Here we are, yet again. The 2009-2010 Job Market is upon us. Welcome Back to some, Greetings to others, Condolences to All!
We are experimenting with a new format, so please check it out here and let us know what you all prefer. The "blog" format is less than ideal, and the "message board" format might be easier for everybody.
This site, now in its third year, was originally modeled after the successful sociology job search "blog" (the 2008-2009 iteration of which can be found here). Other disciplines have started following suit, and can themselves serve as both positive and negative exempla for us in Classics, Archaeology, and Ancient History. Links on the side of this page point to various articles and sites relevant to the academic job-hunting process and experience. If you run across others, please suggest them in the comments and we will add them. Threads below will provide a full season's worth of comments around various themes. Previous years' comments are all archived. And of course there is the ever-present and all-knowing Classics Wiki
In order to access the wiki you must be a member, so an account has been established which everybody can use, anonymously. The log-in email is:
classicswiki@gmail.com
The password is the first phrase commented upon by Austin in his Little Red Oxford commentary on the sixth book. Enter this two word phrase as oneword. If you would prefer to open a WikiDot account of your own, and would like access to the Classics Wiki hosted there, the password to gain access is the same.
We experienced a very frustrating rash of wiki vandalism two years ago, which is why we have had to resort to a less-than-open site for our wiki. Apologies for making you go through this step, but it has proven to be worth the hassle.
Etiquette
In order to encourage as many voices as possible this site will be completely driven by the comments sections. It will only be as useful (and civilized) as you all make it. We would suggest that you sign up for a Blogger ID so that you can edit your comments (and later delete them if need arises) and so that people will be able to respond to your anonymous online persona rather than a series of "anonymous" posts. Just a thought.
Do not list names on this site. As hires are announced in the spring and summer the wiki will be filled in by those made offers, and who are willing to post such information on the wiki. Any comments which reveal names, directly or indirectly by posting TMI will be deleted post-haste.
Most importantly, please, please, please maintain a supportive and helpful environment! Applicants and Search Committees are all in this together, even though it often does not feel that way. This process is brutal enough without exacerbating it by impugning the methods and motives of others. Remember, we are all present and future colleagues. Let's live up to our recent reputation (scroll down about a third of the way) as model academic citizens!
This space was created as a way for information sharing, not as a platform for launching unsubstantiated and slanderous rumors. Humor is good. Good-natured kvetching is good. Helping each other out with tips is great, and getting well-informed and well-intentioned advice from those who have gone through this wringer is truly awesome. We can all learn a great deal from each other, applicants and non-applicants alike, but only if we strive to maintain a thoughtful and graceful conversation. We should continue to discuss difficult and challenging topics, but let us try to do so in a way that shows respect for our audience and a humble regard for our own place within it!
In bocca al lupo, Quirites!
