Follies (Signifying Nothing: how does saying nothing at all become so loud?)

Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Follies

Is it just me, or does the combination of an hour-long research presentation and teaching a 75-minute undergraduate class seem like a bit much for a campus interview? I guess teaching other peoples’ classes is just karmic reward for cancelling my own classes while on these ~~junkets~~ interviews.

In other “interview follies” news, I’m currently playing email tag to arrange another phone interview for a one-year job in the Midwest. As it turns out, today is also a crunch day in the Spreadsheet of Death, with about a half-dozen application deadlines spread around the next week or so—my part in these applications is all done, but presumably this is the point where serious application triage begins at the recipients’ ends (and, from a self-interested perspective, where competing offers might be most useful).

Finally, my name showed up in an ad in the campus newspaper today; to my disappointment, I was not identified as a member of David Horowitz’s enemies list in the SAF’s full-page ad—instead I was merely being recognized as one of the honorees at this evening’s HOPE Banquet.

6 comments:

Any views expressed in these comments are solely those of their authors; they do not reflect the views of the authors of Signifying Nothing, unless attributed to one of us.

1. Scott wrote @ Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 7:49 am CST:

“Is it just me,”

…yeah, it’s just you.

Actually, although doing the presentation and giving the lecture have an overlapping skill set, the research presentation isn’t really about the “presentation.” Therefore, the overlapping skills are moot…or at least less important.

The research presentation is about whether you have an active research agenda, a litmus test of whether you are full of BS about the position advertised for (you are interviewing for a US institutions job that you claim to be qualified for and your research presentation is on the tensions produced by the question of whether God exists in Kierkegaard’s versus Sartre’s existentialism…something fishy there), and how you interact with colleagues.

Of course…maybe it’s just a hazing ritual….

2. Chris Lawrence wrote @ Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 7:55 am CST:

I don’t mind doing the two things, although I believe that a good research presentation should be pitchable at undergraduates—it’s more the 75-minute class (versus 50-minute) that I find slightly annoying.

At least it’s not a totally new prep; I can dig out my intro notes on parties for it.

3. Chris Lawrence wrote @ Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 7:58 am CST:

As for the job description… well, I’m not sure I fit the published description (which featured the term “public law” rather prominently), but I think they’re willing to take pretty much any warm-bodied Americanist. Since I am vaguely exothermic and nominally an Americanist, I guess that makes me qualified.

4. Scott wrote @ Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 8:27 am CST:

Do you prefer 50 minute classes?

I REALLY prefer 75min. However, with respect to your post, 75 min could seem like an eternal death if your 75 min has built in discussion points, but all the students at “College You’re Trying To Impress” sit in determined and sulking silence.

We better be careful, Munger is going to chime in again carping at us to IM. :)

5. Chris Lawrence wrote @ Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 8:57 am CST:

In an interview situation, the shorter the better IMHO. Normally I prefer the 75-minute jobs, but that’s with students I actually know. I don’t think I’ve even taught a 50-minute class since Ole Miss (and maybe not even there…).

Munger… who does he think he is to be bossing me around? Oh, yeah, never mind!

6. Rick Almeida wrote @ Wed, 1 Mar 2006, 10:42 am CST:

I definitely like the 50-minute class for the demo class portion of an interview…it’s easy to play one of your greatest hits, and the 25 fewer classroom minutes makes it much easier to impress students & faculty, IMO.

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