The Philosophers' Cocoon

Hurricane hiatus

This is just a quick note that I will take a hiatus from posting this week due to Hurricane Milton. I live in Tampa and had to board up my house and evacuate with my family. I should be able to moderate comments provided the area we are in continues to have power. Wishing safety to everyone in the storm’s path.

'Micro-working' strategies?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

If an idea strikes me I can sit down with a notebook for 5 minutes and jot it down, but if I’m trying to write an essay then I find it really difficult to make any progress in spits and spots - I like to have multiple hours set aside. These are less available these days. Any tips for making use of the odd 10-15 minutes here and there?

I am not an effective 'micro-worker', so I don't have any helpful tips. 

But what about the rest of you? Any tips for the OP?

When to leave a university with budget problems?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

How do you know when it's time to jump ship at a university with budget problems?

Sadly, I think the answer may be: as soon as you find out it has budget problems. If recent events in higher education (e.g., the closure of one college and university after another) are indicative, budget problems tend not to improve but rather worsen.

I had a friend at university that, much like other universities that have closed down, proceeded rapidly from "budget problems" to something like a budget death-spiral. It went something like this. The university was poorly-off financially because of some bad strategic decisions by its administration, coupled with a drop in student enrollment. The way it addressed those problems (presumably, the only way available) was to cut faculty and programs. But, of course, as soon as students and parents found out about its budget problems and cuts to programs, this led to even lower enrollment ... which, you guessed it, made the university's financial situation progressively worse.

Maybe the OP's institution is a different situation--I can't know without knowing more details. But, in any case, given that the situation at my friend's institution changed rapidly (and unexpectedly to many people working there), my sense is that the prudent thing to do is to probably begin looking for alternative prospects of employment sooner rather than later. But perhaps I'm overstating things? Given that I don't work at an institution with issues like these, I don't have any direct first-hand experience.

It would be good to hear from readers who have worked at a college or university with budget problems. How did things go at your institution? And when do you think it's good to "look toward the exits"?

How to list 'teaching competencies' in job-application materials?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

For on the job market as a new PhD holder: what is an appropriate amount of teaching competencies to list in your application fresh out of grad school? I assume teaching competencies can be claimed by showing one's interest in developing and willingness to develop courses for these on short notice, but that number for me would exceed the number and kind of courses I've taught or TA-ed for thus far. (I imagine the answer will vary, so anecdotes are more than welcome to show the possible range of competencies claimed and how those applications went)

It seems to me that search committees are going to be interested in what a candidate has actually taught, what their graduate training makes them qualified to teach (even if they haven't taught in an area before), how they teach in general, and perhaps any syllabi they've drawn up for courses they haven't taught before. But, it seems to me, virtually all of this can be gleamed from portions of a CV that enumerate courses one has taught, perhaps a list of graduate-level coursework, and any syllabi or course outlines in a teaching portfolio. Beyond this, I'm not sure what listing "teaching competencies" might look like.

What do readers think?

Separate sections for teaching-related publications and presentations on a CV?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

CV question. If I have a some pedagogy-related presentations and/or publications, do these go in a different section from my research-focused publications & presentations? If so, what do I title the pedagogy-related and the non-pedagogy-related sections to make that clear?

Note: I would like to be competitive for teaching jobs. But I already have a significant number of research-focused pubs & presentations, and so I'm worried the teaching stuff will get lost inside if they are not separated.

Good question. I suspect it's probably best to lump all publications together when applying to any job, but that maybe having distinct sections for teaching presentations on a CV could be good when applying to teaching-focused institutions. But I'm really just speculating here.

What do readers think?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

CV question. If I have a some pedagogy-related presentations and/or publications, do these go in a different section from my research-focused publications & presentations? If so, what do I title the pedagogy-related and the non-pedagogy-related sections to make that clear?

Note: I would like to be competitive for teaching jobs. But I already have a significant number of research-focused pubs & presentations, and so I'm worried the teaching stuff will get lost inside if they are not separated.

Good question. I suspect it's probably best to lump all publications together when applying to any job, but that maybe having distinct sections for teaching presentations on a CV could be good when applying to teaching-focused institutions. But I'm really just speculating here.

What do readers think?

Is it appropriate to assign some of your own publications in a class?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

Is it appropriate to use my own papers while teaching? I have relatively little teaching experience but a strong publication record, and I thought it would be useful to assign some of my own work for students to read. The course is within my area of specialization, so my papers would be relevant. I’ve once taught a similar course before, and students mentioned they enjoyed reading the papers I chose for the course. However, a colleague recently suggested that using my own papers in the curriculum would be 'iffy'. For what it's worth, I would also include papers by other scholars and not solely rely on my own work for the course.

This is a great question. I recall seeing a discussion on social media where a bunch of academics came out very strongly against this, saying they didn't think it is appropriate and would never do it. But I don't recall their reasons for the position.

What does everyone think, and why?

How can we help you? (October 2024)

Now that it's been several months since our last "how can we help you?" thread, it's time for a new one.

For those of you unfamiliar with this series, this is a chance for you to post openly or anonymously in the comments section below on anything you could use help with related to the profession. After you post your query in the comments section, I will then post new threads for readers to discuss your query. 

As usual, feel free to ask questions on anything (within the Cocoon's mission) that you could use help with, including but not limited to:

• The job-market (applying for jobs, etc.)
• Issues in the profession (including issues of social justice)
• Graduate school
• Publishing
• Teaching (including in the age of A.I.)
• Work-life balance
• Mental health & well-being
• Personal struggles
• Etc.

Ask away - we're here to help! 

Finally, a quick reminder of the following RULE: Please do not submit replies to other comments in this thread. It makes these threads unwieldy and difficult for me to keep track of which queries I've posted new threads on. If you'd like to respond to a comment in this thread, please wait until I dedicate a new post to the person's query myself and comment in that thread instead!

Including 'reappointment letters' and/or teaching observations in job market materials?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

Is it appropriate to include reappointment letters (which specifically comment on my scholarship, teaching, and service from the Chair and Dean) and teaching observations in a job application? If so, where? Teaching obs could go in a teaching portfolio I suppose...Any norms here?

Teaching observations seem just fine to include in a teaching portfolio. But I don't think I've ever seen 'reappointment letters' in a dossier, and I think this would probably seem strange. 

What does everyone think?

How long to spend on a conference commentary?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

How long should commenters spend on reading/writing commentaries for conference presentations?

Fair question, though I think it's entirely up to you! 

How much time do other readers spend on commentaries?

Sharing teaching 'breakthroughs'?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

Some readers might remember a post I made a long while ago about how I have struggled with teaching for 10+ years, tried *all* sorts of techniques&adjustments and nothing really changed. But I think I *might* have made a breakthrough recently. The recent classes have felt different from all classes in the past, in that I observe that students became very focused during class.

The turning point was that I had to lecture on something that I didn't feel I understand well, and also didn't have the time to really figure it out, for the first time. So I just explained the literature as it is, without any layer of my original perspective or understanding. Somehow that ended up very positively. It has a consistently positive result since I followed that style. I just want to share this story with the readers of cocoon.

Another reader submitted a follow-up comment (which I don't normally allow, but did in this case since it is in effect an independent request for 'help'):

would you be willing to tell us a little more about what you mean, perhaps in a standalone post? As someone who is adjusting to a newly increased teaching load and is feeling very overwhelmed, this is very intriguing.

I'd love to hear more, both from the OP and from other readers.

What 'teaching breakthroughs' have you made, and how do you think they made you a better teacher?

Should CVs include every talk you've given?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

Should CVs include every talk you've given? I'm embarrassed by some older talks, and I would rather not have them on my CV if I can help it. If I did a "Selected Talks" section and listed what I think are my best talks, would that raise red flags for committees?

Good questions. I suspect that over a 20-30+ year career, a CV that included every talk would become very bloated. Then again, depending on your university, until you're promoted to full Professor, it could be wise to list everything you've done. Not sure, but the OP sounds like they are on the job market, and if so, it seems to me they might be better advised to list every talk (unless, I suppose, there is something about the title or venue of the talk to be "embarrassed about", which I wouldn't know how to judge).

What do readers think?

Writing a review of a spouse's book?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

Is it ethical to write a review of my spouse’s book? It’s a groundbreaking work related to my research. Is there precedent of other philosopher partners doing this?

I'm not entirely sure about the answer to either question, but I suspect it's probably imprudent, and as someone who thinks ethics reduces to prudence, that would constitute ethical grounds to avoid it.

Why do I think it's probably imprudent? In brief: there are social norms against nepotism, those norms exist for reasons (viz. conferring unfair advantages to relatives), and this sort of thing may be seen that way. Even if the work is groundbreaking, spouses aren't exactly known for being free from bias, and so I suspect it's better left for other professionals to judge the quality of the work. But maybe I'm seeing things wrong here? 

What does everyone else think?

How to get feedback on a book project?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

What are some ways to get feedback on a potential book project? We usually present papers or book chapters at conferences, and I have never seen anyone presenting a book project. It is understandable since a presentation of a book project would probably be very general and sketchy without sufficiently substantive content. But suppose you have an idea for a book but are not sure if it is worth pursuing, and you really want some suggestions. How do you get this kind of feedback?

Good question! I once gave a talk at a conference in Beirut outlining what, in effect, became my second book, and I did get some helpful feedback there. I also briefly co-organized a reading group consisting of philosophers in the region to share and discuss each other's work, and I recall getting some good feedback on a book chapter there, as well. But, beyond that, I'm not sure.

Do any other readers have any helpful suggestions?

Changing a paper topic for an edited collection?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I've said I'll write something for an edited collection, and sent in an abstract. Now the time has come to write it, I've realised that a different paper (still within the remit of the collection) would be much more interesting. Is it too late? Or would it be acceptable for me to write the other paper, rather than than the one I said I would? I don't want to make a fuss or make life difficult for the editor. But if I'm free to swap plans it would make for a much more interesting paper!

I think the clear thing to do here is to ask the editor(s) of the collection. 

Does anyone else have any helpful tips or insights to share?