University of Chicago Society of Fellows

[Guest]

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SOCIETY OF FELLOWS
GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS IN THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Collegiate Assistant Professor


The University of Chicago Society of Fellows is now accepting applications for four-year postdoctoral teaching appointments as Harper and Schmidt Fellows who hold the rank of Collegiate Assistant Professor. The Fellows are members of the College Faculty whose primary responsibility is to teach in the general education (Core) program.


Core courses in the Humanities typically deal with fundamental issues and texts in history, philosophy, and literature. Currently, the Core is organized into seven year-long sequences: Readings in World Literature; Human Being and Citizen; Greek Thought and Literature; Philosophical Perspectives on the Humanities; Media Aesthetics; Reading Cultures; and Language and the Human. For a description of these sequences see: fellows.uchicago.edu/humanities.shtml.


Core courses in the Social Sciences explore, on the basis of significant works, the fundamental concepts and the different modes of inquiry that have defined the social sciences in the modern period. Currently, Fellows teach in four of the year-long sequences into which the Core is organized: Self, Culture and Society; Classics of Social and Political Thought; and Power, Identity, and Resistance; and Social Science Inquiry.

For a description of these sequences see: fellows.uchicago.edu/social_sciences.shtml.

Some Fellows also teach in the History of European Civilization Core sequence. European Civilization is taught on the basis of intensive readings of significant primary source documents.


For a description of the sequence see: fellows.uchicago.edu/history.shtml.


The positions are open to scholars in all disciplines and areas of specialization who will have completed all requirements for their Ph.D. degree no later than August 31, 2011. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in their original scholarship as well as in teaching.


In most years, Fellows teach two courses (usually of identical preparation) for each of three quarters. Each Fellow also has the opportunity to design an independent course and each is eligible for one quarter of research sabbatical in the third year of residence. The annual salary for 2011-12 will be $56,500. The effective date for these teaching appointments is September 1, 2011. To apply for these positions, please see our Web site at fellows.uchicago.edu.


Online applications must be completed by Monday, November 1, 2010.
Letters of recommendation must be submitted online or received in a dossier by Wednesday, November 10, 2010.

[guest]

The University of Chicago's Society of Fellows does not have a history of taking lots of sociologists, however in recent years there have been a few. If I got it right, two have come from NYU, one from the New School, and one recently joined from Penn.

I don't know how much of a difference it makes for sociologists, but Lis Clemens is currently the Master of the College's social science division, and is very active in the selection committee for this post-doc.

[questioning]

So, should we assume they mean you're teaching six sections fo the same course per year?

[guest]

The academic year is three quarters, and each quarter one teaches two sections, with the same content for each section. Which does amount to a total of six sections per year.

[yeahyeahyeah]

Any word on this? Any sense of the # of applicants?

[roundx]

in the past few years, they've requested writing samples in mid-January.

[uofcstudent]

Hi, I'm a doctoral student at Chicago (though not in Soc), and can shed a little light on this.

--Fellows teach six sections of the same sequence a year, each sequence being two or three quarters in length.
--The number of applicants for these positions will be cartoonishly high.
--It is my sense that, although certain disciplines are more strongly represented, there is not really a bias working for or against a particular discipline.
--Chicago alumni do not have an advantage, except for graduates who have taught in the Self, Culture, and Society sequence.

Good luck to all!

[Guest]

In some years almost all the new fellows were University of Chicago grads, in other years less so.

[update]

I was asked to submit additional materials today. No sense of # of applicants or # being asked to submit extra materials.

[out]

i didn't get the email. so i'm out. too bad.

[guest2]

The search committee is meeting this week to decide on a final list of interviewees.

There are supposed to be a lot of spots opening for the UofC SOF, possibly eight or so positions they are seeking to fill. Rumor has it that about twenty people will be interviewed.

[guest3]

A short list has been made.

[plural]

got my official "no" email this morning.

[anon]

8 positions in humanities and sosc together?

[wikireader]

Someone on the Humanities and Social Sciences Postdoc Wiki offered the following:

People who were NOT requested for writing samples received their rejections today. Those who were requested for writing samples but have not been contacted for campus interviews will receive their rejections when the search is over in April. The short of the long: no intreview= (most likely) rejection.

Can anyone confirm?