this is, in fact, the U of Montreal's policy, then it would limit the talent pool they pull from drastically, possibly to the same extent as Wheaton (see conversation above). >>Would you criticize a university in Barcelona for expecting Catalan proficiency or a university in the States for expecting English proficiency? They speak French in Montreal. Hence, the expectation that the faculty speak French''. No, colega, el problema no es el idioma, sino la preferencia que dan a postulantes con habilitación legal como residentes o a ciudadanos canadienses. Respuesta 3: Hola a todos. He vivido varios años en Canadá (aunque no en Quebec) y he visto varias contrataciones en departamentos de Español/Lenguas Modernas, así me gustaría decir que no es cierto que haya ventaja para residentes o ciudadanos canadienses. En muchos casos las únicas personas que llegan a tener visitas en campus vienen de Estados Unidos, y conozco a gente con pasaporte canadiense que no consiguió puestos tenure-track porque se los dieron a gente de Estados Unidos. Así que conviene no mantener el mito de que es imposible conseguir un trabajo en Canadá. Si queréis, podéis ir a ver a quién contrataron en peninsular este año en UBC (Vancouver), o quién logró el puesto en literatura mexicana hace un año en Toronto. Son ejemplos que están ahí para quien quiera verlos. Si Quebec funciona de otra manera, eso ya no os lo puedo decir. Pero sí os puedo decir que para que una persona consiga un permiso de trabajo en Quebec tiene que acreditar un certificado de idoenidad que pasa por tener un cierto nivel de francés. Así que si no sabéis nada de francés la única solución sería ponerse con un curso acelerado de lengua para poder pasar un examen oral o recibir algún certificado oficial de lengua. Espero que esta información os haya servido de ayuda. Suerte con el MLA (yo también la necesito). Respuesta 4: a ver, amigo/a, estods dos ejemplos no prueban nada. en el pasado he estado en varios comites en canada y se que hay prioridad absoluta para los canadienes, lo quieras o no. aunque si que es verdad que los departamentos pueden hacer cierta "trampa" y justificar que no hay nadie en el pais que pueda hacer el trabajo que ellos proponen, por lo que despues podrian contratarte, pero puedo decirte y asegurarte que esa no es una practica habitual. en cuanto a lo del frances estoy totalmente de acuerdo. en montreal la gente ni habla ingles, y es bastante rechazado, en general. Respuesta 5: en Montreal hay una población anglófona monolingüe no despreciable y es fácil desenvolverse en la vida cotidiana sin hablar o entender francés, por tanto quien haya solicitado este puesto debería buscar otros canales de información más fiables que algunas de las respuestas que leerá aquí. No sé si este puesto requería conocimientos de francés (supongo que sí), pero respecto a la necesidad de acreditar competencia en la lengua para conseguir el trabajo, no es aplicable en este caso, ya que el certificado de idoneidad de Quebec, que esponsorizará la universidad, es un trámite administrativo que la persona seleccionada hará después de firmar el contrato. Respuesta 6' (soy el de la respuesta 3). Me gustaría respondar a los dos últimos compañeros. A número 4: mira la página del departamento más grande de Español en Canadá, que es U of Toronto, y dime la ciudadanía de los Assistant profs. Ninguno canadiense. Yo vi pasar a los cuatro candidatos que vinieron al campus hace año y pico y ninguno era canadiense. Cuando el departamento es muy pequeño (2 o 3 profesores de Español a tiempo completo, en muchos casos, solapados con francés y/o italiano) ahí sí es cierto que se tiende a dar ventaja a gente de la casa o de la misma provincia, pero es que este tipo de trabajos de bajo perfil ni los vas a llegar a ver en el MLA. Y a número 5: en Montreal hay dos universidad francófonas y dos anglófonas. U Montreal es francófona y si no sabes francés no hay manera de que te contraten. Si quieres un trabajo sin saber francés, entonces tendrías que mirar en Concordia y en McGill. Y respecto a lo del certificado de idoneidad, yo no diría que es un trámite pero si tú tienes información más exacta, pues así sea. En cualquier caso, U Montreal require francés sí o sí. A: efectivamete, si te piden incluso frances para cursar estudios alli (y no ingles). por cierto, como va a ensenna uno literatura en frances sin saber frances??? en la universite sin frances no te van ni a considerar.
 * Any news from UC Berkeley? I heard some applicants were ask to provide aditional materials. Can somebody confirm this? Confirmed. R: Apparently there is an 'internal' candidate with 'conexiones'. R: Who is this candidate with "conexiones"? R: Alguien borro esto! Es profesor de una universidad top del este? Reporten de nuevo, estoy interesada, me pidieron la disertacion y quiero saber cuan posible es mi chance. R: Han pedido la disertation a muchas personas -es normal en ellos, pero cuando piden la disertacion es solo para comprobar que realmente estais avanzados. El candidato que tienen en mente es de una universidad publica muy prestigiosa del norte del pais (no tan al este, pero casi). R. If it makes you feel better, it seems they asked fewer people for their materials this year than last time around (2008)--nearly everyone I know received such a request in 2008. As far as insiders... "tienen en mente" is a bit of a joke; departments--and Cal in particular--are let's say very "heterogeneous." Perhaps a few members have this person in mind, and perhaps this will give that person a strong advantage, but it's hard to imagine a department having such a strong and singular will. (See also the open-ended nature of the description.) R: De cual universidad? No se me ocurre, den mas pista por favor!
 * Any news about University of Alabama? I am trying to apply on their web page but I cannot find the Spanish position they are offering. I found German one instead of Spanish. The MLC webpage is totally obsolete (first hand knowledge). You need to go to www.as.ua.edu, and from there to faculty jobs, and you will find it there: https://facultyjobs.ua.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1290444370075 THANKS! Also, any one has news about the Alabama position?
 * Transylvania U? Did anyone get an acknowledgement email/letter or hear from them at all? Yes, I got an email acknowledgement soon after applying
 * Centre College?
 * Rhodes College? (Golden Age/Medieval) MLA Interview scheduled (12/7)
 * Any news on Ithaca College? Rejection email for English Post-Colonial/World Literatures position, Dec 5. How about medieval?
 * Any news on Augsburg College? Deadline is 12/10. Don't expect to hear anything before then. R. Not even an acknowledgement email/letter?
 * Any news on Portland State U? MLA interviews scheduled by phone on Dec 10.
 * Any news on University of Virginia (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news on Wisconsin Madison (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news on California Lutheran University?
 * Any news from Washington and Lee University (Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news from Boston University (Spanish Linguistics)?

Advice (as if anyone knew)
'''Una preguntita: I am a Colonial Mexican and Caribbean scholar that just defended a PhD at a "top ten" university and in a top five department (not according to the latest NRC rankings que son risibles). I have applied to a variety of universities. A friend of mine gave me the advice of not putting my publications (variety of journals) for teaching and mid-level big state universities. Is that a good advice? I understand that in the past they would worry about scholars leaving after a year or two, but in this climate, would they still go with a lesser candidate for "safety"?'''

Answer : I don't know who your friend is but this is the worst advice I have ever heard. I've been on multiple committees and when we questioned whether someone from an elite university would be interested in our department long-term, it was never because they had too many publications, but rather because they displayed a condescending attitude to our institution. Answer : I think things are too unpredictable to give an answer one way or the other, and I'm not sure I would go so far as to delete publications from the vita when applying to such institutions. But it can be a problem, for example, if your publication records is seen to rival those of people who will soon be going up for tenure at such institutions. Sometimes, of course, and not always: there are a lot of playa haters out there. So you certainly might find yourself walking a thin line in some cases. At the same time, I'm glad to hear the above poster and her/his comrades only ask such questions when the candidate displays a hostile attitude. In my experience it has been to the contrary--defending my candidacy along such lines at institutions I very much liked. Indeed, the expectation should always be that your application stands as proof that both the institution as well as the place are in some sense attractive to the candidate. Original respondent again : I may have been a bit hyperbolic by saying that was the worst advice ever....I don't doubt that there are insecure senior faculty at lots of institutions and it's definitely good to have that in mind. I just meant that rather than dumbing yourself down, I'd focus on showing interest in their department and the opportunities you see for yourself there. - Muy bien. Gracias por el consejo! At the end, I left the publications on my curriculo. Another Answer: I think it would be unwise to leave off pertinent research publications, but I would leave off non-pertinent publications--those just clutter up the cv and are a nuisance for people trying to get to the meat of where you are in your career. Committee members know what their institution requires for you to get tenure, and they want to make a successful hire (someone who will excel and get tenure), so they are evaluating your research in light of that. If you have published more than what you say before coming there, those publications might not count at their institution if they pre-date your job, which may mean that you may not have as much other work as they anticipated for you to publish in time to successfully get tenure there. In essence, you want to have published enough to show that you can succeed at it, but not so much that you won't have enough material in reserve to publish to help your pursuit of tenure. I think mis-representing your research pubs is a bad idea. You can only package yourself so much--you also have to be true to who you are, because they are hiring the real you and you want it to be a good match.

¿Alguien puede aconsejarme un grupo de investigación sobre Teatro del Siglo de Oro (en USA o UK) donde realizar una estancia postdoctoral?

en eeuu el tema de los grupos de investigacion se da poco. quizas deberias pensar mas en una persona concreta. sin embargo, hay un grupo sobre barroco transatlantico en canada.

'''¿Alguien tiene alguna idea de cuántas entrevistas en promedio debe uno tener para sentir que tiene alguna posibilidad en este mercado? Leyendo el Wiki me ha entrado un poco de pánico, pues muchas de las universidades a las que he enviado solicitudes ya han programado entrevistas con otros candidatos. Me preocupa no tener una idea de cuándo sentir que mis oportunidades se agotan o hasta cuándo guardar alguna esperanza. '''

He conocido a gente que tuvo UNA entrevista MLA, UNA visita y UNA oferta. Son casos algo exagerados, pero los hay. Pero más en concreto, si tienes un par de entrevistas que son con escuelas donde hay un buen ajuste (la descripción del puesto, la vibra del departamento) es mucho mejor que tener cinco entrevistas con escuelas donde no o con escuelas que con frecuencia tienen búsquedas fracasadas y eso. R: Gracias por la respuesta. Es mi primera vez en el mercado y no estoy acostumbrada a buscar trabajo en este país. En mi patria las cosas funcionan de una forma muy diferente y a veces hace falta saber un poco de las experiencias de los otros para hacerse una idea!! R. Una cosa más: para estas fechas hace un año no tenía ninguna entrevista MLA (o quizá una) y acabé con unas seis o siete. Sin embargo, algo que sabía de entrada: la mitad eran "posibles" (buen ajuste, etc) y que la otra mitad no iban a contratar a nadie (que es más o menos lo que pasó) o en un caso, a alguien muy, muy distinto. '''R2. '''De acuerdo con la primera respuesta; parece que en enero también hacen muchas llamadas, como una segunda ola de entrevistas... tenemos que armarnos de paciencia...

'''Para los comites de busqueda, que tan importante es que el candidato se ha defendido la tesis antes de presentarse al mercado de trabajo? Y hay una diferencia, segun su perspective, entre un estudiante de cuarto año y un estudiante del quinto?'''

'''Any advice for/thoughts about Skype interviews? I've never done one before.'''


 * A: you might find this blog post helpful: On Skype Interviews

Relevant Reading/Viewing
Antes de lanzarme por la ventana:

Lo escribiré aquí. Entiendo que para todos es un tiempo muy duro, demasiado estrés, demasiadas presiones. Y entiendo que acaso sería más fácil hallar culpables más corpóreos, digamos, del malestar que nos ataca, no sé, las mediocres universidades, los corruptos comités, las preferencias de género, los lobbies de nacionalidades, ja, lo que sea. Pero comparto mi verdad de estas cosas: es el mercado el que se ha reducido trágicamente, son puestos que han desparecido los tres últimos años y que no volverán, como las golondrinas de Bécquer, perdonen la tontería. Es ese el verdadero, inatrapable, enemigo. Estamos como las ratas obligadas a pelear su espacio en los experimentos, y eso genera todo tipo de fricciones. No voy a dar un mensaje pacifista y estupideces por el estilo, porque soy muy materialista para estas cosas: se trata simplemente de un capítulo más de la lucha de clases, de la lucha en el campo, o como quieran llamarla. Y es una ley natural. Estoy convencido de que yo podría hacer un buen trabajo en la gran mayoría de universidades a las que postulé, pero también estoy convencido de que comprender lo que cada universidad quiere, o cree querer, es para mí absolutamente misterioso. Muchas veces los programas son muy díscolos en sus búsquedas, y es cierto, muy disfuncionales en su estructura interna. No me arrepiento de haber hecho este PhD, pero me exijo ser muy realista: las cosas ya no son lo que eran antes, los puestos no volverán y las cosas irán iguales o peores en lo que viene. No tienen toda la culpa las universidades que nos formaron, pero sí tienen una que afrontar: aumentaron la oferta de Doctorados de una forma alarmante los últimos diez años, de una forma que no era consistente con el mercado de trabajo, y que de varias formas recuerda el asunto de las hipotecas basura. Así es cuando el mercado gobierna. Ni modo. Sé que mi trabajo es importante, que lo que escriba o enseñe en adelante será siempre importante, pero ya abandoné la idea de sufrir por no conseguir la entrevista o el puesto soñados. Tengo familia que alimentar, no puedo darme el lujo de deprimirme porque así va el mundo.

La mejor de las suertes a todos, a todos, en esta tómbola todos tenemos un solo numerito. Suerte. (Frat).

Frat: A guevo. Te invito a una copa (o varias) en LsAs. un beso, PL.''' Dale, tú invitas la una y yo las varias, je. Dónde te encuentro? F.'''

"Little anónimo" writes: Sí, tienes razón, muchos trabajos "tenure-track" se perderán y serán reemplazados por puestos de adjuntos, "lecturers" a tiempo completo o parcial, o quién sabe qué nueva terminología vendrá en los próximos años. Es una putada con todas las de ley, sobre todo cuando un0 piensa que muchos de los que somos candidatos seguro que tenemos ya un currículo igual (o hasta mejor) que los profesores que nos juzgan y que serán ya Associate o estarán a punto de serlo. Y eso de que sin libro no hay tenure... ejem. Conozco a más de un Associate que se quedó con el puesto permanente sin libro pero, ya se sabe, en la época de vacas gordas con chapurrerar español te daban un trabajo con la condición de que defendieras al subalterno y citaras a Lacan y Foucault. Pues nada, a joderse. ¿Alguien propone algo para el MLA?

-> Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con Little anonimo. He asistido a charlas y congresos de profesores, tanto tenured como assistant, de universidades prestigiosas y estatales en los ultimos años que, muy francamente, dan verguenza - no todas, cabe señalar. Y aqui estamos nosotros una generacion perdida. Perdida, porque se la van a perder, je

- De acuerdo tambien completamente. Pero me pregunto porque dejais a algunos full professor fuera. De esos tambien los hay, y unos cuantos. Y eso no significa que todos los de nuestra generacion seamos buenos tampoco. Pero ni entre ni mucho ni poco...Hay que joderse, amigos, no nos queda otra.

- "Little Anónimo" replies: pues sí, amigos, esto es lo que hay. Lo que sí me gustaría ver es a la gente que consiguió la "tenure" (¿el "tenure"? who cares) dar un poco la cara por los que venimos detrás. Te dan la palmadita en el hombro y te sueltan el rollo de "uff, qué mal están las cosas" pero a ti te dan ganas de decirles algo así como "pues mira, majete, en el próximo consejo de departamento, a ver si hacéis que la plaza del carcamal que se acaba de jubilar siga existiendo como "tenure-track" en lugar de disolverse en el "thin air", como dicen por aquí". ¿A quién interesa ese número creciente de adjuntos? ¿Cuánto dinero se ahorran los departamentos al no dar pasta para la investigación de adjuntos y "lecturers", incluso asistentes visitantes, mientras las vacas sagradas disfrutan de sábaticos para seguir engordando la industria Almodóvar ("don't you really know about other Spanish directors, darling?") en el mejor de los casos y, en el peor de ellos, jugar a "hacer teoría" cuando no es todo más que hacer seguidismo de lo que hacen los departamentos de Inglés con cinco o diez años de retraso. Como digo, nuestra miseria es lo que asegura el bienestar de otros.

'''Lo dicho! Hey, hagamos un non cash bar o lo que sea en L:A: quién se apunta?'''

- "Little Anónimo": ¿sería en un hotel o en un bar cualquiera? ¿Ideas?