| Institution: | The University of Montana |
|---|---|
| Location: | Missoula, MT |
| Category: |
|
| Posted: | 03/14/2011 |
| Application Due: | Open Until Filled |
| Type: | Full Time |
| Salary: | $40,000 to $42,000 USD Per Year |
The Department of English at the University of Montana invites applications for a one-year Visiting Fellow of Pedagogy and Ecocomposition in English starting August 15, 2011. Candidates with specialities in writing program administration and ecocomposition are encouraged to apply.Responsibilities: co-teach TA orientation, teach two sections of TA practicum, two undergraduate writing courses, and observe and mentor TAs. 2/2 load.
Requirements: PhD or ABD in Rhetoric and Composition or related field.
How To Apply
Send letter of interest, curriculum vitae, teaching statement, and contact information for three references to:
Jill Bergman, Chair, Department of English
University of Montana
Department of English (MAS 100)
32 Campus Drive #6120
Missoula, MT 59812-6120
Review will begin on April 1, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled. For additonal information, please visit http://www.umt.edu/jobs/employment2.html#academic
Does $40k go a long way in Missoula?
ReplyDeleteCost of living is lower. But 40K for a 2/2 load? I'd take it. I'm getting 40K for a 4/4 load here in WI.
ReplyDeleteThis is very far from my own discipline, so perhaps this is an ignorant question: What the *$@!# is ecocomposition?
ReplyDeleteThese visiting fellowships are a waste of time. They make it so much harder to get a TT position after that. A few years one spends as a postdoc, a fellow, a lecturer a Visiting Prof in the Humanities make one unhireable as a TT.
ReplyDelete@Burntchrome: that's 2/2 plus a heck of a lot of administrative duties, including helping to orient TAs to a program in which the fellow has not taught him/herself. That alone earns a WTF?!? from me.
ReplyDelete@DoctorWorm: this is close to my own discipline, but the exact term is new to me, too. Ecocriticism I've heard of; that (I'm pretty sure) is reading literature (and other texts) with a perspective that emphasizes understanding of ecology, humans' relationship with the natural world, and concerns of that ilk. I assume that ecocomposition would be similar -- probably a fancy word, in fact, for what we used to call "nature writing" (some of which -- think Emerson, Thoreau, Lauren Eiseley, Rachel Carson, etc. -- is very good, and some of which is awful). But I don't think this fellow will, in fact, have much time to work in his/her specialty; a couple of vaguely eco-themed undergrad comp courses is probably as close as he/she will get.
Yikes. I mostly took ENGLISH courses, some british, some american. I had a hard time at first finding a niche in the very niche-y academic English world. But I did find a subfield that interested me, and just made myself credentialed in it by publishing.
ReplyDeleteBut, the OP is right. There are all these subfields in English and once you're out of school you feel as though you've been left behind when new ones arrive.
If you've never trained and mentored grad students, you might know that it's nearly a full time job on its own. $40k should be the salary JUST for the administrative.
ReplyDeleteBut it's a market that will result in them getting a lot of applicants, some even who know what ecocomp is.
And Missoula is spectacular...love it there.
@Reg: Yes, I know someone who graduated from there, and badly wants to go back (unfortunately -- or perhaps fortunately -- he doesn't have the qualifications for this particular job). And it would make sense for their writing classes to have an ecological/outdoors theme; among other things, I believe they have a well-respected forestry school (my acquaitance's original major).
ReplyDeleteEcocomposition: the inverse of eco-decomposition. Essentially, it means building sandcastles out of your neighbor's compost.
ReplyDeleteVisiting Fellow of Pedagogy: "Hi there! You guys having fun teaching? Keep your elbow up! There ya go. See ya later!"
Review begins on April 1? Riiiight. They'll probably review these at the same time as their other ad for choco-economics.
ReplyDelete