Spanish 2009-2010

Good luck to everybody with their search!

 * Visitor Type:


 * ABD, not defending soon: 9
 * ABD, defending within 4-6 months: 29
 * ABD, I have a set date for my defense: 2
 * ABD, no defense at my U: 5
 * Ph.D. in hand: 21
 * Visiting Professor, Lecturer: 15
 * Assistant Professor: 14
 * Postdoc: 1
 * Muleteer: 2
 * Member of a Search Committee: 1
 * Just browsing: 3
 * Depends on job hunt when I file: 1


 * Specialty:


 * Latin American: 31
 * Colonial: 3
 * Independence era: 3
 * Modern/Contemporary: 18
 * Southern Cone: 3
 * Caribbean: 2
 * Brazilian: 2


 * Peninsular: 33
 * Medieval: 4
 * Siglo de Oro/Colonial: 11
 * XVIII-XIX:
 * XIX- XX: 12
 * XX-XXI: 6
 * US Hispanic:2
 * Linguistics: 6
 * Consider yourself a Generalist: 10


 * How many applications have you sent out?


 * 1-10: 22
 * 10-20: 19
 * 21-30: 8
 * 31-40: 6
 * 41 and above: 4
 * Wishes schools would get off their asses and schedule MLA interviews already: 103 (x ∞)
 * Already planning their trip to LA next year: 5

Offers Made:
(conversation about offer timing moved to question section)


 * Western Ontario (Nov. 25) - Accepted.


 * Morningside College (Nov. 25) - Accepted [Congratulations! x4] Parabéns!
 * University of North Carolina at Charlotte (12/9) Congrats on the offer!
 * Susquehanna University. (Second hand knowledge)- Accepted [Congratulations!] [!]

Campus Visits Scheduled:
[NOTE: Please add the school at the bottom of the list and put the date in parenthesis. Thanks. **The date you received the call/email, not the date of the interview!**]
 * University of Western Ontario (Oct- Nov '09)


 * Albright College (Nov'09)
 * Susquehanna U. - (Nov '09) (2)
 * Morningside College (Nov '09)
 * Hastings College (second week of december)
 * UofChicago, Golden Age (12/9) (x2)
 * University of North Carolina Charlotte (12/4) & (12/6).  wow, that's early!
 * Wake Forest University (12/4)
 * U of South Florida (12/16) (congrats!)
 * British Columbia (12/16). (x4) (¡Enhorabuena!) Q: Was there a previous phone interview? If so, around when? No phone interview Q: Does anybody have more information about this search, such as non-Canadians being interviewed? Internal candidates? Are they interviewing people at entry level or advanced PhD's? Thanks. Q: strange to go directly from application to campus visit.    A: There's no inside candidate.  And I imagine campus visit(s) went to a couple young non-Canadian ABDs from non-Canadian schools with a big rep (WRONG). A: People, I wrote here that most Canadian universities don't interview candidates at the MLA. Don't tell me you're surprised now (WRONG, The did last year). A: the fact that they don't interview at the MLA does not mean that they can't organize a phone interview, right? Be flexible with the comments, everybody tries to understand the way it works, that's all (x2).
 * Auburn University 
 * Illinois SU (12/21; visit scheduled for 1/31/10)
 * Stony Brook (12/29 2nd hand) (x2) Q: When is the campus visit scheduled for? February
 * Rice (12/29 2nd hand) Q: Really? I was told they were not going to decide on campus visits until after going back to the department and conferring. A. This is boilerplate language at the end of each interview, since the committee does not know how many interviewees will be still viable at the end of the MLA interview process. But if in the end there are only two or three candidates considered viable, the committee could decide right then and there to issue invitations for campus visits.  Other institutions require that the committee bring back that list to campus for further discussion with the entire faculty, or have them cleared by Affirmative Action before being allowed to issue invitations for campus visits. A. The Spanish Department of Rice is a pretty small one, 4 or 5 faculty, no more!
 * Ohio University (12/29) Q: When is the campus visit scheduled for? A: I don't think it is appropriate to ask this question. A. I think it is, but I won't say this 3 times; plus it's been asked for the last few years. Asking when one specific visit is scheduled shouldn't be done, but giving a date range maintains anonymity. 
 * U of Missouri (12/31)
 * Harvard (1/1) Q: When is the campus visit scheduled for? Q. Did they contact you by phone or email? A. Email, late January/early Feb. (2nd hand info) Q. any other from harvard?
 * Indiana U, Caribe/U.S. Latino (2nd hand)
 * Fairfield U, (linguistics) Q: When and how did they contact you for this?
 * Saint Louis University (1/06, 2nd hand knowledge)
 * University of West Georgia (1/07, 2nd hand)
 * U of Delaware (1/7, phone)
 * U of Colorado, Boulder (portuguese) 2nd hand
 * Dartmouth (media) (1/8) x3
 * U of Michigan (1/8) Q: Phone or email? Does it mather?

I don't think deleting the information ("2nd hand") is helpful. I have restored it. With the exception of perhaps the Dartmouth information, which seems sketchy, I take the second hand designation to mean (and this is how I've used it): "I did not get this interview or offer it, a friend did." A. Totally agree. W/o 2nd hand info, these wikis would have very little info. A: Pues mal hecho porque a veces utilizamos second hand para que "disimular"... A. Don't let the left hand know what the right hand's doing. A: Good point, my friend...

MLA interview section moved to bottom of the page.

Discussions on appropriateness of asking when campus visits are scheduled has been moved to comments section, #30.

Phone interviews scheduled:
[NOTE: Please add the school at the bottom of the list and put the date in parenthesis. Thanks. **The date you received the call/email, not the date of the interview!**]


 * Albright College Phone Interview (11/5), Phone Interview (11/6)
 * Susquehanna University Phone Interview (11/7), they will do campus interviews on first week of Dec., and make an offer before the MLA, Phone Interview (11/8). They emailed saying the position was not filled & the process was slower than expected. Q. When did they send this email? Q: Did you have a campus visit with them?
 * Hastings College Phone interview scheduled for 11/18 (11/16)
 * University of West Georgia- phone interview scheduled for 12/8 (x2), for 12/10  Q. When they sent the notice? by email or phone? A. Phone Q For which position? Latin American or Peninsular? Latin American A. And Peninsular (x2)   Q: When were you called to schedule foracademicjobs.wikia.com verdad, el dia exacto ne se' pero seri'a hace una semana. Q: Has anyone heard from them after the phone interview or know anything about when the might decide about campus interviews? A: I haven't heard anything yet and there was no mention during the interview when they planned on scheduling a campus visit. A. Thanks so much! They didn't mention anything to me either about the next step. Best of luck to everyone!
 * Westminster College Phone interview scheduled for 12/4
 * Wake Forest University (11/26)
 * Berry College (12/1)
 * Albion College (12/3) (12/4)
 * University of Alabama Tuscaloosa (Transatlantic 20th & 21st C) (12/4) x3. Q: At entry level or adavanced assist prof? A. entry level. Thank you Q: Does anybody know whether the campus interviews for this position are already scheduled? I need to kill that 0.00001% of hope that still remains in my heart since nobody is posting anything about this position. Please, if someone can let me know, I would appreciate it a lot, Gracias por adelantado! A. ¿Por qué no les escribes un email al search committee y se lo preguntas directamente?
 * University of Alabama Tuscaloosa (Linguistics) (12/14) x 2.
 * U Penn (Latin American) 12/4 (anyone else?) No one has heard anything for the Peninsular? Yes, MLA interview scheduled on 12/4 (email) // I was wondering the same thing about the Peninsular position, as I've heard nothing so far. // a phone interview? not in the MLA? // They are probably just doing some initial scouting before deciding on finalists to interview at MLA. But who knows? The position was also open to 'exceptional senior candidates,' so there could be some informal discussions going on. An email for an MLA interview was received on 12/4 I had to call the HR office since one of my refs did not get the email. They will tell you who to send it to so it gets put in your file 12/7(see above).
 * Auburn University (12/4) (x2)
 * Illinois State University (12/4)
 * University of South Florida (12/4)
 * Illinois State University (12/7)
 * Ohio University (12/8)
 * Colorado College Golden Age (email, 12/8) x3 Q. This does not make much sense. How would they schedule a campus interview for one candidate and a phone interview for another? Could anybody explain that to me? A: It happens when a candidate cannot attend the MLA for different reasons... A: I am afraid they may be sure about the MLA candidate and less so about the phone candidate (myself). A. Ok, this is the first time that I see it. Thanks for the feedback. I thought there was a mistake. Q. Did they ask the candidate over the phone interview that the next step is a campus visit? If it is you, were you going to the MLA convention anyway? A: Yes, their email specifies that they are "moving toward settling whom we'll talk to at the MLA." I mentioned in my cover letter that I would attend the convention. A. Good luck with the phone interview then. No se acuesta uno sin saber algo m'as. Things are so weird these days. Q.  Anyone hear from them post-phone interview?. A. GOt an MLA interview (notified via email).
 * Franklin College (12/9) Phone interview to be conducted early January Q: Did they call you to set it up or email you? A: They called me.
 * University of Texas PanAmerican (12/10) Q: Sorry, for what position? Q: Is this the World Lit/ Lat Am position? A: No, it is for the Linguistics position.
 * Western Illinois University (12/11) Linguistics
 * Suny New Paltz (12/15-6?, Second-hand)
 * University of Wisconsin Madison (Span-Am Lit) 12/30
 * Case Western Reserve University (1/2) Phone interviews will be scheduled for next week and campus visits after Jan 11 (e-mail). Has anyone actually had an interview scheduled with Case yet? A: YES Q: I also got the email from Case on 1/2 saying interviews would be scheduled; did anyone get an interview scheduled after this email? Has anyone had an interview?  Would you mind posting the updated information? A: Interview scheduled 1/7 (Thank you!)
 * King's College (1/4)
 * Fort Lewis College (1/8) Is anyone else confused with Fort Lewis procedures? First, they set up "informal meetings with candidates" at the MLA. Then, they set up phone interviews. Why they didn't do proper interviews at the MLA? How did they decide who to call after the MLA if they didn't really ask any questions at the "informal meeting"?

Video interviews scheduled:
(They should ALL be like this! Think of all the time, money, and stress we'd save) (x2) Indeed! What a great experience! I disagree; I found my one video interview experience to be immensely frustrating. The cameras weren't close enough to show the faces of the interviewers, and I still had to work to hear their questions–it was far worse than any phone interview I've ever had. (NOTE: don't forget to account for time-zone differences when scheduling! If there is phone-call you can hide the mistake, but on video, there is no hiding!) [NOTE: Please add the school at the bottom of the list and put the date in parenthesis. Thanks. **The date you received the call/email, not the date of the interview!**]


 * University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (12/3) (x2) Wow! this should be interesting (techie and all!) good luck!
 * University of Missouri (12/4) (x4)
 * UofChicago, Golden Age (early December)
 * Georgia SU, pending budgetary approval (phone 12/15) (x3).

Rejections after MLA

 * Wellesley College (Open rank) 1/8, email (x2).
 * Saint Michael's College (Visiting Inst) 1/7, very kind email.


 * Saint Ambrose U 1/9

Canceled Searches

 * Highpoint U
 * Virginia Tech Q. Which position? The tenure-track or the instructor?


 * A: I believe the tenure-track search was canceled and changed to an "Instructor" position instead (ugh).


 * Illinois Wesleyan position "transformed" into a 2-year non-tenure position. Q: Does anybody know anything about it after it was transformed into a 2-year position, and later into a 1-year position? Did it get finally canceled? R: Seems like the search for the 1-yr VAP is still on. They probably got hundreds of applications as the the job description included three possible fields, Mexico, US-Latino, and Colonial. R: Due to change from TT to VAP, IWU will not attend the MLA, will conduct phone interviews in late January, and then invite 2-3 finalists to Campus.
 * Calvin College (12/10)
 * Southeast Missouri State U (12/16). They actually changed the job description to French and Spanish Assistant Prof. A. I have not received any confirmation yet. A: if you go to their website and then human resources and then positions, there you'll find the new job description

Rejections:
[NOTE: Please add the school at the bottom of the list and put the date in parenthesis. Thanks.]


 * Benedictine College (e-mail, 11/3) x2
 * Wofford College (letter, 10/20)
 * American University (e-mail, 12/4) Q: I assume this was linguistics?
 * Middle Tennessee SU (e-mail 12/4) x2
 * Morningside C (very polite email, position filled 12/7)x5
 * Cincinnatti U (e-mail, 12/7)
 * Connecticut College (e-mail, 12/7) x2
 * Amherst (letter, 11/30) -- Is this for the position in Women's Studies? A: yes, women's studies (email, 12/18)
 * Bentley U (email, 12/11) x5 received a nice letter 12/18 
 * Indiana U (email 12/11) Hispanic Caribbean/US Latino (x5)
 * UNC Greensboro (letter, 12/11) Linguistics x2
 * Southern Methodist University (email 12/10) x2
 * Susquehanna University (snail-mail, early December)
 * Sam Houston State University (snail-mail 12/12)x2
 * Colorado College (very nice email, 12/14) (x6). Really nice, it even looked personalized. Q: which position? Seems like I don't even deserve this nice email. A: My rejection was for the post-Franco position. Mine (very nice) for Early Modern. A (original): thanks to both of you. Good luck with the job hunt. A. Yeah, does anybody else suspect they personalized their rejection letters? I've never heard of such a thing, but it's really nice! I applied for the post-Franco position. I am not sure if they personalized the letter, but al least they had the dignity to say something.  Q: why do you suspect it´s personalized? A: I don't think it was personalized. I have a friend who received a letter that said exactly the same thing as mine.  a: about "being impressed with your curriculm and evaluations"?  yeah... A: Yes, exactly what mine said too. At least they had the decency to inform us though, which is more than I can say for all the others so far.
 * U of Michigan Peninsular, email (12/16) (x5)--but by email. LatinAmerican, email (12/16) x3. (conversation moved down below)
 * Knox College (email 12/17)x2
 * Northern Michigan University (email 12/17) x4 So has anybody heard of anybody getting an interview or anything?
 * Rice, email (12/21) Q. For which position? The Mexicanist or the language instructor? A: Sorry. The AP one
 * Kennesaw State U mail 12/21 (x2)
 * University of Colorado, Boulder (12/21)
 * Pomona College (12/18) mail (12/25)
 * University of Wisconsin-Eau- Claire (12/19)
 * Georgia State University (12/23)

Does anybody know about...
[NOTE: Please write the name of one school/position at a time, and please add all follow-up information to the original entry for that school. If there is already an entry for a position, please follow up through that entry rather than adding another; clutter confuses things.]


 * British Columbia (Peninsular): anyone received phone call/email to schedule interview at MLA? UBC, as most Canadian universities, don't interview people at MLA. I ma not quite sure about it. I was interviewed at MLA by Alberta a couple of years ago. A: for the current opening they´ve been interviewing at MLA for the last couple years. A: They've also been canceling it for the last couple of years. A: Don't hold your breath for British Columbia: They haven't been able to fill positions for the last five years. Q: do you know why they haven't been able to fill postions for the last years? Money? Unable to find suitable candidates? Thanks. FALSE, they filled the medieval position last year. That's true, but they haven't filled the modern position over the last few years.
 * U of Michigan (Peninsular): anyone received phone call/email to schedule interview at MLA? A: Committee is still reviewing applications. I'd wager they will start contacting people next week (Insider knowledge). Q: Can you get more info from your insider, such as are they looking for someone at entry level, an advanced scholar? A: As far as I know there's no preference. They just want to hire the best possible candidate in one or more of the areas that need to be filled. When are they going to start calling/emailing people for G.. sakes??? A: Next week, definitely. They met today (12/11). Thank you very much for the information, whoever you are!!!! Q:  When was that "they met today" posted? A: 12/11 A: They called me today (ABD in Peninsular) Q: when is today? 12/14? Phone or email? A: email, 12/14.
 * U of South Florida? (Peninsular) As of the middle of last week, I was under the impression that they hadn't started narrowing down candidates. HR did not turn over the list of candidates until 11/30. Thanks!! Q: What does "HR" stand for? A. Human Resources. Phone interview (contacted by phone, 12/3) The Medieval/Early Modern Positions? Thanks. A. I believe it was for modern peninsular/transatlantic, but I wasn't called so I do not know.
 * Chicago A. Forget about the Chicago position. It is described as an assistant position when they are looking for an early associate professor. If you do not have a published book and almost got tenure you are not going to be considered. Furthermore, they are looking for a specialist in poetry. Q. How do you know that? A. I know somebody in the department. OK, thnx. Does Chicago have an internal candidate? A. No, they do not. It is going to be somebody from outside, but at least a senior assistant professor, that is, somebody who has been an assistant professor at least for 4 years, who has published a book and who concentrates on poetry. As you can see, the other Golden Age professor in the department focuses on novel and theater. A: Thank you.
 * Washington C. Washington C has made its interviews for MLA. No idea about the other places. Thanks!
 * USC (Media)? Q: "media" means medievalist? A: No, it is a position for a specialist in 20th and 21st Century Film. Q: I am the one who listed this position as Peninsular (above). Now I realize the ad reads "20 and 21 C Spanish film and culture, and welcome applications from scholars who work in Spanish literary, visual, and cultural studies and/or across disciplines and national tradition." How do you read "Spanish"? As Peninsular or as somebody who works in Hispanic cultureS/literatureS (broad sense) ? A: I don't know for sure, but I interpreted it to mean Spanish language film due to the ambiguity. If they wanted Peninsular only (I hopefully reasoned) they would have stated so, but the "across national traditions" made me think that ambivalence was what they had aimed for in their posting. Good luck!. Thank you for your answer. I erased USC Peninsular above so people don't get confused. A. It is a peninsular position, they have talked about that need in their department at least for three years. Also, it would say Latin American if it were to include other regions, or else, how would you name "Cine español?" Q:para el último que escribió: ¿Te han llamado o sabes si han empezado a llamar gente? A. No, la verdad no se como vaya el proceso. Ademas trabajo en Lit Latinoamericana... Animo de todos modos!  A:Para el que preguntó como llamarían "cine español" pues, para una búsqueda como en literatura, sólo faltaba aclarar (peninsular). De todas formas, nadie ha oido nada todavía, o sí? A: nada por aquí. Se tirarán directamente a las on-campus? Podrían mandar una comunicación tipo "todavía el comité no ha decidido", "se está por reunir", "no iremos al MLA, pero la búsqueda sigue"... qué sé yo....A: de acuerdo... que no siga el martirio! suerte! Q: ARE THEY (USC) GOING TO THE MLA??? A. Yes, there was a contingent going to MLA.  But beware! This is a poisonous department. Aside from the new person who is very good and probably leaving is she's smart, there are two linguistis who have been there 30 years each, one guy who drove the department into the ground with his nepotism, and a senior scholar with Asperger's who took over from the nepotistic guy and has lost five TT faculty in her 3 years as chair.  If you count joint appointments, they have something like 2.75 FTE faculty.  This search is likely to end up in Comp Lit, so direct your energies there, not to Spanish. Thank you for the info. I didn't know it was so bad. I did know they lost the PhD Program in Spanish and that it is a very linguistics-oriented department. I thought the chair was a he, not a she. Anyways, thank you so much for the info. A. Linguistics is actually in the Linguistics department, just two hold-overs in Spanish when it used to have a phD program in ling.  The current department chair was a golden age/early modern senior hire from Kentucky who turned out to be a terrible chair, having now lost 5 TT positions in her three years as chair.  The department lost its PhD program in 1997 and has had several proposed versions turned down in the last couple years.  There are 17 non-tenure-track faculty in the department and more than half are their own old PhD retreads who could not get jobs anywhere else.  Highly nepotistic and toxic.  Danger, Will Robinson.
 * Portland SU? (for Medieval/Early Modern) Insider info: The meeting of the search committee wasn't until today (Dec. 9), so people should be hearing shortly regarding MLA. A. Interviews scheduled already.
 * Hamilton C.?(for Medieval/Early Modern) A. I wonder if the position is going to be for the visiting professor they have this year. A. I doubt it. The position you're talking about is I think pretty long term (3-6 years), so they won't need to figure out a way to keep that professor around for a little while yet. In the meantime, they've needed to hire a a Golden Age person for a long time. The search failed last year, so they opened it up to juniors, and now I would suspect that they're probably having a long discussion about how they want to go so they get the right result this time around. Of course, you could still be right... I'd just rather be a bit more optimistic. (see above, interviews scheduled)
 * Stony Brook? Does anyone know if they have an internal candidate? Last year there was an internal candidate. This year I don't know. A). Year BEFORE last there was an "internal candidate." Last year was canceled. A. No internal candidate. They are just taking their time going through the tons of applications they received (second hand info). A. Is this credible information .. about there being no internal candidate? A. Yes. Can't imagine what kind of person would say that; however, the search is a search, so don't be paranoid. Often, "insiders" have a tougher time, since the committee wants to be impartial. And from what I know about the history of this position, it's "anyone's game" so to speak. Good luck, all.
 * Siena College? They interviewed in the MLA.
 * California, SU Stanislao? Q: Which CSU, which position? Stanislao, Portuguese
 * John Jay C, CUNY?
 * Florida Gulf Coast University? Isn't this due next year (Jan/Feb)??
 * Johns Hopkins, Comparative from 1750 to the present?
 * Arizona State University (Comparative Ethnic, Transnational or Hemispheric Literary/Cultural Studies )?
 * Arizona State University (Linguistics)?
 * U of Mass. Dartmouth? Are they going to interview at the MLA? I think they didn't say anything about the MLA in the posting... / No, they won't be at MLA, but they will be contacting their shortlist candidates soon. (second hand info., 12/18)
 * Puget Sound? A: Nice place to work. They will do an MLA interview followed by campus visit. They usually schedule this later since it's a VAP and they want to let people sort out TT positions first. If you get a campus interview, make sure to clarify expectations for formal presentation. They will also ask for a model class. Making both of these as interactive and dynamic as possible is highly suggested. A. This is one of those positions where you will never know what they are looking for. Last year for a similar 3-year VAP, they announced the position as an assistant professorship. It did not say that they were looking for a senior assistant professor. They ended up hiring a professor who had been working as an assistant professor for 3 years in another college. All in all, no chance from newly graduates. A: I would disagree with the second answer on several points. I was one of the final candidates, and was still VERY ABD. Also, the post was announced as VAP last year. They posted Peninsular and Latin American, and the person who had the LA job previously was a newly minted PhD. They are looking for the best possible candidate, and they are very picky, although I'd be surprised to see them leave the position unfilled again this year. Salaries are good there, and the campus is beautiful. Most people in the department live in Seattle, though, and you would probably want to as well, so be ready for a relatively long commute. Tacoma has some good things about it, but Seattle's better in many respects. The market is tight this year, so there will be a lot of competition, but they are very open to hiring the right ABD. You'd almost certainly want/need to finish before starting. Considering what's available this year, if you get a chance at this one, jump on it. A: As someone who knows several people in the department, I concur: they're really looking for a good candidate and a good fit. Experience can be part of that equation, but it doesn't have to be. People who are ABD should finish before starting, because teaching the first year out can be quite absorbing. Tacoma is improving; Seattle is better, and quite accessible from Tacoma. If finances are tighter, pick Tacoma.
 * U of North Carolina Charlotte (Linguistics)? It appears that they already had two campus visits and have made a job offer. See job offers.
 * Case Western Reserve U? Any news here, anyone?! A:  (Jan 2nd) E-mailed to say phone interviews will be scheduled for next week and campus visits would begin after Jan 11th.
 * U of Pittsburgh (lecturer Latin Am-Peninsular)?
 * Rockhurst U? I met with one member of the search committee informally at the MLA, but I think it was just by chance that she happened to catch me before I left. They are just at the beginning of their search process (no real MLA interviews) and I'm not really sure what their procedure/timeline will be. Q. I'm a bit confused. Did they call you for an informal interview or did you run into one committee member at MLA and had an informal conversation there? A. Called me for an informal interview. They found my name on "Who's where?" list in one of the convention hotels. A. Okay, thanks for the response and best of luck.
 * Northern Michigan?
 * Illinois Wesleyan University, one-year visiting? A. They contacted the candidates asking if they were still interested in the position. They will make phone interviews in late January and campus visits in February. (3x) Q: Are you still interested even after change from TT to 1-year VAP? A: Yes (4X), No (0X), Yes, of course, at this moment, and looking at the job market I am even interested in janitor positions (really interested).   A: I would even be the janitor's helper. A: Yes, 1-yr VAP beats semester-to-semester lecturer
 * University of Florida?
 * Pomona College?
 * Loyola University? (linguistics) Great place/city and even better staff, colleagues and people. I used to work there as an adjunct instructor and they were very friendly, nice and good people in general. Good luck in the search, and I hope they open an Early Modern position in the future, soon. I would go there in a heart beat. They interviewed in the MLA.
 * University of Wisconsin, Madison (linguistics)?
 * Davidson College? If this is the 2 year post doc, I know one person got it (second hand) Q: Really? That's really disappointing (for me, not the person who got it! congrats!) because their deadline hasn't even passed yet. I thought there was time left to apply. Don't panic. Weren't there more than 1 post doc positions?  I highly doubt the 2-year post doc at Davidson College has been awarded yet. I imagine the department hasn't even meet yet to finalize the interview list.  The posting for the post-doc says the deadline for app material is 1/15/10.


 * NYU (Medieval)? Someone erased the information: they have contacted candidates for an MLA interview. Q: Is this for the "Early Modern Studies" position? A: As far as I know, there was never such thing as an Early Modern Studies position, that it was for a medievalist. Good luck with NYU..I do not envy you at all :)
 * NYU (Center for LatinAmerican and Caribbean Studies)? Are they going to interview at the MLA? I believe CLACS never interviews at the MLA; it is not  a language or lit oriented program.
 * Warren Wilson College? They sent out e-mails on 11/30 with interview questions. What is up with these questions, its like taking my prelims again! I know... but they were good for organizing my thoughts.
 * Augustana College? 
 * Northeastern Illinois? I check the English wiki, where it is also being followed and nobody knows anything. Here is the link, just in case http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Other_Ethnic_American_2010
 * Southeast Missouri SU? See comment above on canceled searches // thanks, and yep, after reading your comment I checked my email and there it was... It's frustrating... Sin palabras.
 * Evansville U?
 * Wiston-Salem U?
 * Jacksonville? See MLA interviews
 * Grambling SU? I know nothing specific about this search but there are huge budget cuts in the state and those cuts could possibly affect this position
 * Salem State U? 
 * East Stroudsburg U?
 * Lycoming C? See MLA interviews
 * John Carroll U? A. A friend has an MLA interview.
 * Quest U? A. I know that a friend of mine was invited for a campus interview in early december. He teaches Spanish. They also invited another candidate who teaches Chinese. They were to decide between the two of them, but he has not heard anything new from them in the last weeks.
 * University of Wisconsin-Madison? 
 * Northwestern U?
 * Gonzaga? Got a letter from them (12/26) saying to hang on, they're going through applications now. (x2 - My letter was postmarked 12/22; no date on the letter)
 * University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Linguistics)? A: Is it possible that they have an internal candidate?
 * Northeastern Illinois University: Latino/a Literature? See above
 * Washington College instructor position?
 * Angelo State?
 * Kennesaw State University generalist? A. I'm wondering about this too because the deadline was in October. They have invited for campus visits.
 * Universidad de Monterrey (Mexico), Professor for the Humanities?
 * King's College, generalist? Avoid this one if you can. Q. Why? Do they have coodies?
 * University of San Francisco, instructor? A. an AA form by mail 12/14
 * Emory and Henry College instructor?
 * Georgia Gwinnett College several positions in Spanish (undetermined)?
 * Hillsdale College visiting? They definitely interviewed at MLA.
 * George Washington University instructor?They have been looking for a language Specialist for 3 years in a row. Please, make that position AP and you will see how many qualified candidates you get. They do not want to have an expert in SLA as AP, why?
 * Trinity College? I am also wondering about this one, haven't heard a thing! A. Two years ago the same position was announced. I do not remember if they canceled it that time or if they hired somebody who has just left. What is for sure is that nothing has been heard from them this year. Not even an acknowledgment of receipt. A. The exact same search was done last year in 2008 for 2009/2010. I did not know that there had been a search for Golden Age/Colonial in 2007. Are you sure? If so, then something's wrong if the same search is being carried out for the third year in a row. Any clarification would be appreciated. A. I know it because a friend of mine applied for the position in 2007, to teach in 2008-2009. He did not receive any response from them. As I said, he did not check if they hired somebody at the end, but there is no doubt that a position was announced, that he applied and that they never contacted him. A: Yeah, but that's not strange. It's not rare if someone sends an app. and never hears from the SC's. It's another thing if he was interviewed at the MLA or even made it to the campus. A: I know someone who's going to the MLA for an interview with Trinity. Sorry, I don't know anything more than that. Good luck! A: Yeah, I heard the same thing. They are interviewing at the MLA. Good luck, that's for sure.
 * WPI instructor position?
 * Rice U, lecturer?
 * Did Duke fill the position in Peninsular last year? You can go to their website and look. It wasn't in my field so I can't say for certain. I did, but I didn't see anybody "new". It doesn't say when people started wotrking there nor there is the typical "this page was updated on....". Therefore, question remains... Anybody knows? I am curious cause I was interviewed at MLA last year... y "abandonado" luego. Rejection came in a very nice letter, though... They did fill the position. The information is on the departmental home page.
 * Villanova (TT, Medieval)? They interviewed in the MLA. I heard they have an "internal" candidate. Besides, it is a department with a lot of internal problems. A. The internal candidate thing seems very unlikely to me, for many reasons.
 * Barnard? Has thus far not appeared on the wiki at all. Canceled? Started calling 12/21 (second-hand) I have been told there is an internal candidate.
 * Purchase College-SUNY VAP?
 * Towson U???? They were thought to contact the candidates today, 1/4. Does anybody know anything? I feel your pain.  I am waiting to hear from them, too.
 * Virginia Tech instructor?

Q&A or comments:
'''2. ¿Qué significa AA? '''

A. AA es la forma de "Affirmative Action."

A. Alternate meaning: Alcoholics Anonymous. You may need their help after a year on the job market...

A. Thanks. Yes, I recently learned about the high incidence of AA and NA in academia.....note to self....

A. Anxious Academics. I do not know if it is me or the universities are taking much more time to contact people this year. By this time last year, I had 2 interviews scheduled for the MLA.

A. Anxious Academics is right! I have 2 MLA interviews as of now, but so many schools are still completely MIA...no ackn. letters, nothing, nada. I guess next week we will all be overloaded with responses? Maybe not.

A. I agree that things seem to be going a little slower (and of course lower). Thanksgiving was late this year--that could be part of it, and also a higher number than usual had their deadlines between the 20th of November and the 1st of December.

3. What about including open positions for Spanish language/literature in European universities?

A. If you have some news on them, go ahead and put it up! There is nobody moderating this Wiki, just add it yourself.

A. Here's one: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AAG219/college-lecturership-in-spanish; And you may be able to find more in days to come at www.jobs.ac.uk.

'''4. Any advice as to possible answers for the question&gt; How would you teach X or Y course? (first timer here!) '''

A: If you have already an interview, and know which classes they teach usually and might want you to teach, you should prepare a short class description, with readings and some activities that may help you to give concrete examples. If you want to go further you can always prepare a full syllabus, but that may be too much. Hope it helps.

A: It is impossible to prepare possible syllabi for all courses being taught in every university you apply. But have at least 2 or 3 syllabi ready for courses you would "ideally" teach. Now, have you taught anything at all? If yes, then you're fine. Think of activities that worked really well, lesson plans that you were proud of, and modify them accordingly to the question they pose. Explain 1) methodology to prepare the class and syllabus (language/literature: what is the main drive force behind the course?) and 2) exemplify how a typical class would work with examples of things that worked in your classes. Important always: specific examples: that will keep them asking you more

A. Don´t mean to scare you but you can also expect absurd questions such as "how would you teach literature to students who are not interested in literature at all?" My answer was an explosion of laughter...and then I felt relieved that I was not selected to such a horrible place. But anyway, had other more serious interviews and in some of them they asked how I would teach undergrad level courses and grad level courses. So if a question like this one comes your way, talk about the difference in the materials that you would use for each level (texts translated into english and less theoretical texts for undergrad level, for example). Good luck and stay cool!

7. Someone deleted an exchange about postdoc.

Please don't do that. In any case, here goes again the link http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Humanities_and_Social_Science_Postdocs_2009-2010

'''10. What does "2x" mean? '''

A. It means 'two times', but read it as 'two people' (i.e. two people agree, two people have been contacted...etc)

A: It means (at least as far as I understood it in other entries throughout the wiki) "por 2" so that 2 persons had been requested an interview, it is a way to not repeat the same.

A. It makes sense when two people have scheduled interviews, are contacted, etc., but it's not particularly helpful when used as in "I second this question." Adding "x2" to a question doesn't clarify or add urgency, but rather confuses the issue of whether this is a response or a question. (x2)

'''11. It is my first time on the MLA. Does anybody have recommendations? What should I take with me? Thanks!!! '''

A. for 1. ideas on how to answer the staple questions (course offerings, dissertation summary and new project) 2. confidence, 3. ear plugs 4. notebook, the common sense stuff. there are plenty of tips in the Chronicle of Higher Ed, which probably explains why no one has taken the trouble to respond to your query. Good luck!

A: If you have an interview, congrats for the interview!! let's start from the most simple: you should think in bringing clothes that would really take the question of dressing out of your mind, and of your interviewers. You also should think in bringing something that might help you to distract, a book that you might want to read, music, that is, something that helps relaxing you and does not add to your stress, as well as bringing your materials for the interview. Check the school, see what they might want you to teach, be prepared to give them short class descriptions of those clases, as well as your dream class. Have a nice description of how you teach a class, what is your research. Prepare a few questions for them. Check the MLA or the Chronicle, and ask your advisors for more developed advice. Finally, enjoy Philly, which is a great city. Buena Suerte!!

'''12. Do grad students that are only going to the MLA Convention for an interview have to pay the registration/membership (i.e. I know that the interviews in the large cattle-call room require a badge but what if you just have 1 hotel suite interview - do you think the interviewers know/care?)? '''

A: Congrats for the interview! After that, if you have all the information about the room hotel and that, I do not think they might care. However, that implies probably that you would not be able to use any of the information center of the convention if something happens. I would pay, just to take the doubt from my mind. That is, if you are having an interview you want to really focus on important stuff and not on an imaginary "what if" that only distracts you and put you more nervous. Also remember that you can still get another interview and if it is in the massive and hellish room you would need to have your registration for sure, so again, I would take the problem of my mind and pay. Good luck!

A: Estos eventos no requieren registro para la convención. http://www.mla.org/convention/conv_listings/conv_listings_type/mtgs_openpublic

'''13. Okay, today is Monday Dec. 7.  STILL waiting for that phone to ring. Almost in panic mode/full-scale tears and depression mode. When should I give up on the phone ringing? Or, when is the latest they could call in your experience? Have already tried distracting myself with exercise, work, reading, and shopping. Please advise. '''

A. I think the search season is just now getting underway. My sense is that this year the calls are going to come mostly this week and next. So I think we've all really got until the 18th or so before we need to start thinking the worst. My fabulous predictions, by the way, are based on how late we're all getting acknowledgement receipts of our applications this year as opposed to years past, as well as bits and pieces I'm hearing from people on search committees. So hang in there. Don't distract yourself, though, just make sure you've got all your interview materials lined up and ready to go! Good luck!

A: I do agree with you. I have also heard from people who's been called during the MLA. It is not normally the case but it can happen... If you compare the job list with the wiki, there are plenty of institutions who haven't called yet so we have to be patient...good luck!

A. They can call you even at the 24th. So, you get the idea.

A. I agree with the first response--there are too few things up on the wiki to despair yet... Looks like things are taking longer. Also: 1) thanksgiving came late this year and 2) many applications were due between late November and early December--more than usual.

A. I'd like to be optimistic and think they are late this year, but Cuidado. There are a lot of searches cancelled and they didn't send notifications, yet.

A. When you say that positions were canceled, which ones are you referring to? Is it a rumor that is circulating or you know something in particular? Speculation does not help here and there are many people getting anxious about that.

A. Cuidado: this doesn't seem helpful. Why don't you add this information (about canceled searches) to the wiki.

A. Yes, sorry for the confusion. Disregard posting above. I posted the "searches cancelled". I was just repeating what a big fish from a R1 told me.

A. Also, keep in mind that many places are dealing with end of semester stuff right now. And the market seems to be smaller this year.Waiting for the phone to ring here too! It is very crappy that they keep us all waiting so long - whatever the reason! It is stressful and pretty much just drives us all nuts! Good luck all!

15b. Original question-writer here: Thank you everybody for your reassuring answers! Feeling better already. Hope to see you (even though I will have no idea who you all are) at the MLA. Buena suerte.

A/Q. Just curious, OP, now that it's 12/15, has your situation changed at all? OP: Yes, I got some MLA interviews! SO HAPPY and very relieved! I got the calls/emails a few days after my panicked post above. I really hope that an opportunity for a campus visit will come out of this first round.

'''14. Friendly advice: don't take anything that this Wiki says too seriously, or as an indication of the be-all-end-all truth of any particular search. No search is over until a contract is signed or a cancellation is official. Now that "insider information" has started to rear its head, reliability can quickly go out the window. I know of multiple people who have written things off rashly because of something they read on the Wiki, and later gotten a position. Take it all with a grain of salt! '''

A. True that, friend.

A: Yep, I know some more examples as well...so, do not despair...there is plenty of time...

A. And to think I based all my job-search decisions off of this thing!

A. In my 3 years on the wiki, I've had pretty reliable experience with it w/ the exception of last year's UC Berkeley position and faux insider info.

'''16. Does anyone else feel like they should have applied to more VAPs and full-time non-tenure positions? I'm starting to think that I was too narrow in my search based on my current nonexistent interview schedule. '''

A. Past tense?! There are still plenty of visiting jobs and non-tenure-track jobs whose deadlines haven't passed, and there is always a round of announcements that come around for such positions in the spring. I was in a similar position to you last year, and I am in a nice visiting position now. There's no need to think that you're done because you already sent out your "main" bunch of applications--it ain't over 'til it's over!

A. Personally, yes and no. I'm starting to think that maybe I should have applied for some VAP or Instructor positions, since currently I only have 2 interviews (hey, it could be worse, I am lucky in a sense). I just don't want to move my family and my entire life halfway across the country for a year, despite the fact that a VAP would be beneficial to my CV. On the other hand, I wonder what would happen if everyone decided to boycott all VAP and Instructor positions for a few years? Of course it would never happen, we all need jobs. But I wonder if some of these universities would finally realize that the system of relying on VAPs and Instructors is so damaging to so many. There are both positives and negatives in these positions, as some have even scored TT positions as a result of their VAP-ship. Ah, maybe I'm just bitter : )

AZ. What you're talking about is the union. And that would be a great idea--but it's hard for many reasons to get "knowledge workers" on board. Still: to the OP: it's early for VAP positions now. Those are usually more of a spring-thing.

A@: In my opinion, VAP is a good idea for people who want to build a CV, get experience and be able to work for a good future TT position elsewhere, that they might not get a chance without that experience.

AZ. Yes. There are many good things about being a VAP but let us remember: part of why enrollments are going up--in this sand and mohawk based economy, no less--and t-t lines are yet decreasing is precisely the casualization of university labor of which the VAP is a fundamental part.

A@. Entiendo, realmente de ninguna manera quise defender la flexibizacion laboral que implicaria la expansion de VAP, ni decir que es bueno que las posiciones TT se dejen de lado, pero a veces una posicion VAP tiene sus ventajas, si es que uno no quiere asentarse todavia, quiere ganar experiencia ya que no le da el cuero todavia para buenas posiciones TT. Seria un desastre que predominaran las VAP y no los TT, en eso estamos, creo, de acuerdo.

A. But some schools are scheduling interviews before the deadline is even up.

'''17. I think it would be a good idea to have a section on the specializations and stuatus (beg. assistant, abd, etc) of those who got interviews at the different institutions so those of us who did not get anything can have a clearer idea of what where those institutions looking for, for next year. '''

I agree. that kind of information would help me in preparing my application for the next MLA.

Me too, i think it is a great idea to share this info so others can prepare.

Me three.

A. Fat chance, to put it bluntly--people don't want to out-and-out give themselves away to committee members as participants in a website that can be perceived as gossipy and detrimental to the profession. When committees see false information on this Wiki, they get pissed, and they have a bad impression of the Wiki overall, even if you're just an innocent and helpful participant. At any rate, think about it, they're looking for what you think they're looking for: more experience, better experience, more publications, etc. Work on all that, and you won't need help preparing your applications. I'm not trying to be snide, but I don't see people who have opportunities self-identifying in any way that might, just might, jeopardize those opportunities. (A. Good gosh, while I understand your concerns, it's hard to read what you wrote and not interpret it as snide. So much for congeniality. I couldn't agree more with the post below.) (Yeah, I might have expressed it a little harshly; I'm really a congenial person, but a few years of obsessing over this thing can make you jaded :) Hope I didn't offend anyone, but remember, the market's not sympathetic either! I also agree with the post below, which I address beneath it. Happy holidays and good luck.) (Thank you! That was nice of you to say. I am a first-timer going to MLA this year and I have been completely freaked out by this process. It's just way more crazy/competitive/random/exasperating than I thought. Happy holidays to you too and good luck!)

A: It's not altogether accurate to think that committees judge only based on the quality of a candidate's CV. Committee often have profiles (theoretical, regional, even in terms of a candidate's "pedigree," etc.) in mind, even when they don't specify. They have distinct cultures and want someone that will complement what is already there. They also may have an internal or external candidate already in mind. Job searches are not always necessarily about the *best* candidate (and what is *best* can differ from faculty member to faculty member), and often about internal dynamics in committees --- they are a delicate balancing act, with lots of variables involved. It's better to understand the market from this perspective, rather than approaching it as a pure meritocracy. In other words, it's like any other job --- a mixture of your hard work, and lots of factors you can't really control. Whether or not people want to "out" themselves on the wiki --- that's a separate issue.

A. All true. My point (above) and your point here drive at the same issue, as far as the original question is concerned--all you can do is make your CV as good as possible; everything else is beyond your control. Knowing whether people were ABD, beginning Assistant Profs, or whatever, is not going to improve your chances because there is no predictable formula to this decision-making process.

A. I don't see why using the Wiki is "gossipy" or "detrimental". It provides valuable and (mostly) accurate information!! Many times universities don't even bother to let you know if they have even received your application! Or they don't even let you know when they have hired someone else, leaving you hanging after slaving over applications on nights and weekends after work. At least the wiki does that, it helps to relieve the stress of waiting and not knowing. Plus there is a sense of community with others who are in the same situation!

A. Hey, I (the above poster) am all about the Wiki and its helpfulness. But... "When committees see false information on this Wiki, they get pissed, and they have a bad impression of the Wiki overall, even if you're just an innocent and helpful participant." False information and speculation is gossipy and damaging to searches, and even if most of the information is reliable, if you're on a committee and see false information about your search, it's going to leave a bad taste in your mouth about the people who are contributing to the Wiki. (I will refer you to the [|back-and-forth lying accusations about last year's Berkeley search], even though it was all erased by angry committee members!) I can't speak for anyone else, but this is why I won't be sharing the type of information that would directly identify me as a participant in the Wiki to a potential employer...why risk giving a bad impression? There is no real reason that such information would be necessary or helpful. Meanwhile, I'll keep obsessing over this Wiki like everyone else! (ok, ok, point taken : ) I have no idea what happened last year re: false info, but it sure sounds interesting.) The Berkeley false info was erased/corrected by grad students and alumni familiar with the search. Also, earlier in that particular search there were other falsities put on the wiki. (Even after a year and a finished search, then, the controversy hasn't died down?) The search was successful; anything "interesting" is based on gossip' and assumptions.

A. Most searches I've seen have finalists and semi-finalists all over the map: ABD, recent PhD, early assistant profs, tenure-denied advanced assistant profs, etc. Fretting over your status and what the committee wants is about as useful as worrying if you're non-native or heritage and not native.

'''18. Is anyone else surprised at how many places have the same job posting 2,3, or even 4 years in a row? I can't believe some of the places that are interviewing this year still have not found someone!'''

A. Which places are you talking about? Is that normal?

A. I don't know if it is normal...is anything about this process really normal? ;-) Off the top of my head, I can think of Western IL, Worcester Poly, East Stroudsburg, Charleston College, Lebanon Valley (I think it's the same job), Sienna College, Middle Tennessee, John Jay College... I'm sure there are a couple of others. They are all looking for basically the same thing they had advertised in the last 2 -3 years.

A: i think it´s quite obvious-- the rigid and expensive set-up doesn´t work, it´s not flexible enough and relies on too many blind protocols.

'''19. I read above that we are not supposed to get job offers before the MLA because it' the law. Is that true? Why is it like that? Thanks!''' A: there si not written law about it, especially if a dept. is hiring a senior person. The law (not universal, though), is that they have to do a national search. PERIOD. Therefore, yes, it is fair game to offer a position before MLA. A: These are guidelines, not laws.

'''20. What do you think about offers made before the MLA? How ethical is that?'''

(I mean, the Canada one, we'll they're not bound by these gringo laws... And I'd rather work at Western than almost anywhere else, so I don't think it's too big of a problem...)

A: Depends on the context of the offer. MLA guidelines state that offers should not be made before 1/22 in order to allow people to attend the convention and consider competing offers, etc. If an option is offered to the applicant after feeling out how receptive they might/might not be to an accelerated process, it is probably fine. If it is something unilaterally done by the institution, I would say that it should probably be discouraged out of fairness to the applicant.

'''21. Do departments that have already invited candidates to the MLA ever invite MORE candidates later on? In other words, if a department notified 3 people on 12/7, would it be verosímil to expect them to then invite 3 more candidates on 12/11?? (por ejemplo)'''

A: I rarely happens. Remember that not everybody uses the wiki and that a lot of candidates just read it, they don't post on it. So if you see that 3 people have been notified it does not mean that they haven't notified all the candidates, on the contrary.

A. It has happened (last year a research 1 university contacted me a couple of days after the name came up in the wiki. How often does this happen? I'm not sure.

A. I think it's an overstatement to say it rarely happens. While it certainly is not something that's frequent, it has happened to me on two or three occasions. Ultimately, until you receive a letter stating you're out of the pool of candidates, the game's still on. Having said that, your chances aren't super high...

23. Do departments invite candidates in the reserve list right before or even during the MLA, when a selected candidate communicates that s/he can't make it to the interview? A. I've heard about people getting phone calls in the hotel but I don't entirely believe it... Truth or myth? Is it a realistic option, considering that some people couldn't afford travel plus other expenses?

A. If an applicant is attending the MLA conference it should be clearly stated in the cover letter. Having said that, I would not count on interviews to be set up during the MLA. However, it might have happened...

'''24. Can anyone that has had a telephone interview and an MLA interview tell me which is harder to deal with? I have heard stories (that could be just urban legends) about people getting jobs after a telephone interview without having to do a job talk afetrwards...but it just doesnt make sense...does it?''' A: definitivamente te conviene la entrevista cara a cara. En el teléfono no ves las reacciones de los que te entrevistan. Se pueden estar cagando de risa de tu respuesta y tú ni te enteras. Aparte, a los que no dominamos completamente el inglés, el teléfono es una tortura. Creo que depende qué tan bueno eres para comunicar ideas a través de un aparato. Yo necesito una cara enfrente... qué quieres que te diga... Suerte con las entrevistas de cualquier manera. // A: Since most interviewers switch languages at some point, I don't think anyone (native Spanish/native English speakers) is at an advantage or disadvantage. Telephhone (or skype) communication is difficult in any language. Personally, I would rather see people face-to-face. And you should seriously wonder about going someplace that would hire you on the basis of a phone interview, without doing a campus visit. It suggests that they either have absolutely no money, or they simply don't care too much about who they hire. A. (OP) Thanks a lot to both of you for your advice! I have two phone interviews and five MLA interviews so far. And I am certainly more anxious with the phone interviews.

'''25. El año pasado, un mes después de mis exámenes, pedí cuatro trabajos (lit peninsular) y conseguí una entrevista MLA para TT. Este año (ABD), 15 solicitudes y nada de momento. Ahora leo esto y entiendo la situación algo mejor...pero me deja aún más preocupado por el futuro. Por cierto, ¿por qué no está el informe todavía en la web del MLA? ¿Quieren negar lo innegable?''' http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/12/17/mla

A. Here I'll share with you my three year MLA ordeal. Year 1 ABD (65 applications- 12 interviews- 5 campus visits- 2 job offers), Year 2 PhD (14 applications (7 canceled)- 1 MLA interview-0 offers) Year 3 PhD (20 applications-1 interview...) Bleak bleak.

29. '''does anyone else get the feeling that ABDs and very-recent grads are preferred? ''' i finished my phd 3 years ago, and the last 2 years I've had much less luck getting job offers in comparison to my first 2 years on the market, during which i received many good interviews. it doesn't seem to make sense thay they would prefer candidates with less academic experience. but i suppose ABDs and very-recent grads are cheaper. is it all about money or are there other common reasons why they may prefer ABDs and very-recent grads?

A). Cheaper than what? In most cases these few years of difference will not compel a chair to make a significantly higher offer. If we're only talking about a few years of experience, I'm not sure it matters either way. The real explanation for the problem you're talking about is to be found by clicking on the link at the top of this page, to the horrible article that talks about the 50% decrease in jobs since two years ago.

A: Sinceramente, creo que no tiene sentido decir que, en esta coyuntura, es mejor ser ABD que ser PhD con dos o tres años de antigüedad. El año pasado contrataron un TT en mi departamento y los cuatro candidatos eran doctores que estaban ya enseñando (TT o visiting). Al final contrataron a una profesora que tenía ya su libro aceptado en una buena editorial. Y esto seguro de que este patrón se repite en muchas otras universidades: ¿por qué no contratar a alguien con experiencia y que va a publicar un libro ya? Si acabaste tu PhD hace un par de años, has estado enseñando algo y tienes un contrato para publicar tu libro (o el manuscrito terminado, al menos) es obvio que te van a dar prioridad sobre alguien que ni siquiera ha terminado la tesis. La única excepción que se me ocurre es que el ABD venga de una Ivy League, pero esto no es ninguna novedad. Y, como alguien dice más arriba, un poco de experiencia docente no significa que te iban a ofrecer más dinero que a un ABD. La razón principal de todo esto es que no hay trabajos: that's it.

A. How would being an ABD candidate from an Ivy League be an advantage over a candidate with PhD and a book contract?? I am an Ivy League, as many of my unemployed friends are, and I can tell you after three times in the job market (first as an ABD, then as a PhD, and now as an AP), the Ivy League "advantage" is just a myth...coming from an Ivy League has even proved to be a disadvantage to some of my friends, who were not taken seriously by some stupid search committees that believed an Ivy student would never take a position in such and such non-Ivy college/university...so we are all basically in the same sinking boat. Being an Ivy student has a lot of advantages while you are a student, not when you go out to the job market. (X4)

A. I agree with the person above about the myth of Ivy League "advantage." I'm basically in the same situation as the person above, three years on the job market (in different phases, PhD, VAP, AP etc.) and from an Ivy League. In my experience, it's actually been a disadvantage in many cases: the assumption is that an Ivy Leaguerer would only take a certain job, is a careerist and thus is not someone who will "stay." But on the note about being a PhD with a book contract, even that does not guarantee anything. You can always be jotted down as "overqualified." In other words, this market is completely insane. In the many campus visits I've had (which resulted in a disillusionment with academia and the realization that "success" is not based on merit), it boiled down to such inane topics as -- does this candidate fit into the university/departmental culture (read gender/national/ethnic/political etc. categorizations), do we know people in common etc. For example, a certain committee even asked me if I knew how to cook!! This is not to mention the explicitly sexist, racist and homophobic remarks I've received, such as why would heterosexual students wish to take a course on queer theory. So comrades, be prepared especially in your campus visits (where supposedly it is a more "informal" atmosphere) that you can get the most offensive, absurd and mind-boggling questions/statements thrown your way. (x2)

Maybe one constructive advice could be to go to campus visits with a positive mindset. Questions like why would heterosexual students wish to take a course on queer theory (seems to me, by the way, a legitimate question) could be your opportunity to shine: by explaining its usefulness and ramifications across the disciplines as interpretive tools, and by citing examples that show how these tools may be applied to other contexts, and how they help to broaden perspectives in general, rather than taking it as an "ad hominem". 'I imagine a campus visit like a personal shopping spree: the departments must choose between a selection of products and decide which one fits their needs (and the classes we may offer, according to our research, are an important quality of the product). Our job, or the way I see it, is to make that product as attractive, relevant (in more than one field) and versatile as possible. Don't forget that by inviting you they already invested money in you and have considered you as a possible match for their department. Now it's on us to convince them that they need us.'''

A: Hola de nuevo, No quise ofender a los Ivy Leaguers (ni muchísimo menos) en el post anterior: simplemente hablaba de la ventaja que creo que tienen cuando se trata de buscar trabajo. Sólo hablaba por mi experiencia en mi universidad: el año pasado, de cuatro candidatos invitados al campus dos de ellos se habían graduado en Harvard. Que dos de cuatro personas vengan de Harvard me parece un dato bastante significativo...Y en mi departamento no son los únicos de Ivy Leagues, por cierto, ya que tenemos de Cornell, Princeton más otro profesor anterior de Harvard (y es departamento pequeño). En cuanto a "overqualified" candidatos, a todos los TT les van a exigir un libro, así que si ya lo tienen firmado o publicado creo que es mejor tanto para ellos como para la institución.

'''26. ¿Se acabó esto? ¿No hay más llamadas para entrevistas'''? A: El fin de semana nunca pasa nada. Pero todavía quedan puestos cuyas entrevistas que no han sido anunciados en la wiki. Puede que se decidan la semana que viene, nadie lo impide... salvo que se hayan "congelado", como pasó con muchos el año pasado. A. Algunos lugares pueden llamarte hasta el mismo 24.

A. I'm guessing we're done with MLA interviews for this year (Dec 21). School's out and people are getting ready for X-mas, plenty have left the country. I don't think that the remaining schools are freezing or canceling their positions. What I imagine will happen with the remaining positions is that many schools will hold phone interviews instead. In the current economic environment, MLA is expensive (and time consuming) compared to phone interviews. Once everyone is back in school after Jan 15 or so, I bet we'll start seeing more movement on this page. So, don't give up, just give it a rest, for your own well-being. Yes, they can call on the 24th for MLA, but these are rare cases (urban legend?). But I love to be proved wrong. Maybe the inboxes will fill up with interviews over the next few days.

A. For those of us who have at least one interview, we should concentrate on nailing it and stop obsessing about getting a last minute call.

'''27. In a perfect world, we all have this (hypothetical) problem: flybacks during the same time frame/week. Since most flybacks are in late January and early February, is it wise to inform the schools of possible scheduling conflicts, or can this be a turn off to a prospective employer? '''

A: you can inform them that you have a scheduling conflict when they call you the set up the campus visit and offer you a date that does not work. But the truth is that you can have two campus visits the same week. If you tell them, let's say, that you have a campus visit from Monday until Wednesday, they can offer you to fly on Thursday and have you job talk on Friday. And you will say "ok" because you applied and are interested in getting the job. And that's absolutely fine. I wish you to get lost of flybacks, even if they are during the same time frame! 

A. Far from a turn off, it shows that you are a hot commodity.

28. How is so far/was your experience at the MLA 2009 in Philly?:

This was my first experience at the MLA and on the job market. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. Interviewers were extremely nice and I found myself able to relax and even enjoy the interviews, who turned out to be rather stimulating discussions. I also was impressed with Philadelphia and truly enjoyed visiting the art museum and exploring Market street (although it was a bit nippy :). All in all I expected a grueling experience of inquisition type interviews and dreaded the trip, but ended up with some great experiences and have to admit that I learned a lot. Now let's just hope that this bears some more fruit, and I DO wish EVERYBODY the same here. ¡Ánimos!!! Y ¡feliz (en todos los sentidos) año nuevo!

A: Querid@ colega: me alegro mucho que hayas tenido una experiencia súper positiva en el MLA. Suele suceder todo lo contrario, especialmente con los que van al MLA por primera vez. Las cosas están cambiando para mejor y eso siempre es bueno. Quizás la labor de estas wikis esté ayudando a que los entrevistadores se "comporten" como lo que son: profesionales. Mucha suerte con los "call backs" y esperemos que consigas el trabajo que deseas.

A: lo mismo para el que suscribe aqui. Magnifica experiencia. Otra cosa es que ahora llamen para la campus visit, pero que nos quiten lo bailao de Philly!! suerte a todos y si no es este anno sera el proximo...mas se perdio en Cuba...pensamiento positivo ante todo!!!

'''29. I saw that the job information list was not updated this Friday. Does that mean that there won't be any new posts? I thought that job vacancies will continue to be posted through the Spring. Does that mean that there is another page where we can find them? Or will they post new job announcements after a holiday break?'''

A: Do not panic, there will be a few TT and more visiting positions coming this spring; probably this friday, 1/8, (after the holidays breaks ends) there will be a few new adds, but there will be more later. As probably you know, you can also check the Chronicle of Higher Education, http://chronicle.com/section/Jobs/61/. Good luck.

30. Appropriateness of asking wiki posters when campus interview dates are scheduled:

Q: When is the campus visit scheduled for? A: I don't think it is appropriate to ask this question. ''A. I think it is, but I won't say this 3 times; plus it's been asked for the last few years. Asking when one specific visit is scheduled shouldn't be done, but giving a date range maintains anonymity. ''A: I don't think it is appropriate to ask this question. ''A: In addition, if you were not one of those called for an on-campus interview there is no real  purpose in knowing when the visit was scheduled for. If the search committee told you that they would be contacting MLA interviewees at a later time, see entry under Rice above'. A: A couple of years ago I was able to figure out that I was an alternate for a campus visit b/c the timelines''' posted on the wiki were different from what the committee had told me in response to a thank you email I had sent. I ended up getting a campus visit and was better prepared for it. Can we just avoid dealing in absolutes??? Response: I didn't ask the original question, but I'd say if you don't want to answer the question then just don't and leave it at that. It doesn't seem an inappropriate question to me, given that search committees seem to be claiming they are going to contact candidates in mid-January but some are doing so sooner (according to wiki). A. Maybe the person or people asking this question just want to know how much time they might have between phone call and actual visit, you know, to write the job talk? I'd say it varies, anywhere from a few days to three weeks, in my own experience over the past couple years. Write the job talk now and publish an article version later so you get something out of it even if there's no campus interview for you this year. Q. Did they contact you by phone or email? A. Email, late January/early Feb. (2nd hand info); as to the "inappropriate" remark, it was not made by the person posting the Harvard campus interview info, so I don't know why they're so offended. {&: For the one/s who is/are asking when on campus interviews are: I think that people should not ask when the visit is going to be (as discuss before in other entries, that amounts to declare your indentity, and some people prefers to remain anonimate), and if someone wants to volunteer that information, they'll do it by choice, so you don't need to be asking] A: People may ask what they please, this is the benefit and detriment to a wiki such as this. &: Fair enough, I don't think is so important, you are right after all, people does ask about and give whatever information they want. Best of the lucks in the search. You too!! From a veteran in this business to (particularly) those who just come out to the job market: DO NOT GIVE SPECIFIC DATES OF YOUR ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS!

31. Read this sobering article from the NYT about the job market in the humanities, particularly in English and languages. (1X)

A). I'm too sober to read this right now...

A. I read the article and I'm going to stay positive. We are all talented people to get this far and some place will see that, even if that place involves a mop or a cash register.

A: I read it and it did not say anything I did not know already. That's the way things are and it's good to face up to it and do one's best.

________________________________________________________________

MLA interviews scheduled:
[NOTE: Please add the school at the bottom of the list and put the date in parenthesis. Thanks. **The date you received the call/email, not the date of the interview!**]


 * Dominican University (11/10)
 * Manhattan College (11/18) email (x2)
 * Washington College (in Maryland), (11/23). Q. For which position? The tenure-track or the visiting? (11/30) (TT position)
 * Bethel College (11/24) email
 * College of Charleston (11/24)
 * American University (11/30)  Q: Which position? Q: How did they contact you, phone or email? Thanx! Emai, 11/‚
 * Monmouth College (12/1) email
 * Indiana U (not sure when--second hand) Q: for linguistics?
 * Western Washington U (phone, 12/1)
 * Trinity U (12/1) (X3) phone + e-mail
 * Brandeis University (12/2) email (x3)
 * U of Oregon (12/3)
 * North Carolina, Greensboro. (Phone, 12/02)
 * Grinnell College (12/3 x2) phone. (Be prepared, Grinnell asks some intense questions) (I second that: Make sure to have examples of books for all the courses they teach, that's what they asked me last year, It didn't went well for me, good luck, yeah and be prepared to have 5 seconds to recite random 50 minute class plans). A: Thank you for this advice. It was helpful. This SC was particularly harsh, a bit aggressive (for lack of a better term), and came across as very unfriendly and socially-awkward. Yikes! Great school with a great reputation, but after the interview I feel that it is not a good fit for me. They might feel the same way about me. A: A good friend of mine works there in French and he tells me that, overall the colleagues, students, and locals are amazing, very friendly, helpful people. Although I've also heard that the students are extremely ambitious, competitive, grade-oriented and that can be a pain in the ass sometimes.  I wouldn't worry about one person making you feel uncomfortable in the interview.
 * U of San Diego (Phone 12/4) (3x)
 * U Penn (email, 12/4). Q:  Lat Am. or Peninsular?   A: Lat Am. (2x) A: Peninsular (x3) Q: When (for the peninsular)? A: email, 12/4 (x2). Q: Anyone else? Nope, curious... are they looking for    an advanced assist. prof? no, just an entry level (for peninsular) A: The ad for the Lat. Am. position seemed to indicate that applicants needed to have a PhD, and the two people I've heard of who received interviews do indeed (one is already an Asst. Prof.). I know for sure they are gonna interview ABD's for the Peninsular position. Q: Peninuslar, so, according to a couple of you, Penn is not interviewing Assist. Profs? They just wnat somebody at entry level? Not necessarily, but they are interviewing some ABD's...but they definitely prefer entry level... Q: Do you (the ones who got a call for the Peninsular position) work on late XX and/or XXI centuries or not? Yes.  A: I work on XIX.
 * Saint Ambrose University (email, 12/7)(x2)
 * Central Michigan University (Phone 12/7)(x4)
 * Columbia College, Chicago (Phone 12/7) Q: What position? A:US Latino/a literature  Q: Was this the position advertised by the English department?
 * Albion College (Email, 12/7)(email, 12/10)
 * U of Delaware (Email, 12/8) (x4)
 * Colorado College, Golden Age (email, 12/8), Peninsular (email, 12/10) (x2) Q. Are these two for Golden Age or the Modern Peninsular? Q. Has anyone heard from them post-phone interview? A. This posting is very confusing. It is clear that the first candidate, the Golden Age one, is for the Golden Age/Cervantes position. As for the other two, it is not clear if they are also for the Golden Age position, or if it is for the Peninsular position. Golden Age is also Peninsular but if these two contacts are for the Post-Franco period, they should not be together with the other one. Could the two candidates specify if the postings are for Golden Age or for the Post-Franco? Post-Franco (x1)
 * Bentley U (12/8) phone, (12/16 phone) (x2)
 * Gustavus Adolphus (12/8, email) (x4)
 * Harvard Latin Americanist (12/8, phone) (x4) congrats and best of luck!
 * Saint Louis University (12/8) (x2)
 * Dartmouth (media) (12/9) email (x5) Q: Just out of curiousity: What kind of media do you people work on? A: Cinema. A: Film, TV, Advertising
 * Dartmouth (19th C.) (12/9) email (x2) Q: curious, are you 2 Latin Americanists? A: yes. Q: any peninsularista got an interview for this position? A: I don't think so.
 * Towson U, Peninsular generalist (email, 12/9) (x3)
 * Dickinson College (latin americanist) (email, 12/9) (x5)
 * Lebanon Valley College (Peninsular) (12/9) phone (x4)
 * University of Kentucky (Lecturer) (email 12/9) (x4): is this the TT job turned into a Lecturer position?* Thanks, and congrats!!* Q. When did they decide that they were changing the TT Early Modern position into a lectureship? Are we talking about the same position or it is another lectureship? A. It is another position. This year they advertised two jobs from the beginning: the Golden Age TT and the Lecturer. ALL WRONG: They advertised THREE things, 1. Lecturships 2. TT Early Modern. 3. TT Latin American Lit/cultural studies.
 * Wellesley College (email 12/9)
 * SUNY New Paltz (phone call 12/9)
 * Brandeis (12/10) (x2) Q: Is that the date you got the e-mail? Just checking. A: Yes
 * Knox College (phone 12/10)
 * University of North Florida (phone 12/10) (x5)
 * Birmingham-Southern College (email 12/10) (x3)
 * Hamilton College, Early Modern TT (12/10, email) (x4)
 * U of Colorado, Boulder (12/10) FOR WHAT POSITION?
 * Portland State University, Early Modern (12/10 email) (x7)
 * Creighton (12/10 email)
 * Rice, Mexicanist position (12/11 phone x 2)
 * University of Kentucky, Latin American Lit/Cultural Studes TT (12/11 phone) (x4)
 * University of Kentucky'. Early modern 12/11
 * Ohio Wesleyan University (Linguistics) 12/11 (e-mail x 2)
 * Saint Michael's C (Visiting) 12/11 (email) x2
 * U of Mary Washington TT position 12/12 (email)
 * Worcester Polytechnic 12/13, phone
 * U of Kansas. Latin American Lit and Cultural Studies TT (12/14 phone)
 * Vanderbilt. Andrew Mellon Fellow in Spanish (12/14 phone) x3
 * Williams College (Visiting). (12/14 phone) (x6) Q: Just out of curiosity, do all of you work in medieval/early modern peninsular? Q2: Did they have 2 searches? Isn't this a LatAm job? Q. Are the calls for the Early Modern position or for the Latin America? I think both were VAPs. Q: Hmm, no answer. Did Williams call for the Peninsular position or for the Lat Am postion? A. Early modern (x2) A: I don't think they are going to be interviewing for the LatAm position at the MLA, so were all these calls about the Peninsular position?  A: A friend received an email about a future phone interview for the Lat Am VAP. A: the LatAm position is a VAP for one semester (Fall 2010), they are not interviewing at MLA for this position, but they will make phone interviews in January after the MLA, when people knows what happens with their other applications.
 * St. Bonaventure University (phone, 12/14) (x2)
 * University of Michigan (email, 12/14). (x2) Q: Is this the Linguistics or Literature position? Many thanks! A: Literature. Q: why do you keep erasing my question? One said below he/she was an ABD. I just want to know if the other person who got the interview is an ABD or a PhD... It is not a big deal! Please, do not erase the question. A: Sorry, just now seeing this. I am also ABD. A.Lucky, lucky. They got over 100 applications! Just make sure if you get a campus visit that your job talk is interesting, last year they brought in 4 candidates, all ABD, and all except one had snooze fest job talks...and they didn't hire anyone.(second hand knowledge) A. actually, upwards of 150 applications is more like it. A). Given the likelihood that those folks are reading this, maybe the poster above would soften their language (e.g. "snooze fest" is pretty harsh, and of course, in this business, one person's snooze fest is another person's gold). The fact that they didn't hire the thrilling job talk giver either points to the more canonical reading of what happened with that search: it suffered from not being as well defined as it could have been. Luckily this year it is.
 * Northern Kentucky U (email, 12/14)
 * Fairfield U (phone & email, 12/14)
 * NYU, Mexicanist (Spanish and Portuguese) (phone, 12/14)
 * Bates C (Latin American Lit) (email, 12/15)
 * Puget Sound (Latin American Lit, Visiting) (phone, 12/15)
 * Denison U TT Latin American Lit (email, 12/15) (x2)
 * Clemson U: phone call (12/16) email (12/16)
 * Columbia University TT Latin American Cultural Studies (phone 12/16) (x8) Curious: are you APs or ABDs? ABD (x3); AP (x2); Post-doc fellow
 * Columbia University TT Luso-Brazilian Cultural Studies (phone 12/17) (x3)
 * Marist College Generalist (12-17) Q. How did they contact you? By phone
 * Oakland University (phone 12/17) (x3) Nice place to work.
 * Stony Brook (phone, 12/17) (x4)
 * Villanova (second-hand, 12/17) . Dos dias despues del deadline ya llamaron???? Lo puede confirmar alguien? Gracias.
 * Lycoming C Visiting Latin American (email, 12/18) (x2)
 * Swarthmore College VAP (phone, 12/18)
 * Ft. Lewis College-VAP (email, 12/18) It's actually an "informal meeting with candidates"
 * King's College- (Second hand)
 * Trinity College Early Modern (12/21)
 * Jacksonville U (12/18)