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: 14

Lecturer: 5

Member of a Search Committee: 4

(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.

 * Texas State University San Marcos: MLA interview scheduled (12/6) x2 (e-mail contact)
 * University of Oklahoma: (Spanish SLA): MLA interview (12/05) --> For what field? Southern Cone or Caribbean? --> I'd imagine second language acquisition! Tranquilo.... OU has two searches. Ya me andaba dando un ataque :)
 * University of Alabama: Phone inverview scheduled (12/4)
 * University of Evansville: Phone interview scheduled (12/9) --> Shoudn't "date" mean "when" the phone/skype/MLA interview was given (contacted) rather than "for when" the phone/skype/MLA was scheduled?
 * 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
 * Rider University: MLA interview scheduled (12/3) x3
 * Southern Oregon University: Phone interview scheduled (12/3) x3
 * Providence College: Phone interview scheduled (12/3)
 * Michigan Technological University: Phone interview scheduled (12/3)
 * College of Idaho: Phone interview scheduled (12/3)
 * George Mason University: Skype interview scheduled (12/3)
 * CUNY-Lehman College: Phone interview (12/03) [Is this for the Linguistics position?, thanks!]
 * St. Edward's U: Phone interview (12/2)
 * Duquesne U: MLA interview (12/2)
 * Francis Marion University: Skype interview scheduled (12/1) x3
 * University of Connecticut (Golden Age); Skype interview scheduled on (12/1)
 * 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/Phone Interview (11/29)
 * College of Charleston (Assistant Professor of SLA in Spanish): MLA Interview (11/29)
 * College of Charleston (Medieval/Golden Age): MLA Interview (11/23)
 * 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)
 * '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
 * 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 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

 * UNC-Chapel Hill (Hispanic Linguistics) [Nov. 25]
 * That's early, can I ask when is the visit scheduled for (approx.)? Thanks!
 * A campus interview scheduled on Nov 25 for x ? This sounds a bit-bit fishy and unprofessional. I don't really see why; the committee may need/want to speed up the process for some reason, e.g. budgetary reasons. --> Simplemente para cumplir con la "seriedad" que trata de vender la academia norteamericana, de la cual me río. Justificarse con "budgetary reasons" no cabe en la cabeza de nadie, salvo en la de quienes así quieran ponerlo de excusa. Si no contaban con los fondos, que no hubieran empezado el proceso: ser inteligente no se riñe con ser previsor. Integriedad y profesionalismo quedan totalmente descartados con estos actos. That's how it is sometimes. Last year a rumor came out the fix was in for a job at the U of So CA. Big brouhaha and somebody even deleted a bunch of posts. Turned out the fix was in.
 * Nov. 25 was the date that the note about the visit was posted. The actual date of the visit is unknown. This is second-hand information (i.e., the person who made the post is not the actual candidate.)
 * Rejection letter received [3 december]

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 that 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.
 * 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? This position came up at the last minute and was not advertised widely. Should I begin the conspiracy theory that there is an insider who they have in mind? yes R2. Thanks again, Emerita, for more of your wisdom. You seem to know everything about every search out there! This is just bush-league psyche-out stuff. Laughable! I posted this the other day because I applied for the job on Thursday and someone was given interview that Saturday. Did the search committee meet on a Friday and discuss all the app's. I was half-kidding about the conspiracy theory, but I did put my heart and soul into writing a very specific cover letter and figured out what classes I could be teaching only to see that no one may even read it. Sorry fo rthe pity party. R. Pity party requires no apologies. That is a truly annoying situation. What does require the apology are the people going around encouraging others to feel paranoid, defeated, and hopeless. (We already know how to feel paranoid, defeated, and hopeless very well on our own, thanks.) R. The quick turn around isn't all too uncommon (another example, Michigan Tech). Each institution has its own rhythm and goals; for better or worse, as a candidate, you've got to either accept it for what it is or risk embitterment.
 * Notre Dame?
 * Northeastern Illinois University?
 * Dartmouth College?
 * 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!
 * UW Madison: anuncian dos (¡dos!) puestos de peninsular moderna (18-21), especialidad abierta. ¿Alguien sabe qué están buscando exactamente?
 * 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?
 * Macalester C? They had phone interviews (second hand). They've scheduled campus visits.
 * Dartmouth C? They will star calling next week.
 * Wesleyan U?
 * Middlebury C?
 * Oberlin C?
 * U of Richmond?
 * Reed C?
 * Does anyone know if Columbia University (lecturer position) interviewed at ACTFL?
 * 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).
 * Any news from U of Texas San Marcos (medieval)? Texas SU San Marcos. MLA Interviews scheduled through email (12/6)
 * Any news from Manhattan C? R. Received an email inviting for an interview for the MLA convention (Nov. 11).
 * Does anyone know if McDaniel plans to schedule MLA or phone interviews?
 * 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, C at Oneonta (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news from SU of New York, Purchase C?
 * 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 Valdosta U? (Position in Spanish Linguistics)
 * Any news from Aquinas C? (Position in Spanish Linguistics)
 * 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.
 * 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...
 * Any news from Duquesne U (Spanish Applied Linguistics)?
 * Any news from IUPUI (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * 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 about St. Olaf?


 * Any news from UC Berkeley? I heard some applicants were ask to provide aditional materials. Can somebody confirm this? Confirmed.
 * 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?
 * College of Charleston (Golden Age)?
 * Rhodes College? (Golden Age/Medieval)
 * Any news on St. Edward's University?
 * Any news on Ithaca College? Rejection email for English Post-Colonial/World Literatures position, Dec 5.
 * Any news on Augsburg College? Deadline is 12/10. Don't expect to hear anything before then.
 * Any news on Portland State U?
 * Any news on University of Virginia (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news on Wisconsin Madison (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?
 * Any news on CUNY Lehman College (Position in Spanish Linguistics)?

Advice (as if anyone knew)
'''Note: I think this is a useful section (a section that has been a tradition on the job wiki and which needn't limit itself to this one question), but the user "Emerita" seems to find it necessary to browbeat and mock posters, and delete the posts. This is rude and petty, perhaps even downright fucked up, in a job season in which I think we all could use a bit more patience and kindness. SI BORRE ESTA SECCION ES PORQUE TU CENSURAS LAS RESPUESTAS. R: Sí. A guevo. '''

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.

- ¿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.