Political theory and public law job market: 2009-10 Junior Political Theory Jobs Post #4

1/31/2010

2009-10 Junior Political Theory Jobs Post #4

For: Discussion of all junior political theory jobs advertised in 2009-10.

Restrictions: Per house rules, please do not mention names in junior searches until an offer is made.

Want to confirm or correct something you see here? Want me to post a job ad to the thread? Email me at poltheorist@gmail.com. Your anonymity is assured.

'09-'10 Junior Theory Jobs #1
'09-'10 Junior Theory Jobs #2
'09-'10 Junior Theory Jobs #3

542 Comments:

Anonymous said...: CUNY has hired. rejection letters have been sent.; 3:10 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: thanks for some real news.

can i again beseech those in the know to recall where this job was listed?

i don't want to miss any more listings, in nyc to boot.

thanks again.; 4:00 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: university of hawaii at Hilo has also send rejection letters.; 4:18 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: Anyone hear anything from West Point?; 5:54 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: Here's a question for the collective wisdom of this blog: is this year actually much worse than previous years for theory jobs. Maybe there are <5 fewer jobs at R1s, and <5 fewer jobs at SLACs, but it really doesn't look that different to me than the past 2-4 years, or however long I've been paying attention to this stuff. Thoughts?; 6:04 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: So, did Columbia actually appoint someone, or did they fail to (again)?; 7:27 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: 6:04: this year was substantially worse than last year, at least according to data gathered by David Samuels at Minnesota and posted on PSJR:

http://www.poliscijobrumors.com/topic.php?id=20306; 8:50 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: the question is how bad do people think next year will be? better than this?

is the attrition rate about the same as the rate of newly minted phds flooding next year's market?; 10:21 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: Email from Terry Nardin informs me that I was regrettably unshortlistable for the NUS job.; 11:05 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: Prediction for next year: Similar number of jobs, worse market because of backlog. For the year after that, slightly more jobs but still worse because of even greater backlog.; 11:06 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: there are still searches remaining that we've heard nothing about:

Alabama
Oregon
Westminster

Anybody know what's going on with these?; 11:16 PM, January 31, 2010
Anonymous said...: The backlog in coming years will be bad, but I bet a bunch of people will leave the academy, and don't forget that we'll be ahead of the curve in terms of publications, teaching experience, and PhD completion.

Still, it's going to be bad.; 8:10 AM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: Those numbers from PSJR are interesting, but they were from back in October. By now, there are more than ten jobs at the assistant professor level. But even if that's accurate, I'm not sure how bad a drop-off from 22 to 10 is. Sure, it's more than 50%, but it's also only 12 jobs for 100+ people on the market.; 11:49 AM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: I just did a quick count of the Wiki this year vs. last year. I count 28 full time jobs hired or still open, with 2 searches closed with no hire. Last year there were 31 junior level hires, with 8 searches closed with no hire.

So it's worse than last year but not by much.; 12:17 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: This year's wiki includes quite a few mixed jobs (pt/comp/etc), quite a few non-tt jobs (Penn St, FIU), and quite a few restricted specialization jobs (Princeton on race, Lehman human rights). I don't remember that there were as many mixed jobs last year, though the cancellation of positions brought the number down.

The number of jobs advertized during the initial ad period was much lower this year, though there have been some good jobs come out since then. My sense is that the job picture is not good, but perhaps not as bad as everyone thought it would be during the fall.

By the way, who did Richmond hire and why doesn't someone post it? If it's the Cherry fellow, will St. Anselm hire a replacement? Are people scared off by the mean and nasty comments about some of the hirings? Don't you think that these people send their work off to be reviewed by similarly anonymous wankers?; 12:32 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: My numbers at 12:17 count the "mixed" and "specialized" jobs but not part-time or visiting jobs. I can't remember if similar jobs were listed on the '08-09 Wiki, so this might bring down the numbers for this market.

The other factor to consider is that this year probably had a higher backlog of people who did not get hired the previous year.

I too would like to know who Richmond hired.; 12:41 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: 11:49 AM, February 01, 2010
"Those numbers from PSJR are interesting...But even if that's accurate, I'm not sure how bad a drop-off from 22 to 10 is. Sure, it's more than 50%, but it's also only 12 jobs for 100+ people on the market."

This one gets the Idiot of the Day Award. Thankfully, you wouldn't be in contention for any jobs #11-22 even if they were available.; 12:49 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: I've been sending out applications for a number of years. I'm afraid to say how many.

I apply only for straight theory jobs and some "liberal arts" or "core studies" generalist jobs.

In a good year, I send out about 50 job applications.

Last year I sent out 21.
This year I'm up to 17.

These are the two worst years in a long time.

Advice for the rest of you: take your one-year jobs, heart-breakers all, and stay focused on reading and writing, developing your own research agenda.; 12:50 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: The University of Geneva, Switzerland, is hiring a political theorist. Their ad says "professeur ordinaire" or "professeur associe," which may mean that it is a senior search, not sure.

Here is the posting:

http://www.unige.ch/ses/faculteSES/emploi/profspotheoriepolitique.html; 1:59 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: 1:59 again.

The link I sent didn't paste well. It's too long to fit on a single line, so here it is on two lines:

http://www.unige.ch/ses/faculteSES/emploi/
profspotheoriepolitique.html; 2:01 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: La FACULTE DES SCIENCES ECONOMIQUES ET
SOCIALES ouvre une inscription pour un poste de

PROFESSEUR-E
(ouverture pour un poste de professeur-e ordinaire, ou
professeur-e associé-e)
en science politique avec spécialisation en théorie
politique
au département de science politique

CHARGE : il s’agit d’un poste à charge complète, soit 6
heures hebdomadaires d’enseignement au niveau du
Bachelor et du Master.
Le-la candidat-e retenu-e développera des activités de
recherche tant nationales qu’internationales dans ses
domaines de spécialisation. Il-elle devra faire état d’un
solide dossier de publications dans le domaine de la
théorie politique et dans des revues scientifiques
internationales réputées. Il-elle aura également la
responsabilité de diriger les travaux de recherche des
étudiants et des doctorants.
Il-elle assumera des tâches de gestion et d’organisation
liées à sa fonction.

TITRE EXIGE : doctorat en science politique ou titre jugé
équivalent

ENTREE EN FONCTION : 1er février 2011 ou date à
convenir.

Les dossiers de candidature, constitués uniquement
d’une lettre de motivation et d’un curriculum vitae détaillé
comprenant une liste de publications, doivent être
adressés avant le 2 avril 2010 au secrétariat du décanat
de la Faculté des sciences économiques et sociales - Uni
Mail, bd du Pont-d’Arve 40 CH-1211 Genève 4, auprès
duquel des renseignements complémentaires peuvent
être obtenus concernant le cahier des charges et les
conditions d’engagement.
Ces renseignements figurent également sur le site internet :
http://www.unige.ch/ses/faculteSES/emploi.html

Dans une perspective de parité, l’Université encourage
les candidatures féminines.; 2:03 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: Received a rejection letter from the Lake Forest College Post-Doc for American Founding Principles.; 4:42 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: Alabama
Oregon
Brown PTP

Silence.

Word verification: minsail, as in you ain't gonna get very far with just your minsail up.; 7:51 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: Did Hawaii make a hire? The rejection letter is frustratingly vague on the subject!; 9:27 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: my hilo rejection letter seemed pretty clear to me that they made a hire.

nothing still on the other searches??; 10:52 PM, February 01, 2010
Anonymous said...: Now I'm wondering why I didn't get the Hawaii rejection. Maybe I'm on some sort of alternate/reserve possible interview list or something. Or maybe my application was so pathetic it didn't warrant the postage of the rejection.; 12:11 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: or perhaps you are just located further away from hawaii than some others, or perhaps there was a backlog in the mail system.

point is they were sent. and it said they made a hire.; 12:23 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: My rejection merely said that the search was "closed".

How am I to interpret this missive?; 1:49 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: I strongly suspect the Hilo job went to the internal candidate.; 2:47 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: "went to the internal candidate."

As it should have.

I was dreading to have to move to that hellhole.; 3:18 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: The Geneva job is at the full or associate level.; 9:52 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: who was the "internal" candidate??; 11:16 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Speaking of places that I don't want to live: has there been any word from Alaska?

There might be fewer jobs this year, but there also seems to be far less information. We have a number of filled jobs and no idea who filled them. It's strange.; 11:36 AM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Considering how successful candidates are talked about here once their name is posted, I am not surprised that nobody wants to brag of their newly acquired job. I imagine these people would prefer to be known for something they will publish in the future, than for their bad hair cut, the bad breath of their academic relations, or how much you hate their advisor.
Now, why their envious classmates don't out them? That really is mysterious.; 12:49 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: I know the so called internal candidate at Hilo, and can confirm that he/she was not offered the job.; 12:51 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: The longer it goes, the more I think the few State jobs left are going the way of the budget: cut, cut, cut!; 12:56 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: The sniping at successful candidates has only happened a couple of times in the past several years on this blog. This year, a candidate's name was listed as accepting a job and then someone posted what many took to be an overly obsequious paean to the candidate's body of work, which was subsequently followed both by questioning of whether the work was exceptional and by some pointed criticism of the tradition within which the candidate operates.

Last year or perhaps the year before, I believe that there was one situation when a highly qualified (meaning 'top pedigree') candidate accepted an offer in the fall for a job considered by many to be an odd one for such a candidate to take. Said candidate quit the job in the spring (before showing up) and there was a bit of bitching about that.

Other than those two, I can't remember much else. There is intermittant criticism among folks with different intellectual commitments (pomo's, Straussians, analytic types, historians, etc.), but, when names are tossed, they're usually either senior or dead. So, I don't why there have been so few names released.; 1:23 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Plus, as the saying goes, "there's no such thing as bad publicity."; 1:28 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: On the other hand, no information is better than bad information...; 1:56 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Saint Vincent College? One of the first deadlines, and still no news?; 3:00 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: I'll take a snipe at this one. St. Vincent's is a Straussian job. If you're one, ask your fellow adepts and I'm sure you can find an answer. If you're not one, you're not getting the job anyway, so don't worry.; 3:01 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Straussian stronghold, operates esoterically. No news means there's actually news: you didn't get the job.; 3:02 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: What about Barry? Wasn't their deadline at least 24 hours ago?; 3:03 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Barry? Isn't that fellow the president now?; 3:10 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: smell the fear. learn to love it.

A couple of years ago, there was a guy (yeah, no way he was a woman) who used to call every other comment an act of "resentment." Figure he'd show up by now.; 3:14 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: I know someone who is on the short list for St. Vincent's who is not a Straussian.; 4:29 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^Is this short list at St. Vincent a list for campus visits, or phone interviews?; 4:31 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: My feeling is that this year is much worse than last year in terms of pure theory jobs. I think there was over 40 jobs last year. Someone said there were usually about 50. I have been on and off the market for almost a decade in the hopes of moving up and this is the worst year. I didn't think last year was so bad.

But, to be optimistic, the state budgets are improving (even in California) and for private colleges the endowments are way up. While there may be a backlog of candidates, there is also a backlog of pent up demand at schools that wanted to hire but couldn't. I am at a state school and although my dept. is not hiring in theory, we have two slots we had given up on in the fall and now think are in the bag for next year and 2011. So, get a one year, get some stuff out and try to stay active in the field. You may get through this with a job yet.; 8:10 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: the state budgets are improving (even in California)

Is this true? Here in Washington State, legislators were recently terrified and depressed by a worse than they'd expect FY 2012 forecast, and there's talk of another round of cuts and possibly furloughs at the public universities (after huge cuts last year). I'm reasonably well connected to people who work in and around state government, and they're as depressed and pessimistic as ever. Maybe WA is unusual in this sense, but I'd be somewhat surprised.

(And any provisional optimism is based on the assumption we avoid the double dip, which is certainly possible but hardly certain. The $8000 first time homebuyer credit goes away, presumably, in April and that may well inaugurate a non-trivial housing slowdown.

There's solid grounds for crushing pessimism.; 8:46 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: Oregon! You're killing me...; 11:55 PM, February 02, 2010
Anonymous said...: "Free Bird" playing on the radio as I got home today reminded me that Alabama's had a month and a half already. I guess those selection committees aren't too motivated to move since it's so much of what they call a "buyer's market".

Anyone out there who's got experience with this stuff have a sense of how long committees usually take? What's a reasonable wait? Are these schools dragging their feet, or is this pretty normal?; 12:14 AM, February 03, 2010
Anonymous said...: Alabama interviews were scheduled weeks ago.; 7:45 AM, February 03, 2010
Anonymous said...: 7:45--unfounded dickishness because you didn't like what you took to be the presumption of 12:14's note or accurate information?; 10:39 AM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: the wording of the hilo rejection makes me wonder if they actually hired anyone, or if they punted.

anyone?; 10:47 AM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: I haven't counted, so this may be a false impression, but it seems to me that a surprising number of searches in the last couple of years have concluded without hires, and not just because of cancelled positions. Anyone want to propound wild theories about why this might be the case? Are we all untalented hacks? Is the field so fragmented that search committees can't agree? Seems perverse for a school not to hire during a glutted market.; 11:35 AM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: Stanford Ethics in Society/ Global Justice postdoc rejections were just sent out.

Cheers!; 12:33 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: "Are we all untalented hacks?"

I'm offended. That's employed untalented hack to you.; 12:39 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: A committee that can't make a hire in this market is an incompetent committee. A failed search is almost always the committee's fault, and it is especially the case in the current situation.; 12:41 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: I tracked this in 2005. There was a strog correlation to ads that mentioned ability to teach REP.; 12:44 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: 12.44 here again: but this year it is clearly the economy, no?; 12:45 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: the Stanford rejections, were they sent snail mail or by email?; 1:40 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: It's too early to tell how many positions this year will be closed without a hire. We did see an abnormally high number last year, as the stock market went down nearly 50% during the peak of the job market season. Yes, that was clearly due to the economy.; 1:56 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: "I tracked this in 2005. There was a strog [sic] correlation to ads that mentioned ability to teach REP."

I'm sorry: what does "REP" stand for?

Thanks.; 2:15 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: race and stuff; 2:22 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here! Well, actually I just got my rejection letter from Valpo, and it came with a pleasant note. I feel better than I have ever felt about not getting an interview (and I'm not joking). Of course, it could be the bourbon talking, too.; 3:09 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: dr. k, i presume?; 3:57 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: Hiram College is advertising an ethics job, but the job description mentions an interest in somebody who teaches and conducts research in "values" and the ad also suggests this could include somebody with a background in political philosophy. I know that political theorists have grabbed jobs like this in the past, so here's hoping one of you can go grab this one. Good luck.; 4:44 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: Assistant Professor, Ethics

Tenure-track Assistant Professor, beginning fall semester 2010. We seek candidates who are trained broadly in theoretical or philosophical ethics and who are committed to teaching of ethics across the liberal arts curriculum. Candidates should have specialization in Ethics, Moral Theory, or Social and Political Philosophy. In addition, we have special interests in candidates who can augment our current offerings in applied ethics, have an interest in bringing ethical reflection to bear on issues of social justice, or service learning and civic engagement, and enhance our ethics across the curriculum initiatives through new course offerings and interdisciplinary team-teaching. Candidate will be expected to teach six courses per year, in Hiram's unique 12-3 semester plan, including regular teaching in our freshmen program; and advise students, and to serve on College committees. Such service will involve work with the Center for the Study of Ethics and Values, the interdisciplinary home for Hiram College's initiatives for integrating ethics into the curriculum and fostering ethical reflection and education. Successful candidates will have demonstrated success in undergraduate teaching, scholarly promise, and interest in the goals of the Center. Ph.D required at time of appointment for the rank of assistant professor. Please send letter of application, C.V., and a teaching portfolio which demonstrates commitment to and success in undergraduate teaching (including syllabi, peer and student evaluations, and a statement of teaching philosophy), a writing sample, transcripts, and three letters of recommendation, electronically to ethicsjob@hiram.edu or by US Mail to Brittany Jackson, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Ethics and Values, Hiram College, PO Box 67, Hiram OH 44234. Please direct questions to Colin Anderson, Chair Search Committee (andersonca@hiram.edu) or Brittany Jackson, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Ethics and Values (JacksonB1@hiram.edu). Review of applications will begin March 10, 2010. Hiram College is a selective, independent liberal arts college located in Northeast Ohio, which emphasizes providing transformative experiences for its diverse student body via teaching excellence and a campus ethos that fosters learning in all of its curricular and co-curricular environments. Further information about Hiram College can be found at http://www.hiram.edu and about the Center for Ethics and Values at http://www.hiram.edu/current/academics/ethics.html and http://excellence.hiram.edu/ethics.html. (posted 2/2/10); 5:36 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: 10:39 - a little from column A, a little from column B...; 5:48 PM, February 04, 2010
Anonymous said...: who dat; 9:33 AM, February 05, 2010
Anonymous said...: Barry?; 9:35 AM, February 05, 2010
Anonymous said...: has anyone successfully typed in that absurd url from the apsanet LSE job listing or found another way to access the job details and application process? or does everyone just email the department?; 5:11 PM, February 05, 2010
Anonymous said...: I copied and pasted the URL. It worked for me.; 6:12 PM, February 05, 2010
Anonymous said...: ah. doi. that'll teach me to work from hard copies.; 10:31 AM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any movement from Brown PTP? Or Oregon?; 1:25 PM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: Received notice from Brown that I made the list of finalists; said they expect to make offers over the next few weeks on a rolling basis.; 4:11 PM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: congrats 4:11. did you receive the notice by email or post?
thanks.; 5:00 PM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: who got the Columbia PT job?

wiki said offer was accepted

word: aging
as in "u are aging too much for the columbia pt job"; 6:44 PM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^I got it by email. (Thanks, although no indication as to how long that list is.); 6:56 PM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: To the people who keep asking for updates about Columbia - look if someone (the candidate, their friends, someone else in the know) wants to post a name, they will. If they don't, I doubt posting rants on the wiki ("BY WHOM WAS THIS ACCEPTED IF IT IS????") is going to help.

(PS Berkeley kids I'm looking at you - the wiki update logs show Bay Area IP addresses); 10:17 PM, February 06, 2010
Anonymous said...: actually, not that it matters, but the ip address on the wiki page shows a bay area ip address for updates to the postdoc page, but the change to the PT section with the obnoxious request about columbia came from somewhere else...; 11:54 AM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: my bad, sorry UCB peeps. original point stands though.; 1:32 PM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: i, for one, thought the postdoc updates were very helpful and would not want to see anyone discouraged from further posts. i really hope people wil continue to post helpful info on the wiki.; 2:33 PM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: Columbia?; 4:01 PM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: I heard from someone at columbia that the position went to a female theorist from Yale; 5:07 PM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: Oregon? Alabama?; 7:24 PM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: Alabama has scheduled interviews, no idea about Oregon; 7:46 PM, February 07, 2010
Anonymous said...: Above it said that Stanford post-docs rejections had gone out. Have people received these? By e-mail? Are offers out already as well?; 9:55 AM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Got a Stanford Ethics/Global Justice rejection by email. I don't know about offers, or what kind of short list/long list there is. Good luck.; 12:52 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ Can confirm (again, for no particular reason) that Stanford rejects went out by e-mail. Yup. Real friendly and personal...oh, no, that part is a lie. Well, it wasn't unfriendly, but it certainly wasn't personal. Says they got "over 200 highly competitive applications". Did everyone else's have the line, "You are a talented scholar and I wish you much success..."?; 1:53 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: So, since I have not been contacted by either Brown or Alabama I can assume that I'm not in the running for either of those and can cross them off my list.

It is difficult to find the words to express my ... delight ... at knowing I don't have to worry about a move to Providence or Tuscaloosa.; 1:57 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: 1:53: About Stanford, sorry to say it, but you asked. So I also got the same line. The problem is that I never applied (I sent something on line and then decided not to send the rest of the material because I actually don't fit their requirements). So yes, it was a formal line and nothing personal.; 1:59 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: hey, stanford rejectees, what email address did those come from, and when? i gotta clean out my inbox (seems more likely that i lost the rejection than that i never got it).; 2:02 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: ... and what did you say your mother's middle name was?; 2:48 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Just received an e-mail rejection from Columbia's Committee on Global Thought. E-mail says "While
we have not yet finalized the fellows for the incoming year, your
application is no longer under review."; 3:52 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Did they really have to let you know that you did not even make their shortlist?; 3:58 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: got the same email from CGT. it's not about the rejectees' feelings, they're publiczing where they are in the process. in fact, where my feelings are concerned, i thought it was a relatively kind note, talking about how much time and effort they recognize you put into the application. not to mention $30...; 4:07 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: 3.52 here again. I agree with 4.07; I thought that the e-mail from CGT was courteous and decent.; 4:18 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: found it. thanks for your help, 2:48.; 5:25 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: About Stanford-- the email wasn't personal, but I for one appreciated the quick turnaround time, both for the acknowledgment of applications and for the rejection. Nowhere else I applied was as professional and respectful.; 10:51 PM, February 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Two year post-doc position in political/legal philosophy, University of Cambridge:

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/jobs/vacancies.cgi?job=6222; 9:20 AM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: i will say three things about applying to oxbridge postdoc/jrf's from a 2nd tier US program:

1) they are very decent about sending rejection notices.

2) they are very quick - and thorough - about sending rejection notices.

3) it has taken me only 6 months to learn not to bother. your mileage may vary.; 11:08 AM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: speaking of oxbridge, has anyone heard anything re:

Trinity Cam
Magdalene Cam
Nuffield Ox

?; 11:32 AM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: i haven't heard from magdalene or nuffield. not sure which trinity competition you're asking about, but i did hear back from churchill on the "Five College" competition, which i took to be a rejection for the whole shebang. trinity may have had others, but i didn't apply.

nuffield, i'm fairly certain, has moved.

for postdocs, i've found better and less snarky info on the postdoc wiki:

http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Humanities_and_Social_Science_Postdocs_2009-2010; 12:06 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: that didn't paste right. anyone with better (any) html skills is welcome to pitch in here. thanks.; 12:07 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: I remember seeing an ad about non TT at Florida International University but can't find it now. Any idea where I can find it?; 1:43 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: they took it down from apsanet.

the deadline is not until march 1, however, so perhaps you can find it on their own HR website or somesuch?; 1:59 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: The Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University (FIU) invites applications for a renewable but non-tenure earning, teaching-intensive Lecturer/Instructor position in Political Theory with a broad interest in undergraduate instruction, particularly political ideologies, ancient and medieval thought, and modern political theory. The start date will be August 17, 2010. Applicants should have a Political Science Ph.D. or expect to have it in hand by that date. Florida International University is part of the 11-university State University System of Florida and is located in the Miami metropolitan area. FIU has a student population of 40,000 and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a "High Research Activity" institution.

The Department of Politics and International Relations at FIU is a signature department in the new School of International and Public Affairs and has more than 30 faculty and more than 1800 undergraduate majors. Full hard copy application packets (with cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of teaching philosophy, three letters of recommendation, graduate transcripts, sample syllabi, and teaching evaluations) should be sent so as to arrive by the deadline of March 1, 2010 to: Professor and Chair Richard S. Olson, Department of Politics and International Relations, c/o DM 430, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199.

Florida International University is a member of the State University system of Florida and is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer.; 3:36 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: Thanks; 3:56 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: Abandoning hope on the TT front. Any word from Smith?; 5:29 PM, February 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: U of Alaska Fairbanks apparently has a shortlist.; 4:57 AM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: 4:57, source? just curious. thanks.; 11:34 AM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: 11:34, Alaska sent an email yesterday saying that they were no longer considering me for the next stage of their search.; 11:39 AM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ooooo, denied by Alaska. That's cold...; 11:40 AM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Has anyone heard from Oregon?; 11:52 AM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: If UAF has a shortlist, it must be a long one. A friend and I both applied, and while neither of us got the e-mail that 11:39 refers to, we also have not heard anything from the people at UAF up to this point.; 11:55 AM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: 11:34, 4:57 here. UAF has begun setting up interviews with referees of candidates. So it is likely that this is "a" shortlist and not "the" shortlist" and that phone interviews and additional rejections could come in the next few weeks.; 12:13 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Who's excited about the River Falls job?; 12:39 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ very helpful, thanks much.; 1:24 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: 11:34, 4:57 here. UAF has begun setting up interviews with referees of candidates

Wait, so they're interviewing the referees? Is this normal?; 2:00 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: yeah, that seems odd. i heard of referees being contacted, usually by email, but setting up interviews sounds a bit unnecessarily loaded, in my opinion.

wonder how people are likely to react to that.; 2:02 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: I know. Seems strange. But they were looking to set up 30-40 minute (!) interviews with two of my referees. I've already accepted a position so I'm out of the running so...the shortlist just got shorter.; 2:22 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Wanting to actually talk to your references is totally reasonable--I know this may be a shock to some people, but it actually happens in every other profession. (Why it's 30 minutes is a different matter...) I think especially in the case of a school somewhere as far away and isolated at AK-F, they want to make sure that anyone they fly out is really serious about the job and knows what they might be getting into.; 2:29 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Good points.; 2:40 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: My references have been contacted several times over the years. Once, because it was a remote location. Another time, to see why I might be willing to move.

I've see it from the other too, for, ahem, different reasons.; 2:48 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: that's other end.; 2:48 PM, February 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: I've been involved in about 10 searches (not just in pol. theory) in my department over the last few years. We always call the references for each candidate on our long short list (7-8 names) before narrowing the list to the 3-4 people we bring to campus. We're very systematic about it, asking the same list of questions each time and only contacting those the candidate lists as references. The conversations are not long, maybe 10 minutes at the most, but they can be helpful.; 10:45 AM, February 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Georgetown has announced the recipient of the Jack Miller Fellowship there: http://www.jackmillercenter.org/2010/02/georgetown-jack-miller-post-doctoral-fellowship-awarded/.

Congrats to Sarah Houser, Notre Dame Ph.D., for her success in this especially tough year.; 11:50 AM, February 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Political Theory, One-Year Replacement Position

The Department of Politics at Bates College invites applications for a one-year, temporary replacement position in political theory at the assistant professor level to begin in September 2010. We will consider strong applicants from all specialties within political theory. The Politics Department has implemented an innovative curriculum which uses concentrations on broad sets of ideas in political science rather than the traditional subfields. We are interested in candidates who enhance the diversity of perspectives in the department and connect with other disciplinary and interdisciplinary efforts at the College. Those applying should show a strong commitment to excellence in research and undergraduate teaching. ABD will be considered, Ph.D. preferred. Review of applications will begin March 12, 2010 and continue until the position is filled.

Please mail a letter of application, curriculum vitae, a writing sample, graduate and undergraduate transcripts, and three letters of recommendation to:

Political Theory, Search R2505
c/o Bates College Academic Services
2 Andrews Road, 7 Lane Hall
Lewiston, ME 04240; 4:30 PM, February 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Uday Mehta to CUNY Graduate Center.; 9:50 AM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: Anybody know if Saint Anselm will advertise for next year?; 11:37 AM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: why don't you apply if they do.; 11:53 AM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^Nice response, asshole. 11:37 asks a legitimate question, considering what happened in this year's job market. I guess what you meant to say was "I don't know"--but I'm not sure why you'd take the time to post that nugget of information.; 1:29 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: What is the difference between salaries that are listed as "competitive" versus "negotiable" on APSA e-jobs?; 2:17 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: Oddly, the rumor that Anslem lost its Cherry to Richmond just won't die. It's time for Anslem to fess up.; 3:49 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: When Anselm originally ran that ad, it was for a longish visiting line that had potential to become TT. They received a grant from a US/NH senator to host a center having to do with presidential primary politics, so the admin was moving people around and the department wasnt quite sure what would happen.

Dont know what's happened in the last two years, but it will probably become a TT line one day in the future, assuming that the person moved to the center doesnt move back to the department.; 4:04 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: They’re Straussians anyway so it doesn't matter, unless you are one of the elect. But then you would already know what is happening if you were an adept, so you wouldn't have to ask.

If only I had sucked at the teat of the Zuckerts, perhaps I would have a job.; 4:15 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: So when is Amherst hiring?; 5:15 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^Yeah, cause sucking at the teat of some Rawlsian doesn't count for anything in the American academy. Your much better off being a Straussian...

Give me a break.; 8:42 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^you're; 8:43 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: OK, you have a break. I'm not that interested in Rawls myself, but at least the Rawlsian types do something that is recognizable as political philosophy whereas the Straussians are glorified journalists.; 9:53 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: I'm sorry to break this to you, but if you're not a Straussian, you're basically a Rawlsian. The American academy doesn't produce anything else.; 11:50 PM, February 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: way to put us in our place when it comes to scholarly diversity. you've got, what, two universities over there?; 12:54 AM, February 13, 2010
Anonymous said...: I'm sorry to break this to you, but if you're not a Straussian, you're basically a Rawlsian.

That's not even close to true. A typical Hopkins/Northwestern/Cornell?Berkeley/Minnesota before the blowup student is very far from being either.; 1:53 AM, February 13, 2010
Anonymous said...: way to take the bait, dudes.; 8:46 AM, February 13, 2010
Anonymous said...: Rawlsians are actually Straussians. Read between the lines. Start with page 204 of TOJ.

The real dichotomy is Straussians versus nihilistic historicists.; 9:15 AM, February 13, 2010
Anonymous said...: I'm a nihilistic historicist, but I'm hoping that the nihil can be put off until my big book is published (and I am certainly trying to avoid immanentizing the eschaton).; 10:57 AM, February 13, 2010
Anonymous said...: Actually, there are three groups in the American academy: Straussians, Rawlsians, and radical theorists.; 1:14 PM, February 13, 2010
Anonymous said...: Duties and Responsibilities: Loyola University Chicago's Interdisciplinary Honors Program invites applications for an instructor beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year. This is a multi-year, non tenure track appointment. The successful candidate will be principally responsible for teaching in our first year seminar -- the Western Intellectual Traditions. This is a team-taught, interdisciplinary year-long course in Western literature, history, politics, art, theology, and philosophy modeled after "great books" programs. It consists of a large lecture (3 credit hours) and small discussion sections (3 credit hours); hence students earn 6 credit hours each semester. The successful candidate would participate in offering some of the lectures, depending on his or her areas of expertise, and in leading two or more of the discussion sections each semester. For more information on Loyola's Honors Program, including course descriptions, please see our website at http://www.luc.edu/honors/index.shtml .

Minimum Qualifications: Excellent teaching is paramount in the Honors Program. Loyola University Chicago's teaching philosophy is guided by the idea of a transformative education (see http://www.luc.edu/transformativeed/). We welcome candidates from various disciplines: our principal interest is in candidates with teaching interests in an interdisciplinary great books program.; 12:22 PM, February 14, 2010
Anonymous said...: A couple of job listings from the UK in the last week that didn't make it on APSA: Those with relevant interests should note the recent posting for a 3 year fixed term position for a theorist at Birkbank College London for someone with "expertise in political and social theory and an interest in its application to international politics". (3/5 application deadline). Also a straight theory position at Warwick (3/10).; 6:38 PM, February 14, 2010
Anonymous said...: There was also a job at Kent in political phil advertsied recently, the LSE job, and, as I understand it, there will also be a junior positon advertised at Essex in the near future.; 6:04 AM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: "Competitive" and "negotiable" are both meaningless adjectives. Look at the salary data for the school, available on the website of the Chronicle of Higher Ed. This will give you an idea of the school's average salary. Then subtract a bit, because you will be coming in at the lowest end of the scale, and because our field is one of the lowest paid.; 8:53 AM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: There are actually two groups of theorists in the American academy: employed ones and unemployed ones. Perhaps if we stopped being so tribal and demand to our colleagues that a good dept. needs to cover the various debates in political theory, there would be more of us in the former category rather than the latter one.; 10:32 AM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Amen, 10:32. We all deal in arguments and interpretations, so let's debate on that level, and foster some future oriented collegiality on the others.; 10:55 AM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ & ^^: Agreed!; 1:14 PM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: 10:32 is exactly right. I'm a single theorist in a 12 TT + 2 full time permanent non-TT department. The department is quite non-dogmatic and theory-friendly, and may grow by a line or two in the next five years. We'll be revisiting the curriculum requirements in the next few years, and I could tailor the political theory portion of the major more or less however I like. My goal, however, will be to grow it in such a way that another theory line becomes sensible and practical. I've also develope a popular non-theory course that means there would be a sacrifice to assigning me all the theory courses (right now a retired faculty member teaches one theory course a year, but that won't go on forever).

Turning this into a two theorist department is more important to me and to our field than not getting to teach small classes of exactly what I want. I very much hope others in similar positions would try to do the same, for the health of our subfield.; 3:05 PM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^But will you hire a Straussian?; 3:33 PM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: you know the job market is bad when you hear about a campus shooting and your first thought is "I wonder if they're hiring soon..."; 3:57 PM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Is that a sign of a bad market or a personality disorder?; 9:45 PM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^Depends. Do you like Hobbes or Rousseau?; 11:57 PM, February 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Not sure what would constitute the "right" answer to that question...; 9:56 AM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Open each book to the middle. There's your answer.; 10:23 AM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: And here we go again--now maybe we can start insulting analytic types, then move to historians in general, and then we can go after postmodernists. After that, let's demean comparative political theory before heading back to the Straussians.; 11:21 AM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^It only took about half a day.; 11:57 AM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: A belated "Happy Presidents' Day" to you all.; 12:36 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any word from Smith?; 1:29 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: You know who I really hate? The Swiss.; 2:02 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^Looks as though Muammar al-Gaddafi has taken over this blog.; 2:43 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ shh... trying to build some minarets here...; 2:58 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any news from Chicago SOF? They had asked for writing samples some time ago and interviews are supposed to be scheduled for March...; 3:03 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: 2. Associate Professor/Assistant Professor in Governance and Civil Society (Ref.: 20100017) (from August 1, 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter, on a three-year fixed-term basis, with the possibility of renewal. The appointee will be considered for tenure after satisfactory completion of a second fixed-term contract.)

Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree and a strong record of research and teaching in the fields of public administration, public policy, political theory, or comparative politics. Preference will be given to those with expertise in one or more of the following areas of study: participatory governance and civic engagement, roles of civil society in policy-making, and theories of civil society and its relations with the state. The appointee is expected to teach courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Review of applications will start from March 1, 2010, and will continue until the post is filled.

Annual salaries will be in the following ranges (subject to review from time to time at the entire discretion of the University):

Professor : HK$897,060 - 1,256,460
Associate Professor : HK$661,980 - 1,023,720
Assistant Professor : HK$504,480 - 779,640
(approximately US$1 = HK$7.8)

The appointments will attract a contract-end gratuity and University contribution to a retirements benefit scheme, totalling up to 15% of basic salary, as well as leave, and medical/dental benefits. Housing benefits will be provided as applicable. At current rates, salaries tax does not exceed 15% of gross income.

For (post 2), applicants should submit a completed application form, a letter of interest that describes their research and training, a curriculum vitae, graduate transcripts, writing samples, a research statement, a teaching statement and teaching evaluations, and arrange to have three confidential references (quoting Ref.: 20100017) sent directly by the referees to the Assistant Registrar (Appointments), Human Resource Section, Registry, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. Further particulars and application forms (152/708) can be obtained at http://www.hku.hk/apptunit/ or from the Appointments Unit (Senior), Human Resource Section, Registry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (fax: (852) 2540 6735 or 2559 2058; e-mail: senrappt@hku.hk). Applicants should indicate clearly which post, field (preferably with reference number) they wish to be considered for. Candidates who are not contacted within 4 months for posts (1A) & (2) and 3 months for post (1B) of the date of their application submission, may consider their applications unsuccessful.; 3:42 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: No news here re: Chicago SOF. They did say second half of February, so I guess it could be any time now...

What about Oregon?; 3:43 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ Obviously it's all about the exchange rate, but how can you NOT take a job in political science that allows you to claim a salary of over a million dollars?; 8:43 PM, February 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^You probably know this and are just taking a piss, but those figures are obviously HK dollars.; 12:18 AM, February 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Hi,

Someone posted above the Loyola U. Chicago Honors Program job. Is there more info. on that?

I couldn't find the listing on Loyola's HR site, the Chronicle, APSA e-jobs, Higher-Ed jobs.

Where is it listed?

Many thanks.; 3:32 AM, February 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ uh, i think that was exactly what his post said, but thanks...; 9:01 AM, February 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: "You probably know this and are just taking a piss."

Tee hee hee. It's taking THE piss, not A piss. Please, if you're going to help yourself to British slang, at least get it right ;-); 9:20 AM, February 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Did Arkansas State ever have on-campus interviews/make a hire?; 2:37 PM, February 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: any word from Barry University? How about Marian?; 5:23 PM, February 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Is there a central website to access postings from the UK?; 9:23 PM, February 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Piss-taker here. YES, I know it was HK dollars. That's why I said "claim" a salary of a million dollars. Because you'd get to say "I make over a million dollars." And that's pretty freaking awesome.; 10:44 PM, February 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: I got a rejection from Westminster yesterday. Anyone know if they interviewed or hired a political theorist?; 11:46 AM, February 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: No word from Barry or Marian here.; 12:18 PM, February 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: I see that others have asked to no avail, but is there any information out there about the position at Smith?; 1:02 PM, February 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: What about Marion Barry?; 5:21 PM, February 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: Marion Barry was the BEST ever DC Mayor
Mayor Mayor Barry forever!
Feds framed him.
The Man framed him.

Obama should of picked him as War on Drugs Czar or VP or somethin; 3:20 AM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: How does someone get 'recruited' by a university when he/she already has a job?

do they just get a phone call or email from the Chair of the interested dept?

or is it a matter of personal networking, campus visits, or a more formal process?; 3:36 AM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: if you build it, they will come...

in other matters, what is the status of Alaska? my committee was contacted last week. does anyone know when they hope to make decisions re: flyouts?; 8:34 AM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: I have a question about late letters. The secretary of my dept kind of dropped the ball a bit and two of my letters may be a day or two late. (just to be clear, I checked with her a week ago on who still needed letters from and she said she had it under control) In this horrible job market, would that be enough for people to ignore my application?; 8:38 AM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: No.; 9:31 AM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^Absolutely not. Even if the committee members started looking at files right away, if they liked yours, they would wait for the letters to come in. And, they would probably blame the letter writer, not the applicant.; 10:55 AM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^fo sho; 12:25 PM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: The only exception would be places that have weird HR rules that prevent considering files that are not complete at the deadline. But those rules are quite rare (esp. in the US), and in most cases when they exist this is pretty loudly signaled in the job ad. (In a way none of the PT jobs this year were that I can recall).; 12:32 PM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: UAF, I can confirm that fly-outs have been scheduled.; 9:35 PM, February 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: don't panic, 8:38. if they like your file and something is still missing, i feel sure they would contact you to get you to fax in your letters.

having a late letter from an advisor is not judged the same as, say, having your cover letter roll in a couple of weeks late.; 5:49 PM, February 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: It still couldn't hurt to email the secretary of the search chair and let them know to expect your letters a couple of days late. Then you should be able to get something back in writing saying that your file is complete and under consideration.; 8:13 PM, February 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: I have applied at one of those schools with weird HR rules, but they found a way to work around it when two of the three letters did not arrive. They could not conduct a phone interview until the letters arrived. But that did not stop them from scheduling a phone interview. In fact, on the day of the phone interview one of the letters still had not arrived and we all sat on conference call talking non-sense until the head of the search committee received an email from my writer. Then the interview began "officially". Stuff about how you're are dressed, late letters, and other marginal issues rarely play a significant role. It's all about your CV and who is making calls on your behalf in a non-official capacity. That's my take, do with it what you would like.; 10:39 PM, February 21, 2010
オテモヤン said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 10:51 PM, February 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Hentai; 4:00 AM, February 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: 201!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(so little left to live for...)

verif: "bangitho" as in, "but would you bangitho?"; 8:52 AM, February 22, 2010

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Political theory and public law job market

1/31/2010

2009-10 Junior Political Theory Jobs Post #4

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