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Irish Jobs 2011[]

Concordia University, Montreal[]

The School now invites applications for one tenure-track position in any period of Irish Literature and/or the Literature of the Irish Diaspora. The ideal candidate will have a completed PhD, a strong research and teaching profile, a demonstrated multidisciplinary approach to his/her own subject as well as a broad interdisciplinary conceptualization of Irish Studies. In addition to teaching courses in Irish Literature, the successful candidate will be expected to play a central role in the further expansion of Irish Studies at Concordia University. We anticipate filling this position, at the rank of Assistant Professor, for July 1, 2011.

Applications must consist of a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, copies of recent publications, a statement of teaching philosophy/interests, a statement of research achievements, and evidence of teaching effectiveness. Candidates must also arrange to have three letters of reference sent directly to

Dr. Michael Kenneally, Principal, School of Canadian Irish Studies Concordia University 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8 Michael.Kenneally@concordia.caThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Applications should reach the School no later than December 6, 2010.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. Concordia University is committed to employment equity.

LINK

Deadline: Dec. 6

Acknowledgment received: 12/13 by email (x3)

Request for Additional Materials:

Rejection Letter: Received March 10

Phone/MLA interview scheduled:

Campus interview scheduled: [campus interviews are currently scheduled]

--any more details? No phone interviews?
A: No, sorry. That is all I know. One person has already given a campus interview, and two more are on their way. I just thought people would like to know.

--yes, thank you; that's kind.

--so, anyone know why rejection letters taking are so long to go out? anyone know if they have someone in mind for this job? any clues as to what they were looking for? a big name?

--well, PhD in hand for one and "copies of recent publications" [plural!!]... so not ABD or beginning Assistant?

--annoyingly enough, I have plural publications and have heard nothing.

--erg, I'm sorry. Concordia looks like a great place to be, too...

--thanks. but why do these places try to make it look like they couldn't find their arses with both hands?

--Most Canadian schools invite 3-4 finalists to campus. It's standard to send out rejections only once an offer has been made, accepted, and contract signed. Annoying yes, but, at the same time, there's always the slim chance that candidates flub the visit and the committee will move on to a reserve pool rather than calling a failed search -- not probable, but possible.

--indeed. but i'd like to know what they were looking for in a finalist for this search. something is not sitting right with me: why multiple publications for an assistant position? and in concordia, which is no mcgill? i'm beginning to suspect that they had somebody already in mind.

  • I feel like if they'd had someone in mind, the call would've been more specific--ie, not "any period."
  • The short answer is that they can get candidates with multiple publications at the assistant level. It's a 2-2 load with competitive pay and generous internal research support, especially vis-a-vis US and UK institutions. There is usually just one round of interviews, so there is no early stage at which to let people know they've been cut from consideration. (As for it being "no McGill" -- well, perhaps that cuts more than one way. For future reference, that attitude is an instant killer in job letters.)

--no actual info then?

Offer made:

Offer accepted:

NOTES AND QUERIES:

Fordham University[]

LINK

Twentieth Century British and Irish Literature, Fordham University: Tenure-track assistant professor, Ph.D. in hand by August 2011. The successful candidate will be prepared to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in modernism as well as courses within Fordham's core curriculum. A strong secondary field is welcome, especially in modern drama and film. Please send an application letter, curriculum vitae, and a 20-page writing sample electronically to 20thcsearch@fordham.edu . Applications received by November 5 will receive full consideration; review of application ends on November 12.

Deadline: Nov. 5-12

Acknowledgment received: Oct 26; by email 11/9 (x2)

Request for Additional Materials: dossier request via email 11/16

Rejection Letter:

Phone/MLA interview scheduled:

Campus interview scheduled:

Offer made:

Offer accepted:

NOTES AND QUERIES:

  • Cross-posted at Modern British 2011
  • Any thoughts on whether Twentieth-Century here actually means only modernism (ie not post-1945)? If I specialize in contemporary but *could* teach undergrads modernism, is it worth an application?
  • They do seem especially interested in modernism, but there can't be any harm in giving it a shot. Anyone know why this wasn't posted on the MLA JobList? Is it some sort of stealth posting?
  • Could be: emailed apps, no refs requested, no MLA interview, and a funny parenthetical s in the line: "finalist(s) will be invited directly for a campus visit"
  • Acknowledgement said that phone interviews will be scheduled for the third week of November.
  • Just saw this; like an eejit did not check out wiki until today. Why wasn't it on MLA list... one gets complacent thinking all jobs will be posted there. Argh.
  • Maybe they're trying to higher *faster* than MLA? Like out from under other schools?
  • Q: where, exactly, WAS this job advertised (other than on this wiki and their own website?) See modern and contemporary British wiki for more questions like this, but this search has smelled slightly, just slightly fishy since the beginning. No visible ad on the expected site, no MLA interview, phone interview this (?) week. Late-breaking ad due 5th, all consideration over by 12th. And now intimations of intended spousal hire? Every committee has someone or other in mind, but not every committee runs a stealthy search....
  • For what it's worth, this job was advertised in the Chronicle (and the ad is still visible there if you click the link above), which is pretty high profile, although the omission of an ad on the MLA JIL too is unusual, that is true.
  • All other Fordham English jobs were posted in the MLA. This ad was only in the Chronicle. Since they aren't interviewing for this position at MLA but are for their other jobs, it seems to indicate a spousal/internal hire. According to a NY based academic with knowledge of the university, they already know who they want to hire and simply need to satisfy legal requirements.
  • = waste of our time, money, and hope...

Dear Professor Fernald

I received your letter dated February 14th announcing your search committee's selection of an outstanding candidate for the 20th century British and Irish Literature position at Fordham University. Congratulations. It must be wonderful to acquire a candidate "who," as you apparently feel it necessary to point out, "has a book and a second well underway, multiple articles, and teaching experience in the field[s] listed in the ad." We should all aspire to such accomplishments.

However, as is well known, the candidate you selected was a spousal hire, and the search itself was a little bit of a sham. While I believe that spousal hires are necessary for faculty retention, and while I do not begrudge the existence of spousal hires, clearly there is something wrong with Fordham's hiring procedures if they do not make provision to consider a spousal candidate without the necessity, and in this case, the embarrassment, of running an open search.

More importantly, however, I am deeply offended by the wording of your rejection letter, which appears to want to make a case that the candidate you did hire was head and shoulders above the competition. Even if this were the case, there is no need to insist on the accomplishments of your hire in a rejection letter. It smacks of disavowal, and exposes by overcompensation the fact that your job posting was never open in the first place. First you humiliate hundreds of hopeful candidates by running a fake search (which may, I admit, have been necessary under the regulations of your university). But then you mortify those rejected candidates with a laundry list of your chosen one's qualifications. You should be ashamed. In a case where priority was given to a spousal hire, to write a form letter that tries to argue that that candidate was, in fact, better than everyone else, is at once mean, absurd, stupid, and scandalous.

I have never in my life received a rejection letter like this, and I have received many. Usually they say that I am not selected even though my qualifications are excellent. Those letters hurt my feelings. This letter, which essentially says "we found someone more qualified than you," offends my pride and moreover offends against the ideal of a meritocratic workplace, not to mention the ideal of common decency.

Sincerely, XXXXXXXXX.

New York University[]

Assistant Professor - Faculty Fellow in Irish Literature Search 2011

Applications are being accepted for an appointment as Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in the Irish and Irish-American Studies Program in NYU's College of Arts and Sciences. The Irish Studies Program is located within Glucksman Ireland House, NYU's Center for Irish and Irish-American Studies. The appointment will begin, pending final budgetary and administrative approval, in September 2011. This is a term appointment, renewable annually for up to three years.

The Faculty Fellow in Irish Studies should have received the Ph.D. no earlier than September 1, 2006. In no cases will an appointment be made to a candidate without the Ph.D.

Teaching: The position of Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow in Irish Studies will support our undergraduate Minor in Irish Studies, though we hope that Fellows might also contribute to our MA Program in Irish and Irish-American Studies. The Faculty Fellow will teach three courses per year (2/1 or 1/2, on the semester calendar), but will also be eligible to teach in either the six-week Summer Sessions in New York or on our Summer in Dublin Program on the campus of Trinity College, Dublin.

Field of Study: We welcome applications from qualified scholars in Modern Irish Literature in any period from 1600 to the present. Applicants should familiarize themselves with our curriculum and articulate in their application letter how they might contribute to its delivery and development, and how their contribution would advance an interdisciplinary Irish Studies program. We are especially interested in scholars whose work is at the intersection of Literature and other fields.

We share a concern, historical and theoretical, with how disciplines, broadly conceived, are configured or re-configured by our work in Irish Studies. A mark of our collective scholarly experience is that no orthodoxy governs the shape or trajectory of our concerns, and we hope to welcome a colleague who will broaden and deepen these, or others, in complement to our collective work. Application This is an online application process via www.nyuopsearch.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=50826

To apply, please upload:

  • An application letter
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Writing sample
  • Names and email addresses of three referees

Referees will then be contacted for reference upload by the online system; the system is also compatible with document management sites such as Interfolio.

Materials must be submitted by February 1, 2011. Enquiries We encourage applicants to explore our website. Questions not satisfied by materials on-line may be directed to Glucksman Ireland House Program Coordinator Anne Solari.

The Search Committee Chair is Prof. John Waters. Tips for using the online application system

  • You must enter the names and email addresses of your referees before you may upload any documents. Referees may be edited before you submit your final application and they are notified of your request, but you must remember to change them in advance of submission.
  • Referees will not be contacted and may not upload references until you submit your final application. Please keep this in mind in terms of the deadline and turn around time for references. You will want to request your references directly with referees in advance of official notification to work with the hiring timeline.
  • When using online document management/credentials services such as Interfolio, please enter the credential service-supplied, reference-specific email address instead of the referee's individual email address in the referee contact field.

Deadline: Feb 1st

Acknowledgment received:

Request for Additional Materials:

Rejection Letter: 4/10 got an extremely nice rejection email which implied (but did not state) that the position has been filled

Phone interview scheduled:

Campus interview scheduled:

Offer made:

Offer accepted:

NOTES:

Q: Has anyone heard anything about a timeline for this job search?

UCLA[]

From MLA JIL:

"The Department of English at UCLA invites applications for the position of advance assistant/beginning associate professor in literature of Great Britain/Ireland since 1900. Candidates should demonstrate engagement with the changing dynamics of the field which is now characterized by interdisciplinary approaches and new configurations of interests, including (though not limited to) feminist/gender studies, visual and media studies, literature and science, poetics, narrative theory, and other innovative frameworks. Candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, 20-page writing sample, and dossier including three (3) letters of recommendation to: Ali Behdad, Chair, UCLA Department of English, 149 Humanities Bldg., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1530. Application dossiers are due by November 15, 2010; interviews will be held at the MLA Convention in Los Angeles in January."

Acknowledgment received: email 11/12, email 11/18

Request for Additional Materials:

Rejection Letter:

MLA interview scheduled: From Modern British 2011: "12/16 MLA (phone call)"

Campus interview scheduled:

Offer made: from Modern British page: "heard through grapevine, an offer was made and declined. Not clear if second offer is forthcoming?"

Offer accepted:

NOTES AND QUERIES:

University of Connecticut[]

Link

"full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor specializing in 18th century British Literature (non-dramatic) . . . Preferred qualifications: expertise/experience in Irish literature, Trans-Atlantic literature and/or LGBT Studies."

Deadline: Screening will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Acknowledgment received:

Request for additional materials:

Rejection (no interview):

MLA or phone interview scheduled: From Restoration/18th-Century 2011: " December 14/10 (x4)"

Rejection (after MLA or phone interview):

Campus interview scheduled:

Rejection (after campus interview):

Offer made:

Offer accepted:

NOTES AND QUERIES:

Cross-posted at Restoration/18th-Century 2011


University of Miami[]

FROM MLA JIL

"The University of Miami seeks an assistant or early associate professor in Irish literature to contribute to the department’s intellectual life by maintaining an active research and publication agenda, teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, directing dissertations, and serving on departmental, college, and/or university committees. We seek candidates with diverse scholarly interests whose teaching and research intersect with the work of other faculty in English and elsewhere in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to Irish literature, candidates should have strong teaching and research interests in a second field. Minimum requirements: Ph.D. with dissertation or refereed publications in the field of Irish literature and at least one year of university-level teaching experience.

Send letter of application, C.V., and dossier with at least three recommendations to Patrick A. McCarthy, Chair, Department of English, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248145, Coral Gables, FL 33124-4632. Applications should be sent by mail (not e-mail) and postmarked by November 1. Please do not send writing samples unless requested to do so. Selected candidates will be interviewed at the MLA meeting in Los Angeles."

Acknowledgment received: requested and received 11/10

Request for Additional Materials: know someone who got a request around end of Oct.; Writing sample request 11/3; Writing sample request 11/9. Writing sample request 11/12 (x2). Writing sample request 11/12. Writing sample request 11/15.

Rejection Letter:

MLA interview scheduled: 12/13; 12/14; 12/16 (x2)

Campus interview scheduled: 1/13, by phone and email (x2)

Offer made:

Offer accepted: per rejection letter 3/14 offer made and accepted (Princeton PhD)

NOTES AND QUERIES:

PhD at time of application or by time of appointment?

--Given the way the ad is written, it sounds like in hand PLUS a year of teaching as a PhD; and it is for assistant or associate, implying that they are looking for someone who already has his/her degree in hand. But one never knows unless they specify.

And the eternal question of just what belongs in a dossier? Experience? Thoughts?

  • Based on the lanugage of the ad, it seems by "dossier" they just mean the letters--that is what is specified. It looks like they are looking for someone more at the advanced assistant level, rather than fresh PhD or ABD, but I have no special inside information to confirm that, just a reading of the ad language, which may or may not mean much in the end. You should apply anyway, b/c you never know
  • I've heard that a generic "dossier" typically includes LORs and a diss abstract..

--Can't help asking: did those who have had writing sample requests already send well ahead of the deadline, or by Nov. 1?

-- Received request for writing sample though I submitted on the deadline (11/1).

--Received request for writing sample though submitted right before the deadline.

Anybody know when to expect MLA invitations now that conference is later?

--also for those who've gotten writing sample requests: are they considering assistant level, or just early associate?

--I received wirting sample request and applied just before deadline. I'm applying for assistant professor--have been a post-doc for two years--so apparently they are considering at assistant professor level.

Thanks for the details, and good luck!

--This appears to be a downgrade of a senior search the department ran unsuccessfully for several years. The first year applicants received a letter from the search committee chair indicating that the position had been filled, but had then fallen through, and asked if they'd like their applications kept current for the second year. During the second year, there was no communication (not that I received at least) beyond an acknowledgement of receipt of materials. The poor communication with applicants during this second cycle was enough to keep me from wasting time applying again. I hope it goes better this year. Good luck everyone!

--asked for a writing sample after the deadline, but haven't heard anything since. I'm ABD, will have Ph.D in hand in August.

University of Notre Dame[]

Link

Subfield/description: "The Keough-Naughton Institute and Department of English at the University of Notre Dame seek an outstanding senior scholar in Irish Studies and Anglo-Irish Literature. The field of English is open, but preference will be given to candidates with interests in Irish Modernism or in Anglo-Irish literature from 1700 to the present."

Deadline: Evaluation of files will begin September 15th, 2010

Acknowledgment received:

Request for Additional Materials:

Rejection Letter:

Phone/MLA interview scheduled:

Campus interview scheduled: Hear there are campus visits happening, 3rd week of Oct. Definitely looking to hire at least at assoc. level.

Offer made:

Offer accepted:

NOTES AND QUERIES:

Are they still doing this search now that they've lured Declan Kiberd away from UCD?

YES! This position is posted in the wake of the departure of Maud Ellmann and Luke Gibbons.

--Just curious, as I seem to be out of the gossip loop on this one, but where have Ellmann and GIbbons gone? I did hear a couple of years ago from a mutual acquaintance that Ellmann was not that happy at Notre Dame. Does anyone know who might be up for this advanced position? Interesting stuff...

A: I've heard Ellmann moved to U. of Chicago.

A: Gibbons in Maynooth

how long does process take?

Any word on who got the job?

  • don't believe offer has been made yet (11/2)
  • 11/9 update: have heard they are bring in a number of candidates, with visits running until early December. Not clear when an offer might be made.

do we know who is being interviewed?

      • Five finalists were brought to campus recently. I have just found out from a well-placed source that none of them will be hired for this position. This search will now be continued into the spring. Very interesting.
      • Heard that too. They are probably looking for another 'star' name. It seems to be their way.
  • has the search continued?
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