Antiquitopia

It is with mixed feelings I post this. The position of my advisor, Alan Segal, who passed earlier this year, is now open for applicants. I saw this earlier, but thought I would go ahead and pass it along. Barnard College Ingeborg Rennert Chair of Jewish Studies Barnard College announces a search for a senior scholar to hold the Ingeborg Rennert Chair of Jewish Studies in the Religion Department at the level of advanced Associate Professor or Full Professor. We are seeking a colleague whose teaching and research complement our department’s commitment to the academic study of religion and the College’s commitment to interdisciplinarity. The field of specialization is open, but we are interested in appointing a colleague who can teach broadly about Jewish religion, culture, literature and history as well as offering more specialized courses in her or his area of expertise. The successful candidate must be conversant with the current theoretical discussions and debates in the study o...

I have been insanely busy lately. I have been finishing up my dissertation, and last week I finally distributed it. I have also taken a yearlong position at my alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan University, and so have been working on my fall classes, packing, moving, etc. In the midst of all of this professional business, I am getting married next month. Nonetheless, I have just found a window of time to create my "new faculty bio" for IWU. If anyone has been wondering what I have been up to since I haven't been posting, you can get an appetizer here: Jared Calaway (IWU Class of ’03) is excited to be returning to IWU as a visiting faculty member after pursuing his M.A. (2005), M.Phil. (2007), and Ph.D. (expected August 2010) in the History of Religions in Late Antiquity at Columbia University in New York City. For two years in a row (Fall 2005-Spring 2007) he was the Morton Smith Presidential Fellow at Columbia, which enabled him to travel through Greece and Italy. For...

The following was just sent to me from Paul Karoff of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It partially tells us what we already know--that the division of the humanities is undergoing a major shift in personnel, relying upon part-time and non-tenure-track faculty (although right now I would be happy just to have a job next year!)--but gives more precise information (particularly when you click on the link ), which leads to essays on how this is working from field to field: Humanities Enjoy Strong Student Demand but Declining Conditions for Faculty New Data Available on College and University Humanities Departments CAMBRIDGE, MA – The humanities continue to play a core role in higher education and student interest is strong, but to meet the demand, four-year colleges and universities are increasingly relying on a part-time, untenured workforce. Those are among the findings from the Humanities Departmental Survey, conducted by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a c...

A friend of mine just forwarded this info to me; I am sure there are many of you out there both qualified and interested in the current academic job climate, or for those of you who always wanted to live in Scotland: Lecturer in New Testament, University of Glasgow Reference Number 00024-1 Location Main Campus (Gilmorehill) Faculty/ Services Faculty of Arts Department 180 Theology and Religious Studies Job Family Research & Teaching Position Type Full Time Salary Range £31,513 - £35,469 (grade 7) Job Purpose To actively contribute to teaching at taught masters and undergraduate level, to supervise postgraduate students and to undertake research and administration as directed by the Head of Department Main Duties and Responsibilities 1. Contribute to the organisation and delivery of the taught masters and undergraduate programme in New Testament. 2. Maintain and further develop research profile through high quality internationally recognised publications and support the departmental...

The NYTimes posted basically what I already knew: the current academic job market is TERRIBLE. Between curtailed budgets, hiring freezes, and retirement-age professors holding on because they've seen their 401K's/pensions/savings shrink significantly, the job openings have dropped significantly. People who would be getting jobs, are staying back in the post-doc programs and, therefore, keeping people just coming out from getting those positions--so there is a trickle-down effect that intensifies the joblessness. March 7, 2009 Doctoral Candidates Anticipate Hard Times By PATRICIA COHEN Chris Pieper began looking for an academic job in sociology about six months ago, sending off about two dozen application packets. The results so far? Two telephone interviews, and no employment offers. “About half of all the rejection letters I’ve received mentioned the poor economy as contributing to their decision,” said Mr. Pieper, 34, who is getting his doctorate from the University of Te...

In the Chronicle, the following job posting is listed for Harvard Divinity school: Harvard Divinity School Junior Positions in New Testament and Early Christianity Harvard Divinity School seeks to make two junior, tenure-track appointments in New Testament and Early Christianity, with preference for specialization in Gospels or early Christian and Jewish apocalyptic (including the Dead Sea Scrolls). The successful candidates will complement the current field of New Testament and Early Christian Studies at HDS which focuses on the interdisciplinary study of Christian literature (canonical and extracanonical), history, exegesis, and theology in the context of the ancient Mediterranean world, with special emphases in hermeneutics, feminist interpretation, and material culture. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree by the time of assuming the position in the fall of 2009, be familiar with forms of analysis that address race, gender, and social location, and be able to teach and advise at...