When we have openings in our department, we advertise in the MLA (Modern Language Association) job list. Many job seekers subscribe to that information service (http://www.mla.org/main_jil.htm), but we also list positions here and offer fuller information on our expectations for applications and subsequent interviews.
Current
positions
Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Spanish. Beginning July 2012. Two-year appointment renewable. Five courses per year, including language courses.
Field of specialization applied linguistics with experience in teaching Spanish for specific purposes (business, legal studies, international relations and/or medical field). Applicants must have a firm commitment to undergraduate teaching and submit evidence of same, including course evaluations. For a complete description of job requirements and credentials, see below. Send letter of application, dossier and statement of teaching philosophy, course evaluations, and a sample syllabus of an advanced undergraduate course in Spanish for specific purposes by November 11 to Byron Wells, Chair. AA/EOE.
Lecturer of Spanish, July, 2012. One-year appointment with possibility of renewal. Six courses per year. M.A. minimum, native or near-native fluency. Applicants must have a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and submit evidence of same, including course evaluations. Professional and/or teaching experience in interpreting desirable. Proficiency in use of technology is expected of faculty at Wake Forest. For a complete description of job requirements and credentials, see below. Send letter of application, dossier and statement of teaching philosophy by November 11 to Byron Wells, Chair. AA/EOE
,
Credentials
For all our teaching positions, the following prerequisites apply:
1. Application letter, a formal letter addressed to the chair of the department, that indicates the position that is being applied for, and summarizes interest and qualifications for it. This letter, as well as the remaining documentation, is then passed on to the search committee for evaluation.
2. Dossier, which includes at least the following:
a. Curriculum vitae, or CV (more complete than just a brief résumé) indicating personal information (name, address, contact information), education and professional development, honors (awards, grants), professional memberships, previous academic appointments, relevant background experiences and service capacities, research (publications and presentations), special classes or materials that have been developed...
b. A photocopy of the transcript (of courses, grades, degree) from last university attended.
c. Recommendation letters. Unless these are part of a placement file (explained below under “General advice to candidates”), recommendation letters should be mailed separately by the recommenders themselves (preferably on their institution’s stationery), not by the applicant and never by email. We prefer at least three recommendations, but accept up to five.
d. A statement of the applicant's Teaching Philosophy (1-2 pages).
3. Teaching materials: including the following:
Course evaluations: student evaluations of teachers are important to us. If possible, send statistically digested summaries for whole classes; loose-leaf copies of selected students’ responses are not as useful.
Sample proposal with syllabus: a proposal of a course (specifying goals, materials, evaluation, and general semester plan) that might be relevant to our department’s curriculum. The purpose is to give us an idea of how the candidate conceives and puts together a course. This should be for an advanced-level topic of special interest to the candidate (and in the case of tenure-track applicants, it should be in his/her field of specialization); the syllabi for lower-level general language courses have already been developed by the department. For sample syllabi, see postings at individual faculty members’ web pages (linked to the department’s main web page).
Interview
and visit
A search committee in the department evaluates the applications and selects candidates to interview at the December meeting of the MLA. The most promising candidates will subsequently be asked to come for a campus interview. In some cases, however, candidates who could not be interviewed at the MLA may still be invited to a campus interview.
The campus interview is arranged by the search committee and office administrator in conjunction with the invited candidate. It includes the following events.
Some general advice to applicants
1. You are responsible for making sure that all parts of your dossier arrive for timely evaluation. Instead of sending each set of credentials separately yourself, consider filing your CV, transcript, recommendation letters, and course evaluations with a career placement center (or placement bureau), which you authorize to send a copy of the whole packet to each institution to which you apply.
2. It is to your advantage to inform yourself about any department and college to which you have applied, particularly as preparation for an interview. This department’s web page gives links to programs, faculty, and courses for more information.
3. After returning home from an interview, you may make follow-up
inquiries; but if you have special considerations requiring private negotiation,
it is best to bring those up during your interviews with the dean and chair.
For more information:
MLA job website:
advice about applications and interviews: click on “Guidelines for Job Seekers.”
(Unlike the actual job listing, this part of the MLA job service is free.)
New instructors: information for getting ready for classes here.
Click here: to return to the web page of the Department of Romance Languages.