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And English Education? English Ed has been lumped in with Children's Literature. Feel free to update and check in (11-12)
 
And English Education? English Ed has been lumped in with Children's Literature. Feel free to update and check in (11-12)
   
I don't see any postdocs listed. Should we add them to the fields? Most are open. '''So why not a postdocs page?''' There is already a separate page for postdocs: [http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Humanities_%26_Soc_Sci_Postdocs_2008-2009 Humanities & Soc Sci Postdocs]
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I don't see any postdocs listed. Should we add them to the fields? Most are open. '''So why not a postdocs page?''' There is already a separate page for postdocs: [http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Humanities_%26_Soc_Sci_Postdocs_2008-2009 Humanities & Soc Sci Postdocs]
   
 
Can someone start the starting salaries page, similiar to [[AY_2008-2009:_English_Literature_Starting_Salaries |last year's ]]? I'm not wikified enough to know how to do it.
 
Can someone start the starting salaries page, similiar to [[AY_2008-2009:_English_Literature_Starting_Salaries |last year's ]]? I'm not wikified enough to know how to do it.
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[[Theory_2009|Critical Theory]]
 
[[Theory_2009|Critical Theory]]
   
[[Drama_Film_&_Speech_2009|Drama, Speech, Film & Media Studies]]
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[[Drama_Film_&_Speech_2009|Drama, Speech, Film & Media Studies]]
   
 
[[Irish_2009|Irish Literature]]
 
[[Irish_2009|Irish Literature]]
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Penn State, Comp Lit African Literature
 
Penn State, Comp Lit African Literature
   
Quinnipiac, mod & contemp Brit & Am
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Quinnipiac, mod & contemp Brit & Am
   
 
Rider University, Literary Theory and Composition
 
Rider University, Literary Theory and Composition
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* A: I am a lecturer at U Kansas. We just received word from the chair that, because of budget cuts, we are canceling the Rhet. Comp. hire.
 
* A: I am a lecturer at U Kansas. We just received word from the chair that, because of budget cuts, we are canceling the Rhet. Comp. hire.
   
* 12/2 ''Thanks. :-) No notice has been sent out yet and sometimes notices aren't sent or are postponed until the end of the academic year. It's good to know now.''
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* 12/2 ''Thanks. :-) No notice has been sent out yet and sometimes notices aren't sent or are postponed until the end of the academic year. It's good to know now.''
   
 
* U Kansas lecturer here again: sorry to break you the bad news. I know how it feels; I'm on the market right now, and some of the jobs I've been hoping for have gone belly up. I'm assuming that somebody at Kansas will contact you soon . . .
 
* U Kansas lecturer here again: sorry to break you the bad news. I know how it feels; I'm on the market right now, and some of the jobs I've been hoping for have gone belly up. I'm assuming that somebody at Kansas will contact you soon . . .
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U. of Missouri, Columbia, African American
 
U. of Missouri, Columbia, African American
   
University of Nebraska, Africana & African American Studies (search "paused for this year," reinstatement expected next academic year)
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University of Nebraska, Africana & African American Studies (search "paused for this year," reinstatement expected next academic year)
   
 
University of Nebraska, American Poetry (see 20th-21st Cen. American list for details)
 
University of Nebraska, American Poetry (see 20th-21st Cen. American list for details)
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A: Candidates invited and starting to give talks.
 
A: Candidates invited and starting to give talks.
   
Q: I would like to add to this conversation: I interviewed with a major East Coast Div I school last week over the phone (standard, TT, AP search) - They indicated that their next step would be to fly in candidates for the final interview. Is anyone else noticing this year's financial pressures weighing against U's using MLA? I suppose I don't really care (as long as I get an interview :)), but I am wondering how the economy is altering the nature and timing of this year's interview process. Has anyone noticed anything unusual about initial contacts, first interviews etc. this year? (11/16/2008)
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Q: I would like to add to this conversation: I interviewed with a major East Coast Div I school last week over the phone (standard, TT, AP search) - They indicated that their next step would be to fly in candidates for the final interview. Is anyone else noticing this year's financial pressures weighing against U's using MLA? I suppose I don't really care (as long as I get an interview :)), but I am wondering how the economy is altering the nature and timing of this year's interview process. Has anyone noticed anything unusual about initial contacts, first interviews etc. this year? (11/16/2008)
 
*A: I haven't noticed this myself, although it doesn't seem too surprising. I'm responding, though, for a different reason: Did the school indicate when the on-campus visits would be? This is important, b/c, ethically speaking, they shouldn't be speeding up the process too much. They should wait for MLA and allow you to make a fully informed decision. Last year, my partner went on an on-campus interview at a school that was using this accelerated process; he was offered the job and had to decide whether or not to take the job right before his convention (where he had several promising interviews set up). It was agonizing to make that choice. We later found out that there are regulations in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening; the school could have (and probably should have) been censured. Anyway, just one other thing to think about! (11/17)
 
*A: I haven't noticed this myself, although it doesn't seem too surprising. I'm responding, though, for a different reason: Did the school indicate when the on-campus visits would be? This is important, b/c, ethically speaking, they shouldn't be speeding up the process too much. They should wait for MLA and allow you to make a fully informed decision. Last year, my partner went on an on-campus interview at a school that was using this accelerated process; he was offered the job and had to decide whether or not to take the job right before his convention (where he had several promising interviews set up). It was agonizing to make that choice. We later found out that there are regulations in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening; the school could have (and probably should have) been censured. Anyway, just one other thing to think about! (11/17)
   
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*A I think I liked this wiki more when we all complained about the job interviews we did NOT get... that way I actually had something to contribute.
 
*A I think I liked this wiki more when we all complained about the job interviews we did NOT get... that way I actually had something to contribute.
   
*A I agree. These complaints sound more like bragging than complaints. Congratulations to you all, but some perspect and sensitivity are in order here. With so many searches aborting, the job pool is shrinking but the applicant pool is not. Any interview granted, MLA or otherwise, is a major coup. And, frankly, I'll take an early offer to free me up from the stress of waiting.. and to stop checking CHE, JIL, and higeredjobs.com for more posts to apply for! ;)
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*A I agree. These complaints sound more like bragging than complaints. Congratulations to you all, but some perspect and sensitivity are in order here. With so many searches aborting, the job pool is shrinking but the applicant pool is not. Any interview granted, MLA or otherwise, is a major coup. And, frankly, I'll take an early offer to free me up from the stress of waiting.. and to stop checking CHE, JIL, and higeredjobs.com for more posts to apply for! ;)
   
 
*Wise words. I'm like an internet junkie at the moment, hoping there are jobs I can apply for to ward off the waiting. And normally this level of neuroticism didn't set in for another month or so previous search years but has been ratcheted up in the current economic climate.
 
*Wise words. I'm like an internet junkie at the moment, hoping there are jobs I can apply for to ward off the waiting. And normally this level of neuroticism didn't set in for another month or so previous search years but has been ratcheted up in the current economic climate.
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A: The above answers are certainly exceptions. Don't hold onto false hope. Maybe you'll be the beneficiary of some freak situation, but don't even hope for it. The vast majority of the time, if you're not in on the dossier requests / phone interviews / whatever, you're finished. Just drink heavily while forming vague plans about your next career. Why, yes, this is my fourth time on the market. How'd you guess?
 
A: The above answers are certainly exceptions. Don't hold onto false hope. Maybe you'll be the beneficiary of some freak situation, but don't even hope for it. The vast majority of the time, if you're not in on the dossier requests / phone interviews / whatever, you're finished. Just drink heavily while forming vague plans about your next career. Why, yes, this is my fourth time on the market. How'd you guess?
   
A: While I don't necessarily agree with previous poster's advice to "drink heavily" :), it is true that the aforementioned cases are exceptions. Realistically speaking, if places have set up interviews and you haven't been contacted, you might want to let go. However, if it's just an issue of being contacted for materials, that's a different story. Last year, this seemed to happen in waves. I remember giving up on a job b/c I saw requests posted--then, a week or so later, I got the same request. Hang in there, but brace yourself for disappointment.
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A: While I don't necessarily agree with previous poster's advice to "drink heavily" :), it is true that the aforementioned cases are exceptions. Realistically speaking, if places have set up interviews and you haven't been contacted, you might want to let go. However, if it's just an issue of being contacted for materials, that's a different story. Last year, this seemed to happen in waves. I remember giving up on a job b/c I saw requests posted--then, a week or so later, I got the same request. Hang in there, but brace yourself for disappointment.
   
 
A: I had a similar experience last year. I had gone out a little early and didn't get any interviews, but then at the end of January, I got a phone interview from a small state college that had decided to wait until after MLA. I had assumed that no news meant rejection when some schools simply hadn't used MLA for interviews.
 
A: I had a similar experience last year. I had gone out a little early and didn't get any interviews, but then at the end of January, I got a phone interview from a small state college that had decided to wait until after MLA. I had assumed that no news meant rejection when some schools simply hadn't used MLA for interviews.
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Q: I'm wondering about publications - if one has been out a while, but doesn't have many publications is this a problem for the hiring process? Also has anyone thought about doing anything else instead of trudging along each year, spending gobs of money on the job market search. What do I want to do when I grow up? Well, it certainly wasn't slaving away, teaching composition, and going on the job market every year to compete with the multitudes of people who already have a book by the time they reach the second year of their PhD work. (I sound so jaded.) 12/2
 
Q: I'm wondering about publications - if one has been out a while, but doesn't have many publications is this a problem for the hiring process? Also has anyone thought about doing anything else instead of trudging along each year, spending gobs of money on the job market search. What do I want to do when I grow up? Well, it certainly wasn't slaving away, teaching composition, and going on the job market every year to compete with the multitudes of people who already have a book by the time they reach the second year of their PhD work. (I sound so jaded.) 12/2
   
A: Believe it or not, I have (early) publications that would get me tenure anywhere outside of the top 20, and maybe at some of them, and I'm not feeling much love from the market either. Certainly that could change, but good publications aren't any sort of cure-all. An anecdote: late last year I was hoping for a job at a low-pay, masters-granting institution with a 4/4 teaching schedule, and got beaten out by *another* person with very good publications. Yet, the three other jobs where I had interviews hired people with way *less* publications, who got doctorates from "worse" institutions than mine. What's it all mean? I have no idea. What to do? I have no idea. I think the most important factors in a search are, in order, luck, charisma, connections & pedigree, publications and teaching. I know a former department chair at an R1 university, who has served on dozens of search committees, who relentlessly emphasizes the primacy of luck over all other factors. Let me know if you think of a good next career - I may join you. (I *am* jaded.) 12/3
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A: Believe it or not, I have (early) publications that would get me tenure anywhere outside of the top 20, and maybe at some of them, and I'm not feeling much love from the market either. Certainly that could change, but good publications aren't any sort of cure-all. An anecdote: late last year I was hoping for a job at a low-pay, masters-granting institution with a 4/4 teaching schedule, and got beaten out by *another* person with very good publications. Yet, the three other jobs where I had interviews hired people with way *less* publications, who got doctorates from "worse" institutions than mine. What's it all mean? I have no idea. What to do? I have no idea. I think the most important factors in a search are, in order, luck, charisma, connections & pedigree, publications and teaching. I know a former department chair at an R1 university, who has served on dozens of search committees, who relentlessly emphasizes the primacy of luck over all other factors. Let me know if you think of a good next career - I may join you. (I *am* jaded.) 12/3
   
 
A: (To comment above) '''Don't give up'''. Keep your chin up and remember that it truly isn't about you. I had publications and spent years on the market.... It seems arbitrary and unfair, and I was about to throw in the towel when, at last, a tenure-track job arrived. Now those publications have a lot of weight towards tenure.
 
A: (To comment above) '''Don't give up'''. Keep your chin up and remember that it truly isn't about you. I had publications and spent years on the market.... It seems arbitrary and unfair, and I was about to throw in the towel when, at last, a tenure-track job arrived. Now those publications have a lot of weight towards tenure.
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A: Re: next career... Does UW-Madison still offer a major in "Creative Beer"?!? Maybe brewmeister is the way to go...and look, it's even an academic pursuit. Dissertation title: "Hunter S. Thompson and the effect of Alchohol Consumption on Literary Studies"
 
A: Re: next career... Does UW-Madison still offer a major in "Creative Beer"?!? Maybe brewmeister is the way to go...and look, it's even an academic pursuit. Dissertation title: "Hunter S. Thompson and the effect of Alchohol Consumption on Literary Studies"
   
AA: (As in Answer to Answer): That's preposterous! Everyone knows it was the hard core drug abuse that led to any literary significance in Hunter's work! I'm sorry, goodsir or ma'am, you will simply have to change your topic and restart that dissertation!  :)
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AA: (As in Answer to Answer): That's preposterous! Everyone knows it was the hard core drug abuse that led to any literary significance in Hunter's work! I'm sorry, goodsir or ma'am, you will simply have to change your topic and restart that dissertation! :)
   
 
A: Hey, guys, the assumption that SCs who are interviewing before MLA this year are doing so merely to screw the pooch on MLA isn't necessarily right. I know of one search, for instance, that brought people to campus before MLA this year b/c they wanted to lock in a hire before the line got cut. This is a weird year.
 
A: Hey, guys, the assumption that SCs who are interviewing before MLA this year are doing so merely to screw the pooch on MLA isn't necessarily right. I know of one search, for instance, that brought people to campus before MLA this year b/c they wanted to lock in a hire before the line got cut. This is a weird year.
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A: Don't worry, you are not alone. I'm sure there's more than a few of us who have felt no love yet. We could all get together and start a blues band or something. Might be a better alternative to this.
 
A: Don't worry, you are not alone. I'm sure there's more than a few of us who have felt no love yet. We could all get together and start a blues band or something. Might be a better alternative to this.
   
A: You are not alone! I haven't gotten a single request either. Last year, I had *one* dossier request in the fall and no interviews. You just have to keep hope and keep applying. After feeling like an utter failure last fall, I ended up landing a very good Visiting Assistant Prof. position. It looks like I'll be able to stay here next year, giving me another year to try again. So keep hope for spring! And keep reminding yourself that it's *not* you. If I've learned anything these past two years, it's that this market is based primarily on luck and little (and sometimes big) things about Search Committees that we can't possibly predict. There are a couple of things you can control (i.e. making sure your materials are in the best shape possible), but otherwise we are powerless. So keep your chin up. [The blues, after all, are ultimately about resilience.] :)
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A: You are not alone! I haven't gotten a single request either. Last year, I had *one* dossier request in the fall and no interviews. You just have to keep hope and keep applying. After feeling like an utter failure last fall, I ended up landing a very good Visiting Assistant Prof. position. It looks like I'll be able to stay here next year, giving me another year to try again. So keep hope for spring! And keep reminding yourself that it's *not* you. If I've learned anything these past two years, it's that this market is based primarily on luck and little (and sometimes big) things about Search Committees that we can't possibly predict. There are a couple of things you can control (i.e. making sure your materials are in the best shape possible), but otherwise we are powerless. So keep your chin up. [The blues, after all, are ultimately about resilience.] :)
   
 
Q: If the dean is part of the interviewing group at MLA, is this unusual? Does it suggest they may be skipping the on-campus interview altogether? (Indeed, do schools EVER skip the on-campus interview?) Thanks!
 
Q: If the dean is part of the interviewing group at MLA, is this unusual? Does it suggest they may be skipping the on-campus interview altogether? (Indeed, do schools EVER skip the on-campus interview?) Thanks!
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Q: Has anyone in other fields besides Modern British taken note of committees scheduling MLA interviews without making any materials requests (e.g., no writing sample)? Is this considered customary? Or do we assume it means (a) they don't have the resources to read materials, (b) they're going with somehow-known quantities (well published, already TT somewhere else), or (c) b perhaps partly as a function of a? It has just seemed in previous years that there are at least a few rounds of requests before interview scheduling time.
 
Q: Has anyone in other fields besides Modern British taken note of committees scheduling MLA interviews without making any materials requests (e.g., no writing sample)? Is this considered customary? Or do we assume it means (a) they don't have the resources to read materials, (b) they're going with somehow-known quantities (well published, already TT somewhere else), or (c) b perhaps partly as a function of a? It has just seemed in previous years that there are at least a few rounds of requests before interview scheduling time.
   
A: Scheduling interviews without requesting materials is quite common. It is perhaps most common among SLACs (who generally request at least letters up front, and tend not to care about writing samples), but you can see it among all kinds of institutions. In my experience, most PhD granting institutions want a writing sample and letters; teaching schools may want only letters. If they ask for those materials up front, that's all they need. In practice, I find that very few institutions at any level request teaching materials beyond a statement of teaching philosophy - YMMV. Personally, that drives me up a wall, because I have great evaluations and they do me almost no good.  :-( I am, btw, an Americanist.
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A: Scheduling interviews without requesting materials is quite common. It is perhaps most common among SLACs (who generally request at least letters up front, and tend not to care about writing samples), but you can see it among all kinds of institutions. In my experience, most PhD granting institutions want a writing sample and letters; teaching schools may want only letters. If they ask for those materials up front, that's all they need. In practice, I find that very few institutions at any level request teaching materials beyond a statement of teaching philosophy - YMMV. Personally, that drives me up a wall, because I have great evaluations and they do me almost no good. :-( I am, btw, an Americanist.
   
 
Q: I have no interviews scheduled. Some of my friends say I should still go to MLA. Given that I only have enough money to make it to March, it doesn't make sense to me to go. Unless, of course, I get an interview at the last minute. At that point, I'll buy the plane ticket. Am I shooting myself in the foot, though? Do people do "on the spot" interviews of any kind? I've not heard of that for the MLA, although I know that happens at other professional conferences. What do you think? Thanks.
 
Q: I have no interviews scheduled. Some of my friends say I should still go to MLA. Given that I only have enough money to make it to March, it doesn't make sense to me to go. Unless, of course, I get an interview at the last minute. At that point, I'll buy the plane ticket. Am I shooting myself in the foot, though? Do people do "on the spot" interviews of any kind? I've not heard of that for the MLA, although I know that happens at other professional conferences. What do you think? Thanks.
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*R to A above: You totally interviewed at Whittier. I had a similar experience. They do seem pretty awesome. Pistols at dawn for that job?
 
*R to A above: You totally interviewed at Whittier. I had a similar experience. They do seem pretty awesome. Pistols at dawn for that job?
:* Yeah, Whittier -- I love them. Too bad they only have one spot to fill. :)
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:* Yeah, Whittier -- I love them. Too bad they only have one spot to fill. :)
   
 
*Q On the subject of obsessing about interviews...do you find yourself reviewing your responses over and over, and second-guessing yourself even when you felt the interview went well? Do you find the business of having to wait 1-2 weeks for news on flybacks fairly stressful? (Or is it only me?)
 
*Q On the subject of obsessing about interviews...do you find yourself reviewing your responses over and over, and second-guessing yourself even when you felt the interview went well? Do you find the business of having to wait 1-2 weeks for news on flybacks fairly stressful? (Or is it only me?)
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Q: Has anyone heard from Evergreen State College yet about phone interviews?
 
Q: Has anyone heard from Evergreen State College yet about phone interviews?
   
A: RE SMITH AND EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGES--1/16: I called Smith's English dept. and the secretary said they held MLA interviews & are preparing the on-campus short list from the conference interviews. Evergreen's HR page lists this search as "canceled." I'm crushed and my sympathy extends to everyone else out there waiting & in suspense. It's a bad, bad year.
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A: RE SMITH AND EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGES--1/16: I called Smith's English dept. and the secretary said they held MLA interviews & are preparing the on-campus short list from the conference interviews. Evergreen's HR page lists this search as "canceled." I'm crushed and my sympathy extends to everyone else out there waiting & in suspense. It's a bad, bad year.
   
 
*Thanks for the info. I'm crushed too! I had been waiting to hear from them in some capacity. Oh well. Sigh.
 
*Thanks for the info. I'm crushed too! I had been waiting to hear from them in some capacity. Oh well. Sigh.
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