The Philosophers' Cocoon

How many hours to work per day on research leave?

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

How many hours a day is good to work on research? I'm a couple of years into a TT job, and have a semester of research leave. So for the first time since I was a grad student, I can (theoretically) devote all my time to research.

I know not to burn out, but I'm wondering how much "serious" research time (ie, reading and writing) to expect and plan for. I tend to use the pomodoro method, working in 25 minute blocks. I was thinking 10 of those a day, meaning 250 minutes or just over 4 hours. 5 days a week that would be 20 hours a week of solid research time.

Any thoughts? Too high? Too low? Maybe I should ease myself in?

Good questions. I think we've discussed similar issues before, and I recall hearing people say that 4-5 hours per day is pretty good. Some people may work more than this, but I've heard (and experienced myself) that after 5 hours or so, continuing to work can have diminishing returns. I guess I'd recommend experimenting a bit to discover what works best for oneself. Ideally, one should enjoy research leave, so maybe work as much as you enjoy?

What do readers think?

Tips for people pursuing 'couple-hires'?

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

Lots of people (reasonably!) have complicated feelings about couple hires – to be clear, the following questions are partly about strategy, but partly about how and whether this can be done in a transparent and upfront way.

If your goal is to get a couple hire, should both members of the couple apply for all the same jobs (when reasonable, like if both work in the same area or they’re open area searches)? If you do this, should you mention these facts in the letter?

Or should just one member of the couple apply – whoever has a better shot for whatever reason at some particular job, say, one’s from a “leiterific” program and the other isn’t, or one’s research aligns better – and bring up the partner if given an offer?

Do the answers to these questions change when there’s one job vs when a department is hiring multiple people?

Good query, and I don't know the answers!

Do any readers have any helpful insights to share?

How are "research associates" viewed on the market?

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

How do TT hiring committees regard research stints on a CV, particularly for job openings at R1 schools? If one secures a postdoc but then becomes a research associate for several years, is that looked down upon in any way? Could it make one seem a less competitive candidate, beyond the obvious things like reduced opportunities to gain teaching experience? Also, does it matter for hiring purposes if the research position is unpaid?

Good questions, and I'm not sure. Are any search committee members or other people who have been research associates willing to weigh in?

Dissertation abstracts in CVs?

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

If a job doesn't explicitly ask for a dissertation abstract, is it okay (or even beneficial) to include one at the bottom of your CV?

Another reader seconded the question. I guess I think there's little risk of harm in doing this, but also probably not much upside. My experience is that committee members tend to use CVs to see whether a candidate has published, which courses they've taught (especially independently), and to see their overall accomplishments. When it comes to a candidate's original work, the research statement and writing sample seem to me like the main things that committee members will focus on.

But these are just my thoughts. Are any search committee members out there willing to weigh in?

How to list a book under contract?

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

I wrote a complete book draft. It was reviewed by an editor and two referees, it received generally positive reviews with some suggestions for revisions, and I signed a contract. There is, of course, language in the contract about if the book that is delivered is deemed unacceptable, they don't have to publish it.

I'm applying for jobs. How do I list this book draft. Under "Work in Progress"? Or can I put it under forthcoming publications with something like "(under contract, revisions pending)". Would anyone care, as long as its status is clear?

Good questions. I think as long as your CV is clear about its status, you're okay listing it either under Work in Progress or Books. But I don't think listing it under "Forthcoming" work is germane, since it's not technically forthcoming. The key thing, I think, is whether you list it under Work in Progress or Books, you should list it as under contract. If you'd like to say (under contract, revisions in progress), that could be helpful information.

What do readers think?

7 Years Later: Surviving Graduate School in Philosophy (2024 Edition)

By Trevor Hedberg

Back in 2022, I announced that I was working on a comprehensive guide to graduate school in philosophy. I am happy to announce that a full draft of that guide is now available.

You can read it here.

I had three main goals in writing this guide. First, I wanted to provide a cohesive and thorough overview of every major element of graduate school. To my knowledge, no such resource exists for the discipline of philosophy. The information that exists is mostly scattered across various philosophy blogs posted within the last decade. I believe this is the first time so much material and information has been consolidated into a single source.

Second, I wanted readers to be able to read about their topics of interest easily rather than having to hunt through the entire document. To facilitate this, I formatted the document using three layers of headings to create a robust, easy-to-navigate table of contents. Just click on your section or subsection of interest, and you’ll jump straight to it. As with most digital documents, the text is also searchable using the Ctrl + F command.

Third, I wanted the document to contain lots of references to additional resources. I did not want readers to be limited to just my perspective on these subjects. To accomplish that and avoid cluttering the text with formal citations, I primarily used hyperlinks in the main text and in footnotes to direct readers to other web pages and articles. For that reason, this guide is best read on a digital device connected to the internet.

My hope is that some of you reading this will give it a look at some point in the future. You might even have some suggestions for additions or revisions. If you want to provide any feedback on the guide, there are two ways to do so. First, you can send an email to [email protected] with the phrase “7 Years Later” included in the subject line. Alternatively, you can visit this Google Doc version of the guide and leave a comment at the part of the document where you think a change should be made. (The linked table of contents still works in this version but is a little clunkier than the other version.) I will be especially grateful for those who point out broken links – I am certain that some have escaped my scrutiny.

My plan is to gather all the suggestions for changes in Summer 2025 to update the content where needed. I do not expect a ton of you to read the whole thing, but if there’s a section that interests you, don’t hesitate to give it a look and drop a comment.

While I still have work to do on this guide, I hope it will nonetheless prove a useful resource for graduate students in its current form.

Do publication venues matter for many jobs?

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

I have heard that the venue of one's publications doesn't matter for many jobs. Is this true? I guess I have in mind TT (or otherwise permanent) positions that aren't R1 but which still have a research expectation. I am curious about this for both hiring and promotion reasons. Does publishing in, say, generalist journals outside of the top 20 or so look bad to a hiring committee? Could the venue of one's publications every be an issue for tenure or some other form of promotion? Is it better for junior members of the profession to publish anywhere rather than nowhere? Thoughts on any or all of these questions, especially from current faculty involved in these decisions, would be helpful.

Good questions - it would be great to hear from search committee members!

If you've hired before (or are hiring now), what kind of department/institution are you at, and how much (if at all) do publication venues matter to you (or committees you've served on) in hiring?

Submitting another paper to a journal after rejection?

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

an editor suggested me to not succesively send papers to one journal and to wait for (at least) a few months before submitting another paper. Is this the norm in most journals? (I am new to the game and trying to make sure that I know the rules which are not indicated in the instructions) Thanks so much.

Some journals have explicit policies about this, but I don't know if beyond this there are any unspoken norms. 

What do readers think?

Job-market discussion thread (2024-25 season)

Now that it's September, I figured now is probably a good time as any to open up this season's job-market discussion board. After all, readers who will be heading out on the market may already have questions you'd like to discuss (about application materials, the application process, etc.). So, please feel free to bookmark and visit this thread throughout the job season to commiserate with others, or just to see what others are talking about!

As many readers of the Cocoon may recall, each job season the Cocoon hosts two different job-market threads:

1. A job-market discussion thread (the present thread): to commiserate about the market, discuss particular job ads, the market in general, questions about application materials, interviewing, alt-ac opportunities, and so on.
2. A job-market reporting thread: to post news about interviews, on-campus visits, offers, rejection notices, etc.

This post will serve as the discussion thread, and as in the past I will open the reporting thread at a later date, around or after most job applications become due.

Because someone always asks, "Why two threads?", there are a couple of reasons. First, some people may want to discuss the market but not stress over daily news regarding which jobs they still do or don't have a chance for. Conversely, others may not want to discuss the market but just want news about the jobs they've applied for. Second, these threads can get very long already, so I think the best way for people to get the information they want in a well-ordered format is simply to have two threads.

A few final notes:

• This thread (the post you are reading right now!) will be the home of this year's job-market discussion thread. So, if you want to discuss this year's job-market, just comment below.
• Please reserve job-market news (i.e. interviews, on-campus visits, hires, etc.) for the job-market reporting thread, which I will open sometime in September.
• A 'permalink' to this thread will be on the upper right of blog's right sidebar for the rest of the job season. -->
• Because of Typepad's functionality limitations (which only permits 100 comments before starting a new comment page), readers may elect to bookmark each new page of comments as each new page emerges. I recognize that it can be frustrating to scroll through page after page to get to new comments, and I think this is probably the best solution given Typepad's functionality limitations.

Finally, as always, readers are asked to please bear in mind the Cocoon's supportive mission. I try not to moderate with too heavy of a hand, as I don't like to squelch reasonable discussion and debate. I also realize that the job-market can be an emotional roller-coaster, and that passions can run deep on job-market issues. But the Cocoon has always been intended to be an unique oasis of sorts: as a refuge for early-career philosophers to support each other and discuss issues related to their careers and the profession in productive, supportive way. So, I will moderate carefully to ensure that these threads remain a welcome environment for everyone--and, of course, if anyone has any concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

All that being said, discuss away!

How to Cold-Contact People to Learn about Getting Out of Academia (By Greg Stoutenburg)

By Greg Stoutenburg (@LinkedIn, PhilPeople)

A few years ago, I wrote a piece for this blog about my own transition out of academic philosophy and into a role in industry, in which I tried to provide a high-level overview of how to make the same transition. You can see it here: How to leave philosophy (Guest post by Greg Stoutenburg) - The Philosophers' Cocoon (typepad.com)

Having just read through it again, I’m struck by just how much is squeezed into those ~3,000 words. So, I wanted to write a follow-up about one part that surfaced in the comments for seeming particularly impractical or anxiety-provoking: cold-contacting people for the purpose of learning from them.

I’m going to now ignore everything else involved in a career transition from academia and focus just on this one thing.

What is a cold contact?

A cold contact is someone you’re contacting and have no prior relationship of any kind.

Why are we talking about cold-contacting people?

Because a conversation with someone in a job you may be interested in is a fast way to gain knowledge of that career path. At the end of that conversation, you may be much more enthusiastic about that path or have been successfully persuaded that you are not interested in that path. (For me, it was usually the latter.) Either way, you’ll have acquired that knowledge in about 15 minutes, which is much better than if you just tried Googling it.

Why do I need to cold-contact people?

Because you are an academic philosopher and you only know other academic philosophers, and you already know you don’t want to be on this path. So unless you have a source of contacts that someone can introduce you to – and that would be a ‘warm’ contact – this will be an important way for you to talk with people to gain the knowledge you're after.

Can a political scientist specializing in political theory obtain a job in political philosophy?

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

Could someone with a PhD in political theory from a European political science department be competitive for positions in philosophy departments? Consider a candidate who has a few publications in top-10 specialist journals in moral/political philosophy but hasn't published in other areas of philosophy.

Interesting question, and I have no idea beyond the fact that some hiring departments may specify in their job ads that successful candidates should have a PhD in Philosophy.

Do any readers have any helpful insights?

Pulling out of an unhappy fellowship?

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

I am beginning my second year in a clinical ethics fellowship. I am very unhappy with the program as I think I am not getting what I was promised. Moreover, I do not think that I really fit in with others in the department; something I have not yet experienced throughout my education, so it is quite jarring. During my first year, I gave several talks and published two articles and two commentaries. How bad would it look if I dropped out and went on the philosophy or medical ethics or health humanities markets this fall? Should I just stick it out for another 10 months? I don't know what to do. I have fairly substantial savings, so if I got some random job working at a grocery store or whatever, I wouldn't be too worried about money. Please help

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear this, but I guess I'm a bit uncertain what to advise. If you're deeply unhappy in a job or fellowship, then I think you have no obligation to continue on--but then again, assuming the fellowship is in the Northern Hemisphere, it seems to me pretty late to pull out of it at such a late date.

What do readers think?

Relocating to the US with family?

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

I would love to hear about the experiences of philosophers from outside the US who moved to the US with a family.

Those who relocated with a family, did your family move to the US with you? Do they also work in the US, or have you found that you can be the "sole breadwinner" in a TT job? If your spouse does work, how have they adjusted to the US employment "benefits"? (The poor parental leave and vacation allowance in the US sounds like a worry for spouses in non-academic positions - especially if they're used to more generous allowances in their home country). And how does your spouse manage continuous employment alongside Employment Authorization Documents that need to be renewed every year?

Excellent questions, and I suspect there may be many readers with experience in these matters.

Does anyone have any helpful tips to share?

Avoiding early morning classes (and asking on the job market)

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

For those of you with jobs - how easy is it to get out of teaching classes early in the morning (8-9am)? I am a PhD student who has had to teach at 8am and I didn't enjoy it (I'm a night owl and think it's just genetic). I would genuinely want to know more about the flexibility of the teaching schedule before accepting a job somewhere - would asking questions like that be frowned upon or hurt my candidacy? Does this vary a lot from school to school?

I suspect this is highly situation-specific. In my department, it's pretty easy to avoid early-morning classes due to the university's scheduling rules and guidelines. But I've been in other departments where many faculty were regularly expected to teach first thing in morning. But maybe my information is out of date, so it'd be good to hear from others. As for the job-market, I'm not sure what to advise, but I guess I'm inclined to say that it would be safer to wait to ask questions like these until after an offer is made, as I suppose it could backfire on a candidate to ask earlier. Then again, candidates are "interviewing departments" no less than the converse, so if this is important to a candidate (or a deal-breaker), then by all means ask.

But these are just a few of my quick reactions. What are yours?

What role do dissertations play in hiring?

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

How important is the dissertation for jobs? Do people on hiring committees even read them or should I focus my writing sample and getting published?

I highly doubt that many people on hiring committees have the time to read entire dissertations. I expect they'll take your writing sample as indicative of the kind of work you likely did in it, as well as recommendation letters. But, of course, to get good recommendation letters, you may need to write a good dissertation! Also, my sense is that for most jobs (though not all), publications are super important, as most of your competitors will have some.

What do other readers think? It would be great to hear from some search committee members!