Political theory and public law job market: 2010-11 Junior Theory Jobs Post #2

11/07/2010

2010-11 Junior Theory Jobs Post #2

For: Discussion of all junior political theory jobs advertised in 2010-11.

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.

534 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Carrying over from the last thread, Dartmouth has had campus visits, regardless of the lack of info on the IR blog. In fact, I'd be surprised if they hired an IR person rather than a theorist, if they seriously want someone at the intersection of the two subfields.; 10:31 AM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: I can also confirm that Dartmouth has had at least one campus visit.; 11:13 AM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: If Darmouth has had one interview, than it has probably notified everybody by now.

word verif: disap. I am so disap with this.; 11:43 AM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Wiki says U of Toronto has contacted short list. Can anyone verify?; 11:50 AM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: any word on Claremont, Davis and Barnard?; 1:05 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: I received an email saying that they were "very interested" and requesting more information. I'd say a long-short list at best.

word verification: nosies, as in, I hope this news doesn't get people's nosies out of joint.; 1:10 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^Are you referring to U of T Scarborough? Or one of the 3 schools mentioned by 1:05?; 1:13 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: 1:10 are you referring to toronto?; 1:13 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: 1:10 here. Yes, UT Scarborough. Sorry.; 1:17 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: What about Barnard? Or as a prior poster called it, Bernard's?; 1:43 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any tips on how to teach a class during an on-campus visit? As I would if it were my own class? Or something different?; 1:57 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: why can't I get a job?; 3:11 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Teaching a class for an interview can be an awkward experience. You have no rapport with the students, and it ususally feels contrived and artificial. The students have no stake in listening and learning the material. They will be less engaged.

My advice:

1) When you solicit questions, ask for names and try to remember them. Highlight the fact that you like to get to know your students. If you meet with some before the presentation, definitely remember their names if they are in the class.

2) Make sure your lecture goes somewhere. Give it a theme beyond here is what Hobbes argues in Leviathan. Try to connect it to the rest of the discipline, current events, or to some larger theoretical point. And, make sure you have a conclusion, i.e. this is what we have learned about politics today. The faculty, most of whom probably know little about theory, will want to know that you will be a part of the discipline and fit into the overall curriculum.

3) Since you are giving a teaching demonstration, it is probably a small school that focuses on teaching. Show them your techniques and have hand-outs and the like. Give them something concrete to hold on to. When they deliberate your case, it is always nice to give them something tangible to talk about.

4) Still, be yourself. Don't re-design your teaching style for the interview. The first time you do something, you are usually not great at it.; 3:22 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: teaching demo: for the job I got (and the only teaching demo I've done), I was worried that I was doing too much lecturing (it was probably 80% lecture, 20% structured discussion), but I was praised afterwards for the degree to which I 'took a risk' and asked some open-ended questions in such a high-stakes, foreign environment. I think it worked in no small part because the students felt a bit of pressure, too--after all, all of their professors (this was a class for majors) were sitting in the back of the room.

Good advise above.; 3:27 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: wiki says McMaster has scheduled interviews. Any news about Waterloo?; 3:34 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: On the Waterloo job: the deadline I'm sure has passed, but I wasn't able to find an ad for that job anywhere. Where was it listed?; 3:47 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: As far as I could tell the Waterloo job was only posted on the CPSA list/website. This seems kind of strange, making me wonder whether there was an inside hire or whether the position actually exists. The deadline was Oct. 1.; 3:51 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Nah, it just means they're actually planning to hire a Canadian (unlike UT and McMaster). I suspect the odds of them hiring someone who doesn't have a PhD from Toronto/McGill/Calgary/York is pretty slim; 3:55 PM, November 08, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any word on Denison?; 7:27 AM, November 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: The first VAP ad for the season (so far as I can tell) has been posted, I've copied it below for those who don't have APSA eJobs access.

This seems early. When do VAP ads usually appear? First time on the market so I'm a n00b.

The Department of Political Science at The College of Wooster seeks to fill a one-year visiting position at the level of Assistant Professor, beginning in the fall of 2011. We are looking for a broadly trained specialist in Political Theory to teach introductory and advanced courses in the Political Science Department, and to supervise independent research projects as part of the College’s Independent Study requirement. The successful candidate should have a demonstrated ability to teach courses and advise research projects in modern and contemporary Western political theory.

We prefer candidates who will have completed the Ph.D. in Political Science by the time of appointment and who have had previous independent teaching experience. Applicants should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, evidence of effective teaching (including syllabi and student evaluations), graduate transcripts, and three letters of recommendation to: Kent Kille, Chair, Department of Political Science, The College of Wooster, 1189 Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691. Applications received by
February 1, 2011, will receive full consideration.

The College of Wooster is an independent college of the liberal arts and sciences with a commitment to excellence in undergraduate education. The College values diversity, strives to attract qualified women and minority candidates, and encourages individuals belonging to these groups to apply. Wooster seeks to ensure diversity by its policy of employing persons without regard to age, sex, color, race, creed, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or political affiliation. The College of Wooster is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Employment is subject to federal laws requiring verification of identity and legal right to work in the United States as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Drug-free workplace.

Job Listing Duration
This eJobs ad will run until: February 8, 2011
Subfields
Primary: Political Theory
Areas of Specialization
Area of specialization3: None

Individual to Contact for this Job
Institution Name:
College of Wooster
Name of Department:
Political Science
Name of Representative:
Dr. Kent J. Kille
Phone:
330-263-2456
E-Mail:
kkille@wooster.edu
Departmental Web Address:
http://www.wooster.edu/Academics/Areas-of-Study/Political-Science.aspx
Mailing Address:
1189 Beall Ave
Wooster, OH
44691; 9:24 AM, November 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: The ad is posted a little earlier than most VAP positions, but there really isn't a "season" for them, so to speak. I've seen them go up in August.

Furthermore, the deadline is Feb 1, so by the time they're contacting candidates in mid to late February, most TT searches will be nearing or at their conclusion.; 10:29 AM, November 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: McMaster wrote me telling me to sod off yesterday. It was nice of them not to leave me dangling as so many of the other schools do.; 2:08 PM, November 09, 2010
Anonymous said...: DUKE UNIVERSITY
POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

The Gerst Program and the Duke Program in American Values and Institutions is seeking nominations for a post-doctoral fellowship/visiting professor working on questions of liberty, democracy, ethics, or moral responsibility. We are required by the conditions of the grant that supports the position to consider only those scholars working in the area of pre-twentieth century American political thought and history. Applications should include a letter of introduction that summarizes a candidate’s work, gives some indication of courses a candidate might offer in this area, and plans for research during the fellowship period, as well as a transcript, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. Applications should be sent to

AVI Search
Doris Cross
Department of Political Science,
Duke University
Box 90204
Durham NC 27708

The Fellowship holder will be expected to teach two courses during the 2010-2011 academic year and to participate in the Program’s colloquia and conferences. The Fellowship holder must have degree in hand by August 1, 2010. Applications received by December 15, 2010 will be given preference. Please address any questions to Professor Michael Allen Gillespie, Department of Political Science, Box 90204, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708. Or by email at mgillesp@duke.edu.; 1:32 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Is this a Straussian post?; 1:47 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^No. It is an American political thought post.; 2:00 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: so, yes.

word verif: stras.

i shit you not.; 2:14 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: if you think every "american political thought" post is straussian, you are retarded.

YES THE R WORD BIATCHES; 2:22 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Indeed. I can find no information of the Gerst center per se, but Gillespie is not a Straussian, and Duke is not a Straussian program anymore.; 2:31 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ "Gillespie is not a Straussian, and Duke is not a Straussian program anymore."

Gillespie is about as Straussian as you can get, as is Ruth Grant. Sorry folks, classmates of mine.; 2:43 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Here we go again!; 2:44 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Shall we wade in...Grant repudiated Straussian interpretations of Locke as well as methods of reading him in her doctoral dissertation 20 years ago. Her latest work isn't even in the history of political thought, but a contemporary analysis of the ethics of incentives. To call her a Straussian is ridiculous.

Gillespie is admittedly a tougher call, but he disagrees strenuously with Strauss' positions in his latest publications as well.

Both were trained at Chicago, but Strauss wasn't there at the time (though Bloom and Cropsey were). Both as a result have connections with Straussians today.

There's no reason people working on the a topic the fits the description should avoid applying, no matter there feelings about Strauss or Straussians.; 3:06 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: One of the many, many fascinatingly weird things about the Straussians is how they cling to those who are not part of their cult--even those who, like Grant, pretty explicitly repudiated Straussian readings ages ago. Once you're a Straussian you're a Straussian for life, whether you like it or not. Very, very weird.; 3:13 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Yes. See, for example, Bryan Garsten, who one man is adamant in fixing a Straussian label to, despite the fact that Saving Persuasion is thoroughly non-Straussian.; 3:19 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: OMG. Please make it stop.; 3:26 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: It's not going to stop until we drive this anti-intellectual cult out of the discipline. Happily, the task is about 80% complete.; 3:38 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Start a new thread, get a new fracas about Straussianism.; 4:02 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: OMG. I saw that there were new posts and I thought there might be some actual job rumors. I'm so disappointed to see that it's just a bunch of this Straussian/non-Straussian crap again.; 4:15 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: I am sorry but where do these Straussian haters come from, and why are you all so angry?

For starters, none of you guys screaming understand what Straussians refer to when they say that someone is a Straussian. There is no "Straussian" interpretation of a particular text. There is a way of doing the reading, but not the end result - its a method, not an outcome. Does anyone question that Tom Pangle is a Straussian? I presume not. Yet his reading of Locke fundamentally differs from Strauss's, Cropsey's, and that of most Straussians. Go ask Ruth Grant if she is a Straussian, or Gillespie. And ask all the Straussians who send students to them, or who hire their students. And stop being so angry.; 4:15 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: thank you, adamantly non-angry person.

word verif: bygonst.; 4:20 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: If you study pre-twentieth century American political thought and history then apply for this fellowship. If not, don't apply. It's really that simple.; 4:30 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: DePaul? UC Davis?; 5:09 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: @ 4:15, Straussians do not have a monopoly on close readings of texts. Many people read texts carefully and prioritize text over context, and are not, for all that, Straussians. I suppose Straussians do have a monopoly on non-falsifiable attributions of esotericism, as well as weird numerological shit. You can have it.

Quite apart from issues of method, though, there IS a loose set of substantive claims that can be identified with Straussianism. These have to do (at least) with the relationship between philosophy (understood as a Platonic activity) and the polis, the belief that all true philosophers wrote esoterically, and something about a theologico-political problem.; 5:14 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: depaul person, take a chill pill.

the deadline for that job is over 2 months away!; 5:20 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Speaking of jobs...what sort of things is it worth contacting committees about in terms of updating one's cv? (R and r, acceptance, award, etc.) Or is it not worth doing so in general?; 5:46 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Grant a Straussian? LOL

That's even sillier than Garsten. Look at who she coauthors with. Just 'cuz she came out of Chicago and still writes on "goodness" doesn't mean she didn't leave the Straussian nonsense behind a long time ago.

Hint to those desperate to save Straussians from the dustbin of history--claiming good non-Straussian scholars with some personal connection to a Straussian as "Straussian" may fool a few people for a little while, but it's not going to save your dying cult. (But don't worry--when you finally do fade away for good you can always write one last jeremiad blaming "modernity"; 6:24 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: I admit to being a little bit angry. Not angry, really, but frustrated. It's embarrassing that our profession employs and tolerates these pseudo-intellectual followers of a narcissistic fascist, who pretend to do really close readings which are, on closer inspection, nothing of the sort; just channelling their own preoccupations and reactionary politics through readings of canonical texts. It's the sort of tempting but dishonest substitute for scholarship the rest of us are busy teaching our smart, percocious undergrads to stop doing around junior year. I know it's a historical relic and it's going away, and intellectual freedom means some serious blind alleys (look at our empirical colleagues and the embarrassing several decades they lost to "rational choice theory" ffs), but it really is an unfortunate and embarrassing waste of resources, and it makes it that much harder for actual HPT people to be taken seriously by historians, classicists, philosophers, etc, who are rightly suspicious of what's coming out of political science.; 6:52 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: I think anyone who uses the term "narcissistic fascist" to refer to a a fairly conservative Jew, whose so-called "followers" are also often Jews, is both angry and delusional. When the job opens up at U Penn be sure to apply, and send a personal note to Anne Norton.; 7:29 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: I thought this was about jobs.; 7:31 PM, November 10, 2010
administrator said...: ENOUGH! Take the Straussian discussion to the GD thread if you must continue it at all. I will simply delete further posts on the topic in this thread.; 8:51 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Admin is clearly a Straussian.; 11:36 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ about bloody time; 11:38 PM, November 10, 2010
Anonymous said...: Thanks Admin. Perhaps you could erase the posts as well? It might discourage all this garbage.; 2:13 AM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Agreed. Perhaps the Straussians and anti-Straussians should start their own website to track who counts as Straussian. Then the rest of us can focus on important gossip.; 8:44 AM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Can we talk about who does and does not count as a Rawlsian next?; 9:34 AM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ they used to have that: straussian.net

It was run by BC grad students.; 9:35 AM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Yes, I imagine that *only* grad students who lived before the common era would have found that sort of thing interesting.; 9:46 AM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Don't forget that taping your glaases together is not a long-term solution.; 11:59 AM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: What marks the beginning of the "common era" again?; 12:00 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: I take it by the resuscitation of the Straussian is-not/is-too nonsense that no one has any news on any job searches?; 12:06 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any news about St. Mary's? Wiki says that they've short listed candidates - but have they actually had/scheduled flyouts yet?

Also, UMBC's deadline recently passed. I assume it's too early for news, but anyone care to prove me wrong?

Still nothing on Barnard?; 12:13 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Just received a request for additional materials from U of Richmond (the Leadership Studies position).; 12:23 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Have any of these jobs actually made appointments yet? All we've had from any of them is talk of phone interviews and campus visits, but none seems to have offered anyone a job yet. Is that true?; 1:16 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Barnard in about another week or so.; 1:19 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ what in another week or so? will make calls?; 1:22 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: As for offers, there was that rumor a while ago that Lafayette extended an offer -- from that other, suspicious board (something about a candidate from an East-Coast top-10).

Of course, this has been uncorroborated and came out so early as to be implausible. Maybe true? But probably not.; 1:33 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: 12:23 (request for additional info from Richmond), care to tell us your specialty? Their posting was quite general. Would be interested to know where they're headed.; 1:36 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: we will hear something in a week or so; just relax; 1:59 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: 1:59, we'll hear something re: what?; 2:02 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: I'd like to add to this pool of useful information (because it makes me feel big to appear to be "in the know"): it may (or may not) be true that a college (or a university) may (or may not) be making calls (extending an offer/canceling a search) to a candidate who is male (or female) from a top 10 (or top 50) school on the east (or west) coast.

Now how's that for a fucking rumor!?!; 2:25 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: re St Mary's: Campus visits have been scheduled and are currently underway.; 4:08 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^That's not an accurate rumor. I heard the school might be in the Midwest.; 4:16 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: @2:25: But will it be to a Straurawlsian or a Rawlstraussian? ABD, just filed or lateral? American or from overseas? So many questions...; 4:34 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Wow, you really have to wade though a lot of crap on this blog to get to, well, more and more crap. What a sewer.; 5:28 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: Sorry, precious. That must be so hard for you...; 5:36 PM, November 11, 2010
Anonymous said...: I really wanted to apply to the Richmond job, but I couldn't bear the idea of teaching under the star of "Leadership."

Can't we just let all flowers bloom?; 12:08 AM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: 12.23 here, in response to 1.36: no idea where the Richmond search is headed. I would not define my work under a 'leadership' rubric (though I tried to make a case for it in my application). My work is more on the HPT side, with gestures to contemporary PT concerns.; 9:04 AM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: Also received an email from Richmond requesting more information (I am not 12:23). Unclear what they are looking for, but I also do mostly HPT.; 10:00 AM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: A correction to the Duke Post Doc announcement: the date one must have completed all requirements for a PhD is August 1, 2011. FYI. The current person holding this position received his PhD at Indiana and worked at the interface of American Politics and American Political Thought.; 10:09 AM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: Question from a neophyte: What is the significance of some candidates being asked for further information? Does that mean, in essence, that there's a long short list and those who aren't asked for info aren't on it (and should therefore direct their neurotic hand-wringing energies elsewhere)?; 10:17 AM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Most likely, yes. The request is most commonly made of 8-20 top candidates.

However, in some cases, it could be different. Say, for example, a job asks for a writing sample. The writing sample of candidate A is impressive, and she makes the shortlist. Candidate B is also strong, but the committee is split on his writing sample, so they ask for another one.

However, this scenario is pretty rare. Usually, it's the case of all long short list people recieving the request, which means not getting it substantially increases the chances that you're out of the running.; 11:05 AM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: Actually, it doesn't increase the chances that you're out of the running (which are independent of your receiving or not receiving the email). It just reveals that the chances of you being out of the running are higher than you might otherwise have thought.

And yes, I have too much time on my hands. Sorry.

Word verif: fatio. As in, if I keep sitting on my ass posting snide things on here, I'm going to turn into a real fatio.; 12:23 PM, November 12, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any news on Barnard College?; 12:59 AM, November 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^I doubt the news early Monday morning is any different from the news Friday evening.; 7:16 AM, November 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Christopher Newport did phone interviews. Have they arranged fly outs?; 11:26 AM, November 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Of the legions of the lost ones, of the cohort of those canned,
Of the ones I sent to Oxford overseas--
Sing, goddess, of my vitae, for I am spurned although I’ve crammed
In my tt search in dog-damned pol theory.
Yea, a searcher in pol “theory” who has chased the golden query,
By the dog! I guess I went the course purblind.
For I was man among men when I held the TAs pen,
But committees now are something less than kind.
We’re poor little lambs who’ve lost our way.
Baa. Baa. Baa.
We’re crammed theorists who will write for pay.
Baa. Aah. Aah.
Gentlepeople-rankers, not in contemporary,
Damned from Plato to eternity.
Baa. Ya. Baa.; 9:20 PM, November 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Nice!; 10:46 PM, November 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Whoa, it's gettin' thick and Yalie in here...; 11:05 PM, November 15, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any developments on the Barnard front?; 11:06 AM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Barnard calls went out last week, campus interviews scheduled.; 3:52 PM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Another one falls. Hope dwindles ever more. Any word from Claremont McKenna? Any actual offers yet?; 4:45 PM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Flerking shnit!; 6:44 PM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: CMC only closed a month ago, so hold on for a bit...; 6:59 PM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: Hobart and William Smith?; 8:42 PM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: What about them?; 10:23 PM, November 16, 2010
Anonymous said...: HWS - short-list, or so one person who claims to be on it says.

Any word on UC Davis and Dartmouth (not the alleged interviews, but actual news)?; 1:19 AM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Why are the alleged interviews at Dartmouth not actual news?; 9:49 AM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: is the barnard rumor confirmed?; 1:36 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any word on Claremont or Davis?; 1:49 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: without wanting to break anonymity, I can confirm the barnard rumor.; 2:11 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: One undergrad that I spoke to at Dartmouth knew nothing about the interviews yet, so that suggested the rumor was not accurate.; 3:10 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Goucher has made an offer.; 3:15 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^Are the undergrads involved in the hiring process there? I've heard directly from people that are interviewing.; 3:49 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Why would an undergraduate have inside information on the stage of a search? Even at my very undergrad-centric institution that would not be the case.; 4:16 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^^ if word on the street is correct, goucher ain't the only slac to have made an offer.; 5:35 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: undergrads would know because they would be invited to the talks - talks at these schools are public.; 5:37 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: 5:35 - care to indulge?; 5:46 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re: Dartmouth and students as a source of info

At least a few years ago, there was a Dartmouth student committee that would meet with each of the the invited candidates and present their recommendations to the faculty. So students can be a reliable source of info if they are that committee. (In fact, a lot of schools are like this, I think.) However, there is no guarantee that the candidate talks will be widely advertised or known among the undergraduate majors in general. The fact that a student or Government major at Dartmouth has not heard about a talk probably means little to nothing.; 7:21 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Goucher offer accepted - another job to a Georgetown Ph.D.; 7:27 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: 7:27: once an offer has been accepted, names are accepted on this board. So, if you care to share, I'm sure many of us would be interested in knowing.; 7:43 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: The Goucher offer has not yet been accepted.; 8:17 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: Go Hoyas!; 8:34 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: I can say with 100% certainty that at least one person has given a job talk at Dartmouth.; 8:50 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: And *I* can say with 100% certainty that that might or might not be true.; 10:50 PM, November 17, 2010
Anonymous said...: The wiki reports that UMBC has contacted its short list and is scheduling interviews. Can anyone here confirm?; 8:12 AM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: UMBC is scheduling campus visits for early December.

Any word on Davis?

Has LMU made an offer yet?; 8:49 AM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Yeah -- if Goucher has moved, then what about the others with the same deadline? LMU? Lafayette? St Mary's? Can I finally, definitively cross these off?; 9:26 AM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Et tu, UMBC?

Dang it.; 9:52 AM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: 9:26, I don't understand why you would still have had any hope about those searches anyway.; 11:23 AM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: To quote the great philosopher Aragorn, aka Strider, "There is always hope."; 12:23 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: To quote the great playwright, Tennessee Williams, "Screw you."; 12:38 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This whole "Can I safely cross it off my list" thing is silly.

Yes, once a long short list exists and you're not on it, the odds of you getting the job become pretty infinitesimal. But when you cross the job off your list is utterly irrelevant to anything. There's no "fear" of doing it too soon, because the search committee has no access to your "list" so if they decide to go back to the pool, they're likelihood of calling you doesn't change a bit. Furthermore, weird stuff might happen. A candidate might accept a job, only to then die (this actually happened at a University I once worked at. The went back into the pool in March b/c the candidate they initially hired died and the rest of the short list was off the market. The candidate who eventually got the job was not on our radar at all initially (not among the 25 or so files we initially gave a closer look), but he ended up being an excellent and productive colleague.

Why you people have this psychological need to "cross of your list" certain jobs at a certain point in the search is baffling to me. Just do it as soon as you send out the applications--then anything good that happens is a wonderful and pleasant surprise!; 12:44 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: i have a daily morning ritual that involves burning my "list."

i then use the ashes to "cross off" my soul.

it keeps things fresh around here.; 12:48 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: My first year on the market, I was told in late fall explicitly by a committee that a candidate had accepted their offer and the position was closed. Months went by. Then in the spring I got a call out of the blue asking if I could come immediately for an interview (presumably their candidate reneged and took a better offer somewhere else). A week later they made me an offer. It's probably a good idea to start thinking about backup plans, but miracles do happen and you should always be prepared for that call.; 1:12 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Yeah. And as Gimli would say to Tennessee Williams, "Suck it."; 1:15 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Claremont has scheduled their fly-outs (4 total). Davis has decided on their fly-outs (5) which are happening now.

David's decision will be coming in December or before Christmas it seems. Claremont will perhaps take longer.; 5:06 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Fuck. That is all...; 5:16 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^These are amazingly detailed rumors. So: you know that CMC and Davis have scheduled flyouts, how many both search committees are bringing to campus, and when the committees will decide.

Is this bullshit? Who are you?; 5:18 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: I know at least one of these rumors is correct, so I'm assuming the other is as well.; 5:29 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^^ I second that. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck. If all this is true (perhaps a big 'if'), the wiki could use some serious work. And I have pulled a clean O-fer, so far.; 5:31 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 5:33 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 5:53 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 6:08 PM, November 18, 2010
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Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 6:45 PM, November 18, 2010
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Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 7:50 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: I was the 5:06 poster. The Claremont and Davis info is accurate to the very best of my knowledge. I spoke with an applicant to claremont who learned I guess today or really recently of the flyout (he was not flown out himself, another person in his department was).

Sorry to all for whom this is bad news. I feel bad almost for posting to this board.

Best of luck. And maybe less Straussian bashing? Kinda hysterical aren't we?

But yeah, Claremont is pretty Straussian. Davis not so much.; 8:03 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 8:08 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 8:16 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 9:46 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 9:48 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 9:51 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: It's true that Davis is already doing its fly-outs. And despite the constant Strauss clan-bashing on this board, the five people who were invited to Davis actually represent a nice mix of ideologies and methodologies within theory. If only all schools were so open-minded.; 10:20 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Just as I suspected. They want someone who can publish in serious journals. Everything else is pretty much irrelevent.; 10:35 PM, November 18, 2010
administrator said...: Oh for pity's sake.

This is the junior job rumors thread. There is a GD thread for you to carry on the conversation about Straussians, if you must. If you guys don't stop arguing every single time a post references Straussians in any way, I'm going to start deleting posts on this thread that make references to Straussians.; 10:52 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: Re 5:06 PM, November 18, 2010 - most likely this person is being interviewed at both places (vs. being a professor or some sort of b.s. that someone else wrote).; 11:00 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ STRAUSSIANS!!!!!!

Just testing...; 11:34 PM, November 18, 2010
Anonymous said...: the administrator is being a bit ridiculous - yes, some people get out of control here, but there is no need to delete the posts (they did not say anything that bad). yes, cmc is likely to interview straussians, if not all, then probably most. thats not that shocking. thats no different than the fact that say berkeley is likely to interview liberal lefty post-modernists. davis is likely to interview a mix of people - a straussian or two, and a couple of people who read the history of political philosophy in some other way, but still read the history (e.g., someone who studied with hannah pitkin) (those folks may claim they are not influenced by strauss, but they should go back to see what political science departments did circa 1950, but thats a different discussion to be had). there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying any of these things. it is a bit off-base to scream and yell in anger about not getting an interview (as some did here, in comments that were deleted) - it makes you look like a fool, and explains why you were not interviewed.; 2:10 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: thats no different than the fact that say berkeley is likely to interview liberal lefty post-modernists.

1. Berkeley is not hiring.
2. Berkeley only has one person who fits that description in their theory group, and there's some reason to believe she might not be around the next time they search.

For better or for worse, I don't see any reason to believe the situations are analygous. Berkeley has significant diversity in their theory group, CMC obviously does not.; 7:53 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: And now, back to your (ir)regularly scheduled rumors....

Any news/insights on the Susquehanna interviews reported on the Wiki? Is this for sure?; 9:34 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: Gongrats to the person who got the Goucher job. Any other offers out yet? St. Mary's, Lafayette, LMU?; 10:32 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: Landing an interview is very difficult, but blowing one is very easy. I observed the following mishaps where the candidate blew his/her chances despite a good overall performance:
-The candidate meets members of the faculty, gets bored at the end of the day talking the same stuff, and acts weird with one of the faculty member. That member reports this to the chair
-The candidate is deferential to senior faculty and search committee members, but somewhat cynical or condescending with the junior faculty.
-The candidate presents his/her dissertation in the job talk, but does not explain the significance of the work, expects everybody to be as much excited as him/her, ignores the fact that most political science faculty cares not much about metatheoretical discussions.
-The candidate keeps talking about herself and her achievements and annoys everybody. We have your CV, don't we?
-The candidate looks overconfident or cocky and annoys everybody
-Remember that eventually, especially in small departments, people has to embrace you as a new colleague.
-The candidate ignores students present at the job talk.; 10:55 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ I'm preparing for an interview myself, and found that very helpful. Thanks. Keep it coming.; 11:01 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: About crossing off the schools:

I am a junior faculty at a small department. We hired two new people in the last two years. In both incidents, the committee called 3 candidates and they were disappointing. Subsequently they called a fourth one in late spring, who was just wonderful (and always available).; 11:03 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: Another:
The female candidate looks and acts sexy, totally putting off other females in the department and loses her chances.; 11:10 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: I can confirm that the Susquahanna interviews are scheduled.; 11:11 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^Are you f-ing serious?; 11:48 AM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: academics are no different from most people in the world, and, if anything, seem worse to me, when it comes to small mindedness, petty jealousies, physical insecurities...; 12:02 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: maybe the committee-members were straussians.; 12:09 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: "Berkeley has significant diversity in their theory group?"

Really? Show me three person at Berkeley in social science and humanities who gave money to a Republican candidate for President in 2004 and / or 2008, and then I am happy to discuss diversity.; 1:13 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: name me three academics at top institutions anywhere in the country for that matter that voted for the palin ticket.

the amazing thing about berkeley theory is that one knows for sure how one, maybe two, of the full-time theory faculty voted in the elections last year. so anyway, i think the previous poster was talking about diversity in approaches to pt - that, surprise, don't divide along republican/democratic lines.; 1:24 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: you do not need to know how people voted - you can look at their donations. i can easily name top institutions where there people voted for a palin ticket - not to mention that 47% of the country did too so maybe not to condescending about it. the idea that berkeley p.s. department is in any way diverse is simply crazyu - its probably the single most one sided place of the major 50 universities that i can think of.; 2:54 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: This is worse than the Straussianism discussion.; 2:56 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: no kidding. when voting for palin becomes a benchmark for diversity, we're through the looking glass.; 3:15 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^ AGREED. I wasn't going to post this, because it's 3d-hand information -- but anything is better than this Berkeley-related awfulness. So all grain of salt caveats apply. But word has it that Lafayette has made an offer. And no. I won't post the name.; 3:39 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: does anyone who knows the identity of interviewees/offerees thus far know how much overlap there has been between lists? are there a few folks getting all the action, or is it pretty well spread around?

word verif: ballysac; 3:45 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: Really? Show me three person at Berkeley in social science and humanities who gave money to a Republican candidate for President in 2004 and / or 2008, and then I am happy to discuss diversity.

I posted the comment earlier, and I think you misunderstood me. I did not mean "diversity" in the sense of political views, nor did I mean "diversity" in the sense of racial, ethnic, gender or other identity-categories. I was referring to diversity regarding the different approaches to political theory scholarship represented in the department. Currently, the theory cohort at Berkeley includes different stripes of historical scholars (Stimson, Hoeskstra), , contemporary analytic normative work (Song), critical theory from Brown, and of course the many sides of Mark Bevir's work. Intellectually, it is a diverse group, based on the parameters of how political theory is practiced today, even if the Straussian school is not currently represented. I did not mean to make a claim that their diversity extended to the political parties they are members of, as I would not have any reason to know that. It never occurred to me it was important or relevant to the point I was making. Still, I apologize for the confusion if that was unclear.; 3:57 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ this sounds a lot like a "general discussion" kind of topic. perhaps it would make sense to move the conversation over there.; 4:00 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: actually its not a general discussion topic at all- its precisely the sort of stuff students should consider when deciding where to go to graduate school. more of that type of a discussion than strauss bashing would be useful.; 4:05 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^excellent -- there's a thread for that, too! it's helpfully entitled "prospective graduate students post"... and you can find it on the main page.

glad to be of service!; 4:10 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: Any further news on Richmond?; 4:13 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: No news from Richmond since last Thursday, when they had asked me for a writing sample. Anyone else who was also asked for a sample, any news?; 4:22 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: One more on interviews:

-The candidate who just got his/her PhD boasts: "and that is what I discuss in my book". Really? Your dissertation is not a book. It is not even a forthcoming book unless you have book contract from a publisher. You can call it "manuscript" may be, but we all know that you're talking about your dissertation.; 8:10 PM, November 19, 2010
Anonymous said...: another 3rd hand rumor: the person Lafayette hired voted for Palin.; 7:53 AM, November 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: this is only a 5th hand rumor, but the person Lafayette hired *is* Sarah Palin.; 10:09 AM, November 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: Aaaaaghgh! You know the rules! No names!!!; 11:19 AM, November 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: Nope. Names are ok once the offer has been accepted. So it's official: Sarah Palin to Lafayette.

Word verif: polyzahs. It's fun to say.; 2:41 PM, November 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: Just a note following up on someone's comment (much) earlier. If a Canadian job is only advertised on the CPSA list serve, that's usually because the people posting it are clueless about how things work in the US. I'm a US trained Cdn at a Cdn university and I was pretty shocked by how out-of-the-loop my colleagues were about how to hire a top candidate. No department I know of is committed to hiring a Canadian over the best US or foreign trained candidate. Just sometimes the faculty gets a bit... provincial and don't know how things work. DEFINITELY apply to those jobs, especially if your from a prestigious US or UK school since you'll be competing against a smaller and much weaker applicant pool.; 3:16 PM, November 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: U of Toronto has contacted the long-short list. No interviews scheduled yet.; 3:17 PM, November 20, 2010
Anonymous said...: What I've learned so far: I still have hope that the person offered the job will *die*.

Also: a stray mention of a school not even offering a job this year will lead to a long discussion... Let's definitely post names of candidates!; 10:01 AM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: Yes - or be elected president. Either way, they'll probably have to run another search in the near future.; 11:54 AM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: So what do people think of the U Wisconsin-Superior job? Will it draw a diminished applicant pool because of its arctic and remote location?; 1:33 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ In this job market, ya right... seems to me like people want everything: a Ph.D., a teaching career, and a good place to live - well something has to give, no?; 4:47 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ It's really not a bad place to live. Duluth is a bit remote, but it's nicer and prettier than most midwestern towns of that size.

It'll get about 10 fewer applications than the early jobs because the people who accept offers by January won't apply. More likely the numbers might be supressed by the 4/4 load and the weird selection of additional courses they want with the position--I'm probably going to apply, but I'm not really qualified to teach research design courses. I'm sure I could throw something together if it comes to that.; 4:50 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: I live in a midwestern town, and I'd trade my climate for Duluth's in a heartbeat. Longer and colder winters would be a small price to pay for those lovely mild summers. I'm a wuss, I know, but I can't stand these hot humid midwestern summers. If I made more money I'd get a cabin in Maine or Washington or Duluth or something and spend my summers there.

word verification is 'assmoan'; 4:53 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: neophyte question: If you give a job talk about dissertation research at an LAC for an audience of faculty and undergrads, (how) should your talk differ from one written for an R1 audience?

word verification: makstr, as in, I am the makstr of making up lectures about topics I ought to know better...; 9:02 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: I could probably live with the climate (maybe), but I definitely cannot live with a 4-4 teaching load. I will not be applying.; 10:17 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: So I take it you have another year of funding or marketable non-academic skills? If so, I think you're one of very few people on the job market this year for whom this is true. Jobs like UW-Superior will get many, many applications, though I agree that the non-theory requirements might dissuade some in this particular case.; 11:55 PM, November 21, 2010
Anonymous said...: Rejection e-mail from Toronto; 5:50 AM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: It's always nice - and I'm not being sarcastic - to get a rejection email. Beats hearing nothing for 6 months or until the following fall when the new hire is on the website.; 8:18 AM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^^It came out recently that they contacted a short list for more materials. I'm curious to know whether you received notice you were being considered for a fly-out and then got a rejection following that, or whether this is a generic rejection.; 8:29 AM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: I received a generic rejection email from Scarborough on the 19th of November. Before that they'd sent a generic email asking for reference letters, since they'd previously asked only for referee contact info.; 9:44 AM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: So Goucher and Lafayette have made offers? Congrats to both. Any other offers? LMU, St. Mary's? Where is Wisconsin in its search?; 12:13 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^I meant congrats to the offerees, but I guess congrats to the schools as well.; 12:42 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: Can anyone else confirm that HWS has alerted its short list? I don't see it updated on the wiki, which is allowing me to hold on to a shred of hope...; 3:04 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ Can confirm that some individuals were contacted at time of submission of applications, but not everyone.; 3:31 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: UW interviews are ongoing. I have also heard that one of three tenure cases there is in jeopardy, so there may be still another search in theory next year.; 3:33 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: ^ ouch; 3:46 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: That's pretty juicy - especially given how easy it is to figure out who you're talking about.; 4:07 PM, November 22, 2010
Anonymous said...: Which UW has 3 tenure cases on going? All in theory?; 4:11 PM, November 22, 2010

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Political theory and public law job market

11/07/2010

2010-11 Junior Theory Jobs Post #2

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