Course Outline - Spring 2008
(1) April 2 - Introduction: What Do Faculty Do?
Reading:
- Course Syllabus (.pdf), including a schedule of topics, expectations for class, and a description of the philosophy statement assignment
Additional Resources:
- Chronicle of Higher Education Careers Section
- Inside Higher Ed
- PhDs.org
- PhD Resources from the Re-envisioning the PhD Project
- Tomorrow's Professor Mailing List and web archive of previous postings
Week 2 Preparation (.pdf)
(2) April 9 - Scholarship Reconsidered
Readings:
- Enlarging the Perspective, pp. 15-25 of Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate, by Ernest Boyer, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. (available through UW Libraries Electronic Reserve)
- Art and Politics: Introduction, pp. 5-14, and one additional chapter of your choice from Part 1 (pp. 17-83)
- Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Find the category for the institution you read about in Part 1 (the chapter author’s institution) and try to get a sense of the way this institution and others like it are defined in this classification system.
Additional Resources:
- Academic Job Search Materials, from the UW Center for Career Services
- How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy, by Gabriela Montell, Chronicle of Higher Education (March 27, 2003).
- Strategies for Developing a Teaching Statement, from the UW Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program
- Writing a Teaching Statement. CIDR Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 7(2) -- guidelines for effective teaching statements, writing prompts to help you get started, and suggestions for further development and revision
Week 3 Preparation (.pdf)
(3) April 16 - Faculty Panel: Teaching at Different Types of Colleges and Universities
Readings:
Review relevant chapters from Art and Politics Part 1 (pp. 17-83), and web sites from the institutions represented by this week's panelists:
Additional Resources:
- A Ph.D. and a Failure, by Megan Pincus Kajitani & Rebecca Bryant (March 24, 2005)
- The Elon Teacher-Scholar (Elon University)
- The Two-Year Attraction, by Jennifer Jacobson (March 4, 2003)
- The Community College Interview, by Rob Jenkins (February 17, 2006)
Suggested Additional Preparation for Class:
To help you think about the possibility of teaching at other types of institutions, take some time to review academic job postings in your discipline. Possible places to look include:
- Job listings that come to your department: Many UW departments receive job announcements from other institutions, and these are often kept on file
- Job listings within your academic or professional societies: Most of these organizations have a web site for job posting, and many have an archive of previous postings.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education "Careers" section. While you are there, be sure to look at the variety of information available in the forums and advice columns.
While you are reviewing these postings, make a note of the following: What materials need to be included in the application packet besides cover letter, CV, and references? You can also look up the Carnegie Classification for the job postings of interest to you. What kinds of institutions are/were hiring?
Week 4 Preparation (.pdf)
(4) April 23 - Tenure and Promotion
Readings:
- Art and Politics, “Promotion and Tenure: Keys to the Kingdom,” pp. 227-233
- Art and Politics, “Academic Freedom and College Teaching,” pp. 289-299
Examples of Statements on Tenure and Promotion:
- Evergreen State University: Faculty Reappointment
- Portland State University: Promotion and Tenure Guidelines
- University of Washington Faculty Handbook, Chapter 24: Appointment and Promomtion of Faculty Members (note also the footnote on "Documentation for Recommendations for Promotions, Tenure, and Merit Increases")
- Washington State University Faculty Manual - see Section III-D, "Employment" (beginning on p. 55)
Additional Resources:
- So What is an Associate Professor?, by Julia Scherba de Valenzuela, University of New Mexico
- Does Tenure Really Work?, by Wendy Williams & Stephen Ceci, Chronicle of Higher Education, March 9, 2007.
- Were the Road Signs Wrong?, by Miguel Montero, Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2006.
- Tenure and Community in Academe, by William G. Tierney, Educational Researcher, 26(8), pp. 17-23.
Week 5 Preparation (.pdf)
(5) April 30 - Diversity Among Faculty and Students
There has been a lot of general discussion about diversity in higher education, but it isn’t always clear what roles individual faculty members play in this larger institutional discussion.
As you go through this week's readings, develop a list of reasons for the importance of diversity for you as a (potential) faculty member, and note the implications of diversity for (a) your interactions with students and fellow faculty members, and (b) your participation in the broader campus community.
Readings:
- It's About Moral, Not Market, Values, by Lori Pierce, Chronicle of Higher Education (April 13, 2007)
PLUS one of more of the following:
- Art & Politics, "Affirmative Action: Myths and Realities" (pp. 301-322)
- Perceptions of Faculty by Students of Color, by Mark Chesler, CRLT Occasional Papers
- Student Diversity Requires Different Approaches to College Teaching, Even in Math and Science, by Craig Nelson, American Behavioral Scientist, 40(2), Nov-Dec 1996.
Additional Resources:
- Creating Inclusive College Classrooms, by Shari Saunders and Diane Kardia, CRLT Occasional Papers
- Inclusive Teaching Resources at CIDR
-
Making Diversity Work on Campus: A Research-Based Perspective, by Jeffrey F. Milem, Mitchell J. Chang,
and Anthony Lising Antonio, Amercian Association of Colleges and Universities, 2005. - Possible Interview Questions on Diversity
Week 6 Preparation (.pdf)
(6) May 7- Institutional Mission and Faculty Roles
Readings:Week 7 Preparation (.pdf)
(7) May 14 - Making Your Statement
Peer Review: Philosphy Statement First Drafts
Successful Academic Job Searches: Q&A Session with two UW graduate students who are about to graduate, and next fall will be faculty members at:
Additional Resources:
- Engineering Teaching Portfolio Program: Diversity Statements
- Good Teachers Wanted, by Mary Morris Heiberger & Julie Miller Vick, Chronicle of Higher Education (November 12, 1999)
- Sample Teaching Statements representing Engineering, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities
- What’s Your Philosophy on Teaching, and Does it Matter? by Gabriela Montell, Chronicle of Higher Education (March 27, 2003).
Week 8 Preparation (.pdf)
(8) May 21 - Collegiality, Ethics, and Community
Reading:
- Art and Politics, “Ethics of the Profession,” pp. 323-340
Additional Resources:
- How Dysfunctional is Your Department? by Emily Toth (a.k.a. Ms. Mentor), Chronicle of Higher Education, May 4, 2005.
Week 9 Preparation (.pdf)
(9) May 28 - Faculty Panel: Advice For and From New faculty
Reading:
- Art and Politics, “Making the Transition,” pp. 141-162
- Art and Politics, “On Becoming a Professor,” pp. 163-169
College and University web sites:
Week 10 Preparation (.pdf)
(10) June 4 - Looking to the Future
Assignment: Philosophy statements (Teaching, Diversity, Community College, other). Please come with 4 copies of your statement (one for the instructors’ files, one for you to look at during discussion, and two for other classmates). The first half of the class will focus on discussion in triads for feedback about statements from student colleagues.
Readings:
- Art and Politics, "Getting the Job: Anxiety and Aspirin," pp 87-92
- Art and Politics, "Getting the Job: With a Little Bit of Luck…and a Whole Lot of Forethought," pp 93-105.
Class discussion will focus on the following questions:
- What did you learn about yourself as you wrote your philosophy?
- What was your greatest challenge in writing your philosophy?
- What are your next steps?
- What advice would you give to your colleagues as they begin the process?
Preparation for What's Next (.pdf)