The Voice of CWAC

Summer is just around the corner…

Tags: Just for fun

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What kind of image reproduction devices do people use?

Fifth year Maggie T. is interested in hearing about other art history grad students’ experiences using various types of image reproduction devices. What brands/types/models have worked well? Why? What kind of negative experiences have you encountered? We’re interested in more than just the scanner/copier name–more along the lines of “I bought [this model] portable scanner and it did the job but broke quickly.” Or “[This camera model] is perfect for capturing text and [this particular] setting is great for legibility without taking up too much memory.” Or “No camera is good enough that you can get away without using a tripod.” Please post your art history specific product reviews in a comment underneath this post!

Tags: Research

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…and we are ready for your core course request slips!

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Tags: Just for fun

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Helpful links from Lesley Lundeen:

https://caps.uchicago.edu/resourcecenter/handouts/CV%20and%20Application%20Letter-2010%20rev.pdf

Similarly, these handouts the overall search and interviewing:
https://caps.uchicago.edu/resourcecenter/handouts/Academic%20Job%20Search-2010%20rev.pdf andhttps://caps.uchicago.edu/resourcecenter/handouts/Interviewing%20for%20Academic%20Appointments-2010%20rev.pdf

For those of you interested in community college teaching:https://caps.uchicago.edu/resourcecenter/handouts/Teaching%20in%20Community%20Colleges%202010%20rev.pdf

Additional links re. CVs and cover letters:

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/academic_career_confidential/mangum9

http://chronicle.com/article/Writing-a-Good-Letter/46845/

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2011/01/12/sha

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2011/03/11/advice_on_the_cover_letter_for_academic_jobs

Re. interviewing:

http://otal.umd.edu/~sies/jobquess.html

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/academic_career_confidential/mangum11

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/academic_career_confidential/mangum12

http://chronicle.com/article/Interviewing-at-a-Teaching-/45217/

http://chronicle.com/article/Blinking-at-Job-Candidates/46781/

Thinking beyond the tenure track:
http://versatilephd.com/ (instructions on how to access the premium content are attached)

http://www.acls.org/programs/publicfellows/

http://chronicle.com/article/Devising-a-Plan-B/44909

Tags: Academic Job Market

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This guest post is by 4th year grad student Victoria.

Notes from the Jobs Workshop, which was held on Tuesday February 28th, hosted by Richard, Chelsea, Christine, and Lesley Lundeen from CAPS:

• As you’re crafting your dissertation topic, think ahead about where the field is going to be in circa 5 years when you’re going to be on the job market. How will your work fit in?

• Networking matters. Get your name out. Talk to speakers/Smart lecturers. Not just in your field – the people who are going to be on your future hiring committees are going to be from other fields within art history, even outside our discipline for some jobs and postdocs.
  • In that respect, it can be worth applying for “long shot” jobs because even if you don’t get the job, you get a group of people to learn about your work.

• Be flexible. Cast a wide net. Gather experiences, both for your CV and to figure out what you like and could see yourself doing. Seek out opportunities to build breadth and explore things you’re curious about.
  • Curating – see about working at or giving a gallery talk at the Smart
  • Administrative or other academic-related jobs: writing, teaching, or humanities centers
  • Research institutions, liberal arts colleges, community colleges
  • Find a balance between diversifying and gathering experience and actually finishing the dissertation. Don’t take 10 years to finish.

• We currently only place 4 or 5 percent of our Ph.D’s in small liberal arts colleges. Many research universities like ours have a reputation for not caring about teaching. Despite the significant teaching training that you undertake here, you’ll have to work harder to prove that you care and are good at it.
  • Gather experience advising or mentoring students beyond your teaching appointments. Consider working with PRISM.
  • You’re going to get “well OUR students probably aren’t as good as the ones you’re used to at Chicago.” You’ll need to reassure them that you WANT to teach. At their school/level. They’ll worry you’ll leave them in a few years for a “better” job. They need you to stay, and to be on track for tenure.
  • Consider getting the Center for Teaching and Learning’s teaching certificate, or at least taking a few of their workshops.

• You need to be able to explain what you do/why it’s interesting punchily and quickly to a (potentially) indifferent and skeptical audience – for cover letters, interviews, grant applications, etc. Have a four-sentence version of what it is and why it matters.

• See Vick and Furlong, The Academic Job Search.

• Make sure you’re on the same page as ALL your recommenders with respect to finish date and what your dissertation is about.

• Cover letter
  • You should be able to read it aloud without embarrassment. No Jargon!
  • 2 pages
  • Pay attention to font/format. Needs to be readable quickly.
  • Start with the basics – which position are you applying for? How did you hear about it? When are you getting the PhD and from where?
  • If you have a specific reason for that job, mention it. Community college in a community/area you have a vested interest in or lived in? Undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts college?
  • People read your cover letter first and possibly more carefully. It’s their introduction to you. You need to show (not tell) that you care about teaching there, not just the teaching philosophy. Give a concrete example.
  • Present yourself as a junior colleague. Emphasis on both words.

• The interview
  • For many jobs, you need to have a second book project in mind. Have a specific answer (plan, timeline) for the dissertation to book question. They want to be assured you’ll be on track for tenure. Have ideas for what presses you’re thinking about publishing with. They want to know that you know the field, who publishes what kind of work, where you fit in.
  • Be yourself. Know your own weaknesses. Be upfront.
  • They might ask you how you assess learning? How you use technology in the classroom? How do you facilitate discussion? Get students to understand how to engage in productive discussion? How do you incorporate diversity in the question?
  • Give brief answers to questions. Make sure you actually answer the question.
  • Research the places you’re applying to. The Whole Faculty (not just your field). (Re)read their books or articles.
  • Have concrete ideas for how you work with graduate students if applicable (not just undergrads, even if that’s all you have experience teaching so far!) How would you lead someone through the first years of a grad program?
  • When they ask you if you have questions, have (at least) one! For everyone you have an individual meeting with. Make sure your question is one that can’t be answered on their website.
    • Questions you can ask the dean, provost, etc:
      • How has the institution changed since you’ve been here? What’s your vision for the future?
    • Do practice interviews. Job Talks. Invite CAPS to the practice talk. Take the center for teaching and learning teaching portfolio workshop.

• Recommendations
  • Need your recommenders to be able to talk about teaching
    • Remind them there are notes in your file about your teaching
    • Invite them to sit in on one of your classes

Tags: Academic Job Market

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It’s finally winter in Chicago. Yesterday’s high was in the 50s and today…the first snowfall of the season.

Stay warm everyone!

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Pick up a copy of the Winter 2011 edition of The Core for an article on ARTH 101 featuring our own Professor Niall Atkinson! Niall Atkinson talks ARTH101

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Spring TOWNHALL
Thursday, May 5 at 4:30 in the CWAC Lounge–all current grads are strongly encouraged to attend

Organizing Research: A workshop on organizing research
Tuesday, May 31 from 4:30-6pm in CWAC Room 152.

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Pick up a copy of this month’s Tableau magazine to read up on new faculty in the Humanities Division, including Art History professors Niall Atkinson and Cecile Fromont. Copies can be found in the CWAC Lounge or the Dean of Students Office in Walker, 111.

Or click this link:

http://tableau.uchicago.edu/articles/2010/09/comics-renaissance

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