1. Describe your research. (Have a good articulate rap down pat in short and longer versions, for experts and non-experts).
What audiences are
you addressing, what are the other hot books or scholars in your field, and how
does your work compare with theirs?
(Rephrased: what
is the cutting edge in your field and how does your work extend it?)
(Answer this
question on your terms, not those of your competition).
How will you go
about revising your dissertation for publication?
(be able to answer
this in both general and specific ways).
Question may
imply: do you have an interested publisher and where do you stand in your
negotiations with said publisher?
Question may also
imply: we thought there were some significant shortcomings in your thesis, but
we like you, so we're giving you this chance to redeem yourself by indicating
that you're in the process of addressing these shortcomings in ways that we
think appropriate.
What you've said
is all very interesting, but doesn't work in your field sometimes tend to
border on the (choose adjective) esoteric, antiquarian, (and if postmodern)
ridiculous? What is the broader significance of your research? How does it
expand our historic understanding, literary knowledge, humanistic horizons?
Remember that this
is a legitimate and important question--may be the toughest one you get.
Usually asked by
someone outside your field. Can you explain the value of your work to an
educated layperson?
Asks you to
grapple with limitations in your research. Don't be afraid to acknowledge
these, particularly if you can use such an acknowledgment to indicate where
you intend to go in your research after this.
2. What is your basic teaching philosophy?
Question might be
answered quite differently for the small liberal arts college, state branch
university with heavy service teaching load, or graduate-degree granting
institution.
3. How would you teach...?
basic service
courses in your field
any of the courses
on your C.V. that you say you can teach.
What courses would
you like to teach if you had your druthers? how would you teach them?
(many committees
will want to know which specific books you would use).
this may be an
indirect way of ascertaining whether you already have the course in the can.
Do you, for ex.,
know what is and is not in print in pb form?
Which text would
you use (have you used) for the U.S. Survey, for English composition, for Am
Lit 101, etc.? (Beware: this can turn into a great test of your poise and
diplomatic skills when one search committee member says "I love that
book" and the next says "I wouldn't be caught dead including that
text on MY syllabus.")
Be prepared to
talk about several courses, after having sized up the institution's needs.
Do your homework
to anticipate what the department needs.
Be prepared to
talk about teaching its basic service course(s). If you're applying to a small
liberal arts College, this could include things like Western Civilization,
Western European art history, Brit Lit., etc.
Be ready to talk
in detail about an innovative course or two that you think the Department might
really go for.
Take course X. As
you would teach it, what three goals would the course achieve? When students
had completed your course, what would they have learned that is of lasting
value?
4. Tell us how your research has influenced your teaching.
In what ways have you been able to bring the insights of your research to your
courses at the undergraduate level?
5. We are a service-based state branch university with an
enrollment of three zillion student credit hours per semester, most of them in
the basic required courses. Everyone, therefore, teaches the service courses.
How would you teach Hist Or Lit or Art 101?
(what they are
asking is are you willing/experienced/ mentally stable enough to teach a heavy
service course load to students who've likely read fewer than 3 books in their
entire lives).
(they may also be
saying) No one on the faculty (much less the students ) at Mediocre State U has
even heard of the figure/subject/method of your research. How do you think you
could fit in here? Could you be happy or at least useful in a backwater?
6. Your degree is from Prestige Research University--what
makes you think you would like to (or even would know how to) teach in a small
liberal arts college?
Depending on the
college, this may be one or two questions:
(can he/she
survive in Timbuktu with idiots for colleagues and morons for students?)
do you understand
the liberal arts college mission, are you a dedicated teacher, and will you
give your students the time and personal attention that we demand from all our
faculty members?
At our college,
teaching is the first priority. Do you like teaching? Would you survive (and
thrive) under those circumstances?
What experience do
you have teaching or learning in such a setting?
7. This is a publish or perish institution with very high
standards for tenure review--what makes you think you would be able to earn
tenure here? (see next question).
8. Tell us about your research program. What are you working
on currently? (now that you've completed your doctoral work)? What do you plan
to look at next?
Having a paper or
a talk ready that showcases a topic different from your doctoral research
demonstrates research prowess.
9. Why do you especially want to teach at Nameless College
or University? How do you see yourself contributing to our department?
(The real answer
to this, of course, is "because I need the job") But don't be caught
without a wellconsidered answer. This is a hard question to answer if you are
unprepared for it. Be sure you've done your homework).
(for small
colleges) We conceive of our campus as one large community. What non- or
extra-academic activities would you be interested in sponsoring or
participating in?
10. Are you connected? (If you were organizing a special
symposium or mini-conference on your topic, which scholars could you pick up
the phone to call?)
11. For women only: What does your husband think about you
taking a job in another state?
How long do you
(do you really) plan to stay? The correct answer is "at least until my
tenure review." These days, no one expects a longer commitment than that.
How will you
handle the separation? (This is asking for reassurance that you plan to live at
Nameless U rather than commuting from your husband's home base. The last woman
they hired did that and it didn't work out; she was never around).
they may be trying
to ascertain whether you have children without asking directly.
you may want to
offer a strategy for how you're going to manage your marriage (we've done this
before--it's no big deal; my husband has a more marketable career and can't
wait to follow me to your wonderful location; it's none of your business).
if you're not
obviously married (if you're straight or gay and have a SO), committees
probably will not bother you with these sorts of questions. It will then be up
to you to raise them if they are important to you. Would there be any chance,
for ex., of landing a joint appointment for my "fiancee" or
"companion"? I don't recommend this unless it's a decisive issue for
you. If it is decisive, and it's a job you want, then by all means raise it at
the time of the campus interview.
An enlightened and
clever search committee might raise this question with a candidate, acknowledging
that it's a personal matter but will weigh on your decision to take the job,
should you get an offer.
Whether you're
male or female, a search committee (assuming they find you an especially
attractive candidate) may try to ascertain this sort of information to 1)
inform you (because they feel it's only fair) what their institution's policy
is on joint offers, or 2) see what it would realistically take to land you (is
a joint offer the only terms you'll accept).
(As someone who
has been stuck in a commuting marriage for 7 years now, I am obviously not the
best person to give advice on how to pull this off).
A wrong answer to
such an inquiry may disqualify your candidacy.
12. You've seen our (religious) mission statement. How would
you see yourself contributing to our mission and campus atmosphere?
technically,
asking about your religious affiliation/ beliefs is an illegal question.
Committees will be more or less direct with you about this question and you can
perceive the degree of conformity/support they expect according to how they
broach the subject.
they are also
trying to tell you that character (defined in their traditional, conservative
way) counts at the institution and in town as well; they want you to withdraw
from consideration if you won't fit in.
You Can Read Also:
• Fashion Designer Interview Questions and Answers
• Interview Questions and Answers for an Academic Position
• Interview Questions and Answers for a Outdoor Activities Instructor Position
Interview Questions and Answers for an Academic Position
Tags:
Questions and Answers