Spanish 2009-2010

Welcome to the Spanish 2009-2010 wiki page! Check out previous years' wikis to get a feel for how things are done.
Note: Anyone looking ahead to the next job season and needing a good laugh might like to check out this MLA spoof. It's ongoing and borderline brilliant.

Good luck to everybody with their search!

 * Visitor Type:


 * ABD, not defending soon: 9
 * ABD, defending within 4-6 months: 32
 * ABD, I have a set date for my defense: 2
 * ABD, no defense at my U: 5
 * Ph.D. in hand: 22
 * Visiting Professor, Lecturer: 16
 * 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: 32
 * Colonial: 3
 * Independence era: 3
 * Modern/Contemporary: 18
 * Southern Cone: 3
 * Caribbean: 3
 * Brazilian: 2


 * Peninsular: 33
 * Medieval: 4
 * Siglo de Oro/Colonial: 12
 * XVIII-XIX:
 * XIX- XX: 12
 * XX-XXI: 6
 * US Hispanic:2
 * Linguistics: 8
 * Consider yourself a Generalist: 11


 * How many applications have you sent out?


 * 1-10: 22
 * 10-20: 20
 * 21-30: 8
 * 31-40: 7
 * 41 and above: 4
 * Wishes schools would get off their asses and schedule MLA interviews already: 104 (x ∞)
 * Already planning their trip to LA next year: 7

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


 * Benedictine College (Ling) (Feb. 1) - Accepted (2nd hand)
 * Western Ontario (Nov. 25) - Accepted.


 * Morningside College (Nov. 25) - Accepted [Congratulations! x4] Parabéns!
 * University of North Carolina at Charlotte (12/9) I turned it down because they gave me an early deadline to decide and I have multiple campus visits.
 * Susquehanna University. (Second hand knowledge)- Accepted [Congratulations!] [!]
 * Albright College (Dec 30). Turned down.
 * University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1/12/2010)
 * Indiana University (Ling) (1/15/10) (3rd hand). Accepted.
 * Trinity University (Lit) (1/29/10) (2nd hand) Accepted.
 * University of Alabama (Ling) (2/01/10) (2nd hand) Congrats! :)
 * University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1/30/10) (3rd hand)
 * Mount Royal University, Canada (2/2/10) Accepted. (Is this Ling.?)


 * University of South Florida (2/3/10) (2nd hand) Accepted.
 * Reed College, Latin America VAP (2/4/2010) Accepted.
 * Virginia Tech (second-hand) Accepted
 * Colorado College Accepted. Golden Age or Contemporary? Contemporary. Congratulations!!!
 * University of Evansville, Accepted (2nd hand)
 * King's College, second hand reliable, congratulations! Are you congratulating him or her because of the offer made or because the offer was accepted?
 * Manhattan College, Accepted (2nd hand)


 * U of British Columbia: they made an offer on 2/12. 


 * U of San Diego: Offer accepted mid Feb.

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 (12/16) (congrats!)
 * British Columbia (12/16). (x4). Did the 4 of you do the on-campus visit already? A: I did. It went horrible. Good luck to the other finalists. Q: Why do you think it went horrible? Sometimes it is hard for the candidate to know what the faculty think...
 * Auburn University 
 * Illinois SU (12/21; visit scheduled for 1/31/10) Is this for linguistics? R: Si recuerdo bien, sólo había un puesto de linguística en ISU
 * Manhattan College (12/29 email) Q: Can anyone corroborate this? A: I can. I know someone who has a campus visit with them. (x2)
 * Stony Brook (12/29 2nd hand) (x2) Q: When is the campus visit scheduled for? February
 * Rice (12/29 2nd hand)
 * Ohio University (12/29) Is this for linguistics? A: Yes
 * U of Missouri (12/31)
 * Harvard (1/1) (x2)
 * 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)
 * Western Washington University (Ling, 1/06)
 * 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
 * Dartmouth (XIX) (second hand, but reliable)
 * U of Michigan (1/8)
 * Dickinson C (1/8 email)  Q: Has anybody else heard from them?
 * Saint Ambrose U
 * Grinnell (3rd hand, but reliable info)
 * Denison U (1/11, 2nd hand)
 * Towson U x4   Q: Did they contact you by phone or email?
 * U of Kansas. (1/13) email.
 * Clemson U (1/12 phone and e-mail)
 * Bentley U (1/13 phone)
 * NYU (mexicanist, second hand)
 * Davidson (second hand) (I was invited around 1/15) Q: Are you ABD, VAP, or AP? Q. Anyone else?
 * Penn (both, second hand) Really? Reliable info? Totally reliable, at least por the Peninsular position. A. Both completely 100% reliable. Once again: "second hand" does not mean "rumor" "second hand" means "I personally did not get or make these invitations, but I know a person/the people who did." A: I know a person who got one.
 * University of Wisconsin-Madison (both, second hand) Q: The Linguistics position too? A: Yes
 * Hamilton College, Medieval/Golden Age Q: phone or email? Q: when?Reliable info?
 * King's College (second hand)
 * NYU medieval Campus visits beginning tomorrow.
 * Swarthmore VAP (1/15, phone)
 * Albion, second hand Anybody else get a campus interview? Is there an inside candidate?" There may be, they hired someone last year who was ABD for a visiting position who was supposed to defend by last Dec., definitely would have an upperhand if they like her..
 * Georgia State University (1/18, second hand); FYI, they said that they were inviting only 2 candidates for sure, possibly a 3rd during the skype interview
 * Indiana University (Ling)
 * Northern Kentucky University
 * University of North Florida They already have the 4 candidates that will have campus interviews. (Second Hand) A: How do you know? How reliable is this info? very
 * U of Mary Washington (1/20, second hand) x2
 * Ohio Wesleyan (1/20)
 * Loyola University of Chicago
 * University of Kentucky (second hand, fully reliable) What position is it for? GOlden Age or lecturers? A: LatAm TT. Q: Thx.! Any info about the Golden Age position? A: The early modern job talks have been scheduled.
 * Monmouth College (second hand)
 * Portland State University, Early Modern Reliable info? Sure!
 * UW LaCrosse (1/26)
 * Salem C
 * Columbia University (1/27, LA Cultural Studies, second hand, fully reliable)
 * Wellesley College (1/27, second hand, fully reliable)
 * Harvard University (Senior Preceptor)


 * Lycoming College
 * Trinity College (interviews have been scheduled. see below 4 more info)
 * Case Western Reserve U (1/26, email)
 * University of San Diego (when? by email or phone?)
 * Knox College(second hand)


 * Arizona State (linguistics) (second hand


 * Gettysburg College (1/20)
 * McKendree University (2/5)
 * Hillsdale College (visiting position) (2/9 phone call)
 * Warren Wilson College (second hand)
 * U Southern California On campus visits Feb 11-22. 3 candidates. Q: seems reliable info. Do you know what kind of qualifications are sought? Advanced, beginners? Cult Studies? Miedia? Peninsular, LA, Transatlantic? Thanks.

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. 'Q1: 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? A. Yes, they were scheduled before the MLA (2nd hand). 1:Thanks a lot, I've sent an email recently and did not get an answer yet, I knew it but it is always nice to have clousure'. [polite email answered my quest; Thanks for the wiki-cumpas who answered this deseperate call, do not worry I have already joined officially AAA (Anxious Anonimous Academics).]
 * 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 (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
 * King's College (1/4)
 * Fort Lewis College (1/8x2) 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"? A. They have a policy that forbids them to pick a candidate without the rest of faculty having a say. Some schools even voice record the MLA interviews so that the other faculty members have access to listen to the candidates. They were really nice at the MLA. A. Making recordings of MLA interviews is discouraged: http://www.adfl.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?jil_jobseekers_dos "Really nice" and professional aren't always the same thing. A: totally agree, but think that "professionality" as "nice" are social and cultural constructions...so... A. Wanting to work, looking for a job and WIKIs are also social constructs. All we do are social constructions here, no natural science. What´s your point?
 * Virginia Tech U. Instructor e-mail 1/11 (x2)
 * St. Mary's University of Minnesota (phone call 1/14)
 * University of Pittsburgh (lecturer position, phone call 1/19)
 * Gonzaga U, email 1/21 (x4) Anybody heard about campus visits?
 * Hiram College, phone 1/21
 * Illinois Wesleyan, phone 1/26 (x3)
 * McKendree University phone 1/26
 * Williams C (one semester visiting position) 1/26 Is this for the Latin American visiting postion or for the medieval/peninsular one? A: Lat Am. Q1: Just out of curiosity: Did you receive an email in December saying that the will call you? Q2: Did they send the email to every applicant? A to Q1: yes, A to Q2: I do not know how many people got contact that way. Thanks Q: (not original poster): When is the interview? A: it was around a week after the contact.
 * Loyola University 2/1 Q: Which Loyola U. is this?
 * East Stroudsburg U, email 2/5


 * SUNY-Purchase, VAP email 2/2
 * Emory & Henry College
 * Valdosta State University, email 2/3
 * Grambling SU, phone 2/10
 * Coastal Carolina University, Lecturer


 * Arkansas SU, Instructor position. Phone 2/15

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).
 * Rice University (Lecturer) 2/9

Rejections AFTER MLA

 * Wellesley College (Open rank) 1/8, email (x3).
 * Saint Michael's College (Visiting Inst) 1/7, very kind email.
 * Saint Ambrose U 1/9
 * NYU (Mexicanist) 1/13 Q: e- or snail? A: snail.
 * SUNY, Stony Brook 1/16 Q: e- or snail? A: snail. Q: Is the visiting professor competing for the job?
 * Central Michigan University snail mail
 * Birmingham-Southern email
 * U of Chicago (mail) (letter, 1/14)
 * Kansas LatAm TT (email, 1/20)*
 * The College of Charleston (e-mail) (x2)
 * The University of Alaska (email 1/24) (x3)
 * Salem State College (email 1/26)
 * Susquehanna U (email 1/27)(x2)
 * Columbia University (email 1/27-after MLA interview)
 * Rice U (email 2/5) (x2)
 * Wittenberg (VAP) (email 2/8) x2
 * Connecticut College (email 2/8) x2
 * Knox (email 2/8)
 * Gustavus A (email) Date? And was this after an MLA interview?
 *  'Hamilton College '(short letter saying search was cancelled 2/4). Q: which position? Medieval/Golden Age job search is still going on. Campus visits took place last week. This position has not been cancelled. In fact, they have also opened an associate position in Contemporary literature, whose deadline is 2/22. I would ignore the former comment about the cancellation of the position in Hamilton College. A: Indeed, Assoc/Full Contemporary Peninsular still open (see below). A. I think that this cancellation refers to a previous post (included). As for today, there are two positions open: the Medieval/Golden Age (assistant) and the Contemporary Peninsular (associate/full). They just cancelled one on Colonial, Peninsular contemporary and US Latino studies to reopen it just as Contemporary peninsular. GOOD!!
 * Westminster College (snail mail 2/12)
 * Trinity University (email)

Jobs post MLA - Status- (please do not erase this. This section is for those of us who are still searching and applying for positions coming this spring. )
Please add what is the status of the application (when you have recieved an ackn. letter/email that they have recieved your application, estimate contact schedule, deadlines, and anything else you want to add.) Thanks

California Lutheran University: Ackn email 2/2/10 (the deadline was dec. 31st. They will not consider people who send their application after the deadline). // They say that they will contact mid february.

Northwestern, postdoc in Mexican or Brazilian studies?Q: where advertised? never saw this...

Colgate (VAP): Ackn let & AA form (2/11 mail) (2x) 

Metropolitan State College of Denver: ?

Columbia College (SC): Ackn email 2/4

Hamilton College (NY), Assoc or Full: anybody knows?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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
 * Universidad de Monterrey, profesor for the Humanities (1/20).

__________________________________________________________________

Rejections BEFORE MLA: [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)x3
 * 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)  (x2)
 * University of San Diego (1.11), except they rejected me for the position in Italian Studies, so I'm debating holding out hope for the job in Latin American Studies that I applied for...

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.]

SEE AT THE BOTTOM FOR POST MLA INFORMATION
Southern California?


 * A: esta posición, si no me equivoco, la han convertido en en un lecturship. THIS IS NOT TRUE. It is a TT posistion in either Spanish or Comp Lit. Q: do you know anything else about? Eg: Are they calling people for on-campus visits?


 * A. Lo mismo: algún "cráneo privilegiado" ha borrado la segunda parte del último posting que aparecía aquí. Lo voy a seguir poniendo y ahora en negrita: En USC hay un viejo carcamal que hace mil años está jodiéndole la vida a la gente del departamento, se opone a todo y no contesta ni un puto mail. La chair es una inútil de tomo a lomo que perdió 5 TT en tres años. Es gente de peligro. El chair de la búsqueda de este año brilla por su incompetencia y nepotismo. Si eres hombre heterosexual no te hagas ilusiones. El chair del comité sólo contrata a gente de su "perfil" THIS IS NOT ACCURATE EITHER. While it is true that, of the two of the last eight hires are gay/lesbian, the percentage not that unusual in the humanities.
 * A. This last sentence sounds pretty homophobic to me... just because these comments are anonymous shouldn't mean homophobia is all of a sudden acceptable!
 * A. I agree with the original poster- comments should not be deleted just because they seem inapropriate or un-pc to someone. The comment is not homophobic, as the responder wrote. It is accusatory and the person being accused of discrimination may very well find it defamatory and inflamatory, but I am pretty sure it is not homophobic. we all have to accept that "freedom of expression" means we are not going to like/agree everything we hear. And if we don't have freedom of expression in an anonymous wiki then it doesn't exist anywhere else.
 * A. OK just to make clear “gente de su ‘perfil’” is not only homophobic but it is also deeply offensive because it indicates that somehow every man who is not heterosexual somehow fits within the same profile (and if you think they do which one is that profile? Of men who take it up the….?). Additionally it feeds upon the stereotype of the “velvet mafia” where the non-heterosexual men somehow try to create a secret society akin to the Masons. It is precisely due to the propagation of the idea of the “velvet mafia” that in the US there has been a significant and well-documented history of persecution of non-heterosexual men all throughout the 50s and 60s. Finally, in terms of “freedom of expression”, I firmly believe that people are entitled to such a freedom, but do we really need any more homophobic or racist, or sexist professors in the academia? After all they are the ones who will influence the minds of the future generations.
 * A: A mí tampoco me parece que el comentario se "homófobo". Si hubiera un director que diera prioridad manifiesta a heterosexuales antes que a homosexuales con muchos méritos, estoy seguro de que todo el mundo aplaudiría la decisión de denunciarlo aquí. Por cierto, la persona que dirigía la búsqueda compartió panel en MLA con una profesora de U Illinois-Chicago a la que tuvieron que quitar de directora por quemar a TT. Cuestión de afinidades...
 * A. Another tidbit of information candidates should consider is that the chair of the search committee has just been named chair of the department effective fall 2010. This will ensure mediocrity for the foreseeable future of our department. Despite having been awarded with six TT positions by the deans since the "old"/new chair the first time (in 2002), the department is just +1 TT staffing from 2002. All but the newest (in second year) have come and gone. Five tenured bodies remain. All but one have joint appointments, which yields just 3.5 FTE TT faculty. Reappointment of a failed chair is a strong signal that the administration has written off this department as unsalvageable. It has been 14 years since the graduate program was closed and there is no indication that it will be resurrected, no matter what the search committee members promised.
 * A: exactamente, ni mafia ni nada que se le parezca. Aparte quién hizo alguna alusión general? Se dice que el Chair de la búsqueda de USC no es justo en las contrataciones. Punto, hay que decirlo. De la misma forma, si hay algún colega racista que no contrata a gente gay considero que también debe ser denunciado.
 * A: Mi observacion es...si son tan inutiles como decis, por que perdes el tiempo con ellos? Y otra cosa: difamar en este pais esta penalizado con carcel, o sea que ojo!! porque si os rastrean el IP os van a meter en el bote, que seguramente es el sitio donde deberiais estar. En lugar de criticar tanto, mejor trabajais mas y dejais de insultar a la gente porque pueden ser lo que uno quiera profesionalmente, pero no dejan de ser personas. O sea que respeto.
 * A. de donde sacas que difamar se paga con carcel en los EEUU? de hecho, wikipedia dice (y todos sabemos que la info de wikipedia es de confiar) que es en argentina y aparentemente en chile tambien que se paga con carcel.


 * A: de donde lo saco? guess....del codigo penal estadounidense...si es que vivis en este pais quizas deberiais informaros de como funciona, pero imagino que quien escribio lo de arriba es el tipico espannolito venido a mas que se cree que porque habla mejor que los americanos ya lo sabe todo...no menosprecies a la gente, y menos los insultes.
 * A: I do find it offensive, and also unnecessary. And extremely unprofessional.


 * A: Es un comentario homofóbico pues no está solamente denunciando discriminación sino acusando (como si fuera un delito) que el chair del search es gay. No solo dice que no contrata gente heterosexual, dice que contrata gente "de su perfil". Ese es el problema del comentario. No conozco ese departamento, pero dudo que esto sea cierto, suena a 'despecho'. Además esto es muy difícil de probar, un candidato es seleccionado por su sexualidad? No me parece… Siempre la gente gay en el poder es descalificada por este tipo de comentarios. Quizá el departamento puede tener problemas, pero estas acusaciones son sexistas y desproporcionadas. Además, no se puede comentar la sexualidad de otro como si fuera una esencia…


 * A. Ok let's get real. Where else but at a univeristiy could you get away with a job announcement that concludes "Women and minorities espeically encouraged to apply?" A. COUNTLESS INDUSTRIES. The fact is that at many universities race and gender count more than qualifications. That is just the way it is. A. Bull****. Take a look at tenure stats across racial and gender lines and you'll see that... golly... women and minorities are critically missing. WHICH IS WHY UNIVERSITIES ENCOURAGE WOMEN AND MINORITIES TO APPLY. It is also why unversities are viewed with such disdain by the private sector. A. Bull****. Especially when in the private sector they're doing the exact same thing. A. Bull****. ¿Y desde cuándo es el sector privado el enclave ejemplar de comportamiento ético? Estoy seguro su ético comportamiento no tiene nada que ver con la crisis económica por la que estamos pasando—crisis financiera que nos afecta a nosotros como académicos buscando trabajo por las pérdidas millonarias que sufrieron los "endowments" de universidades y colleges que perdieron hasta 40% de su valor al invertir con el sector privado que tanto admira el OP.
 * A. Todo mundo aquí se rasga las vestiduras por lo del chair. ¿Nadie dice nada del "viejo carcamal" ni de la "inútil" de la ex-chair?
 * A. ON CAMPUS INTERVIEWS BEGIN THURSDAY FEB 11 with a queer studies specialist, whose PhD was conferred in 2005. Interestingly, the last search for a beginning Asst. Prof. resulted in the hiring of 6th year asst prof (granted tenure first year here). This department has a history of advertising for a beginning assistant professor then hiring an advanced asst. professor. They're apples and oranges. I wonder if they contact advanced asst. professors on the downlow advising them to apply? Hmmm. If they want advanced asst. profs. why not be honest and advertise for it?
 * A: ok, where does it say in the ad that they are looking for a specialist in Queer Studies? Here is the ad: The Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Department of Comparative Literature at the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences announce a search for a tenure-track Assistant Professor. We seek a specialist in 20th- and 21st-century Spanish film and culture, and welcome applications from scholars who work in Spanish literary, visual, and cultural studies and/or across disciplines and national traditions. Applicants should have native or near-native fluency in Spanish as well as English and, by the time of appointment, the Ph.D. in an appropriate field of study. Normal teaching load per academic year is four courses, including undergraduate and graduate seminars as well as self-designed courses for the University's General Education program. Please send letter of application, curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference to Prof. Roberto Ignacio Díaz, Search Committee Chair, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0358. We also welcome electronic applications sent to: Interviews of selected candidates to be conducted at the MLA meeting in December. We will begin reviewing applications on November 15, 2009. USC strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment. Women and men, and members of all racial and ethnic groups, are encouraged to apply.


 * 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.
 * 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.
 * U of Pittsburgh (lecturer Latin Am-Peninsular)? They started doing phone interviews today 1/21.
 * 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?
 * University of Florida? They did interviews at the MLA for the linguistics (SLA) position.
 * University of Wisconsin, Madison (linguistics)? I heard they will start with the campus visits this week.
 * 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.
 * 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
 * Evansville U?
 * Wiston-Salem U?
 * 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?
 * University of Wisconsin-Madison? Campus visits in progress (1/20)
 * Northwestern U? They are selecting the candidates AWS. Q: Do you know if they have selected them yet?
 * 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? Search cancelled. See above.
 * King's College, generalist? Avoid this one if you can. Q. Why? Do they have coodies?   Why? Please can anybody give me some details about this? Thanks!!!'  Place is a dump, other faculty have two feet in the grave unless they have changed, no real interview, they'll put you up in a crappy hotel...


 * University of San Francisco, instructor? A. an AA form by mail 12/14
 * Emory and Henry College instructor? They set up interviews for 1-28 and 1-29
 * 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?
 * WPI instructor position?
 * Rice U, lecturer
 * 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. They are inviting candidates to campus visits (second hand)
 * 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? Phone interviews scheduled.
 * Knox College? Does anyone knows if they already called for campus interviews?!? A: Nope. They had mentioned in the interview that it would be a speedy process, which makes me now think that they have already contacted people, people who maybe don't use the wiki. Anyone else know about this one?
 * University of North Florida? They already have the 4 candidates that will have campus interviews. (Second Hand)
 * The College of William and Mary, VAP, Medieval? A. This seems to be a position open until an offer is accepted. I know of someone who just applied last week. App deadline extended to 2/15.
 * Davis and Elkins College? Their announcement in the CHE gave no info on rank, tt or not, and it seems they are considering MAs for the job. Anyone have more info on it? Ack. 1/29. Looks like a faculty replacement position.
 * Reed College, VAP? A: Position filled.
 * WPI, (TT)? Q: Any one who interviewed with them at MLA heard anything?
 * Marist Co (TT)? Q: what's going on here? has anyone heard back from MLA interviews? They said they'd call back by the 2nd week of Jan and still nothing.
 * Fairleigh Dickinson?
 * Missouri Southern State University, VAP?
 * Whitman College, VAP? They contacted me on 2/10 to set up a phone interview.
 * Tufts U, lecturer?--They acknowledged application by mail 2/6


 * John Jay?'
 * Gulf Coast University?

== AFTER MLA ==


 * Trinity C. (Early Modern)? They scheduled campus visits already. How many candidates are they interviewing? A: 4. Q: Any idea of when they are gonna make the decision? Thanks so much. A: NPI, but the last candidate was on campus recently so it should not be long. Good luck! Thank you very much!! Q: It seems the last contributor has very reliable info. So, taking advantage of it, :), I was wondering if you know it they are gonna decide this week. If so, are they gonna contact both the lucky one and the "others"? Thanks so much in advance. A: NPI, la neta. I´m not on the committee, but do know they met or are going to meet this week. Again, good luck. A: Thanks again!!
 * Villanova U? Anything at all on this one?Nothing my friend...be patient, that department is a mess... Good luck, mi friend! It seems that inititally they had an "internal" candidate (internal stands for a student of a friend), but i think something went wrong...so, good luck to you!! ¿Any news? not at all.
 * Colorado College, Golden Age? I would be very surprised if they do not call this coming week. They said that they were going to contact the candidates around mid January. Unless they have not done it already...A: Aun no los han contactado (second hand). Buena suerte!! A. It is Wednesday 27th and nobody has posted anything about those two positions at Colorado College (Golden Age and Post-Franco). Are you sure they did not call for any of the two? It is taking them a lot more time than what they said! A. I have heard, second-hand ,that there are campus interviews going on for the Post-Franco job, but for the other one... ni idea. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH COLORADO COLLEGE? THEY DO NOT EVEN RESPOND MY EMAILS. ANYTHING ABOUT THE GOLDEN AGE POSITION? I suggest you to call, seriously. good luck! A: I sent the adminstrative assitant an email asking about the Golden Age search, and she responded "the department is currently conducting interviews. If you have any questions, you might want to contact [name of a search committee member here]." So maybe they've already invited people to campus for that position? I guess so...However, I would contact the search commitee member to ask him/her directly. Good luck my friend!, because that is a terrific place to work and live!


 * Williams College (LatAm VAP)? Q: Does anyone know if they will call to interview for this position?
 * Williams College (VAP, Medieval)? Has anyone heard from them? Was it cancelled?
 * William and Mary (VAP, Medieval)?
 * Birmingham Southern?
 * Gustavus Adolphus? Q: Any one who interviewed with them at MLA heard anything? A: Nope. NB: a couple years ago they couldn't agree on a candidate for a similar search; I wonder if history is repeating itself
 * Bethel College? Anything people? (post-MLA) Called finalists this week (2/4) but visits not scheduled yet.
 * Creighton (Golden Age)?
 * Gonzaga? Since the letter sent out toward the end of December? they ask for phone interview (email 1/21)
 * Loyola Chicago (ling)
 * Alabama (ling): Weren't they supposed to have campus visits in January?
 * Arizona (ling)
 * Indiana U of Penn?
 * Bates?
 * Trinity U?offer made? Have they call for campus visits?
 * Franlkin College?
 * Brandeis? Van a llamar para este puesto o que? A. I think that they have campus visits in progress - their website, under events, lists three talks that due to timing and topics, look like job talks to me.
 * Lebanon Valley?
 * Oakland U?
 * Warren Wilson College? Called to schedule phone interview (2/3) during second week of Feb.
 * WPI? Q: Any one who interviewed with them at MLA heard anything? No there have been no news from them. Does anyone know if the search is still open? 
 * University of Puget Sound (visiting)? (secondhand knowledge) They've contacted people for campus visits.
 * Hillsdale College (visiting)? A'ny one who interviewed with them at MLA heard anything? Campus visits scheduled. (2/9)
 * American U (lecturer)? A'ny one who interviewed with them at MLA heard anything?
 * Wittenberg U (visiting)? position filled (2/8)
 * Vanderbilt U, VAP?

Q&A or comments:
Attn: Anyone looking ahead to the next job season and needing a good laugh might like to check out this [MLA spoof]. It's ongoing and borderline brilliant.

1. Somebody deleted the discussion on "alphabetical order" vs. "chronological order". For posterity sake, b/c Spanish is such a large field and we can apply to so many different positions, we simply cannot go by alphabetical order when it comes to MLA interviews, campus interviews and job offers. Chronological order works best b/c it's extremely easy to monitor.
 * Well in fact, some people is deleting things without explanations, as for example someone also deleted all the first entrance about status of aplication which was harmless since it was relocated at the end of the page. To keep that information would have been good for the next year if someone want to check when things started to roll this year. In any case I support your "chronological order" advice, it is definetly easier. Good luck.

'''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!

5. 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

'''6. 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)

'''7. 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!!

'''8. 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

'''9. 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.

'''10. 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.

'''11. 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.

'''12. 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.

'''13. 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.

'''14. 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.

'''15. 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.

'''16. 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...

17. 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...

'''18. 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.

'''19. 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.

20. '''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.

'''21. ¿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.

'''22. 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.

23. 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!!!

'''24. 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.

25. 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!

26. 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.

27. Seriously ppl, take a look at previous years' wikis to get an idea of how things are done around here. Too much bitching and moaning from posters unfamiliar with how wikis work and/or posters just bugging out.

A. Please, do go into greater detail about exactly what you're describing, so that we all might bask in the glow of your enlightened perspective! x2. haha, this is what the wiki is all about, enlightened colleague!

28. How long does it usually take committees to contact candidates for campus visits after MLA? If they haven't followed up yet (as of Mon. Jan. 11), does that mean they are probably not inviting you to campus? I had an interview that I thought went well and they said they'd get in touch the first week of January, but so far, just crickets. Anyone else in a similar situation? Is it a good idea to call the dept. secretary, and if so, how long is appropriate to wait? A. From my experience, you could still get a call. I would wait one more week before you write anyone. In that kind of case, I've written the search committe chair before saying that I was still interested in the position and wondering whether they could update me with the search. The one time I did this, the answer was, "we've already invited our candidates," but then, at least you know. I would give it some time though to see what will show up on the wiki.

A: Sometimes they give you a time frame for contacting invitees after the interview; if they do this, and it's a few days past the due date, then you're probably not going to get an invite. That said, many don't mention specific dates, and it's the start of the new semester, so everybody's busy. 2/3 of my interviews contacted early, and it was both mentioned specifically in the interview and reflected on the wiki. Obviously, there are more MLA interviews posted here than campus visits, so I think that lots of visits haven't been scheduled yet. Many will call this week and next, I think.

29. What happens if the candidate they make an offer to refuses it? Do they usually automatically move on to the runner-up', or do they reconsider the pool? Or is there a tendency to not hire anybody if your first-choice refuses? Does anybody have any rough estimates of how many SCs go to the runner-up(s) vs. canceling the search entirely?''' En mi depa, depende completamente de los candidatos. Algunas veces los dos primeros candidatos sobre salen y es fácil ofrecer el trabajo al segundo (así mismo al tercero si es bueno). Vi una búsqueda en la que fue muy difícil decidir entre #1 y #2 y fue agradable ofrecerlo al #"2". Puede haber una invitación más para algunas universidades si no están contentos con las otras posibilidades, dependiendo del $ disponible. Una consideración con esta economía es contratar a alguien para no perder la línea, que puede pasar.

3'''0. After MLA interviews, X school called my dissertation comm chair to ask questions about me and told her that they were going to call me for a campus visit. This was almost 3 wks ago. what do you suppose is going on? should I write the search comm or should I just accept the fact that they are not calling? (Someone may have spoken too soon or gone rogue.) Is this normal? Thanks for your feedback!'''

A. Has it appeared on the wiki? The thing is, sometimes people DO speak too soon (even though they know better!), but usually they wouldn't go so far as telling your adviser straight-up: we're inviting this person. In the worst case scenario, it sounds like this person probably fought hard for you (that's a great sign!), and maybe met some shitty political realities in their dept., but if it's not up on the wiki, there might still be a chance.

'''31. Do people have a right to erase questions/comments/exchanges because they may be offensive to others? I understand that this wiki exists in order to share information to which otherwise job seekers would have no access. So, it should not be used to post offensive or detrimental comments. But, having said that, I am appalled by the liberty some of us have taken in erasing postings because "they may offend someone". Who appointed you judge and jury? As co-authors of this wiki we are all bound by a common sense and ethics of sensitivity. But people cannot expect personal criteria to be imposed on others. Note that whoever erased U of KY exchange regarding the job talks did not erase the comment made about So Cal. This second one being even more harsh and accusatory. It turns out that what is often done in the name of a moral absolute in truth is often made in the service of personal gain. I don't think we should be censoring other peoples exchanges though we may find them crass or inappropriate. What we can do is share our reactions to said exchange or ignore it. That would be truly democratic and keep with the spirit of the wiki.''' - I totally agree with the poster above, some people have been acting as a kind of wiki-moral-police and have lost perspective of how autoritarian is to censor the words of others (even if those words are not as polite or as nice as we would like).

'''32. Que harian ustedes si hubieran recibido una oferta de una univ. "x", pero en realidad desean ir a otra univ., digamosle "y," en la que tambien tuvo campus visit. en realidad solo tengo de tiempo esta semana para decidirme por X sin saber aun que va a pasar con Y. Que harian ustedes? alguna experiencia al respecto? muchisimas gracias.''' A: depende de tu situación amig@. Yo elegiría en este orden: 1) R1 en lugar de teaching school, 2) dinero para investigación, 3) teaching load, 4) geografía, 5) salario. Ahora si dices que "Y" no se decide, mételes presión y diles, con dos cojones, que deben decidirse ya porque tienes otra oferta. Si no te responde "Y" en una semana, a tomar por saco, coge X y a correr. A. Agreed. Tell university "y" that you are very interested in their institution, but you already have another offer which you need to answer within a week. Hence if they are interested in you they have a week to make you a counteroffer. In any case try not to sound cocky, but be honest about the situation. Best of luck! A: Muchas gracias! Veo que los dos estan de acuerdo con priortizar R1 frente a una Teaching institution. Por algun motivo especial? Muchas gracias. A: ¡Más que evidente! ¿Tienes interés en hacer investigación y publicar o sólo te interesa la enseñanza? ¿Quieres enseñar 4 cursos al año o hasta 9 (en sistema semestral)? ¿Quieres dirigir tesis doctorales (si bien hay R1 que no tienen doctorado, ej. Dartmouth)? Pues saca tus propias conclusiones. A: las conclusiones no son, ni de lejos, tan evidentes, en discrepancia con el ultimo post. Hay TI en las que se apoya enormemente la investigacion y en las que hay una carga lectiva de 2/3, mientras que hay RI de 3/3 en que, por tratarse de departamentos de espanol, se apoya mas bien poco la investigacion. Por tanto, por favor, rogaria no polarizar ni mucho menos simplificar las cosas, ya que en lugar de ayudar lo que hacen es confundir a la gente. A: la última respuesta también está equivocada. Jamás, pero jamás en una R1 vas a enseñar más de 4 al año en sistema semestral (sólo conozco un caso y es en Canadá, en el que se enseñan 4 y media al año; sistema complicado de entender ya que en un año enseñas 4 y al otro año ---no semestre-- enseñas 5). Una universidad estadounidense cuya carga horaria es 2/3 no es R1; llámala cómo quieras, pero no es R1 (puede ser un liberal arts college de prestigio más o menos bueno, como por ejemplo Hamilton College). 3/3 menos que menos, ni por asomo es R1. Ahora bien, digamos que tienes la opción entre una en la que enseñas 4 y 5 (que las hay y muchas) y una 3 y 3, claro, ve por esta última, pero ten en cuenta que no es R1 (que btw fue la pregunta original del/de la candidat@). A: Muchisimas gracias por esta info tan precisa!

A. Teaching load is not, I repeat, is not a determining factor in labeling a University as R1 (see the Carnegie Mellon's website). Colleges, even excellent colleges like Hamilton, Williams and Amherst, cannot be R1 because they do not offer PhD's which is a factor in the labelling. Everyone is free to have their preference (research over teaching or vice versa) but there are some of us that think that we should not have to choose between these two- that they are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I have found that while teaching 3/3 language courses I have been able to devote a lot of time to research in literature and have had the time to experiment with my teaching (designing projects and using technology). I have been able to do this because the SLAC I work at gives me plenty of money for traveling and buying books and they have put all their resources at my disposal (such as Office of faculty Advancement, Office of Community Engagement and Academic Technology Services). Also classes are very small (10 students) and if I am having a particularily busy semester I have the freedom to curtail the syllabus and employ a TA to help me grade. I derive a lot of satisfaction from both areas of the profession and see no reason why to be in a R1 is so "obvious". Dealing with undergraduates- if it is a competitive college- can be just as or even more rewarding than dealing with graduate students. Bottom line is (and to return the topic to the OP) that it would be better to judge schools based on the $ they would give you for research and travel AND the support network for your teaching/research (is there an expert in technology asigned to the dept so that you don't have to worry about building websites or scanning readings? would they pay for a student research assistant so that you don't have to make photocopies yourself and run to the library every day? with how many fac would you have to share an administrative assistant? etc). These things really really make a difference because they free up your time to do other things (read and write). Of course, the teaching load is a big factor but more specifically look at how many preparations, how many students per class, what level course, how much freedom do you have over the curriculum (this is important for language courses that need to be coordinated at every level), would you have a TA, can you set your own schedule? All these factors can either free up or your time or tie it down. So, in reaction to thesecond poster's answer I would say forget about labels (whether or not it is R1), consider research AND teaching support, course load and conditions, and then salary and geography. Above all consider yourself lucky and be thankful because many of us did not get a campus visit or job offer. -sorry if this is a bit repetitive or long winded, iam on my break and should be working on my disse... SUERTE a TODOS!

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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 (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. Updates?
 * 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)