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  • Tips for campus interviews in the UK?

    In our January “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    I’ve been longlisted for a job in the U.K. and, in case I’m invited for a campus interview, I could use some advice about the U.K. interview, esp. since all of my experience thus far has been in North America. I’ve heard different things about how long the presentation tends to be (I’ve heard as short as 20 min., or as long as 60 min.), and I’ve heard competing things about whether it is just a research presentation (similar to a North American job talk) or is meant to be an overview of past and future research plans, as well as an overview of teaching. I’ve also heard competing things about who attends the presentation: just the search committee or the whole department. Could any U.K. academics give advice? Thanks in advance.

    Does anyone have any helpful tips to share?

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  • Writing a paper on a conference presentation (w/author’s permission)?

    A reader writes in by email:

    I attended a talk recently. The presenter’s thesis seemed plausible and mostly convincing, yet there was one particular angle that the presenter underdeveloped that left me with one objection that I consider to be novel. I was unsatisfied in Q&A with the presenter’s reply to my objection. I could foresee myself writing conference remarks or even an article to continue this exchange in long form.

    The trouble is: how would I cite the presenter’s work? The ideas there haven’t been published yet; it was all brand-new work. I could recreate the same debate parameters, following the same secondary literature trail the presenter did. I would of course arrive at different conclusions. But when I say what POV my view is an objection to, I don’t want to simply say, ‘Here is one possible view;’ I would prefer to put that presenter’s name with the view. I could leave a footnote giving credit to the presenter, noting when and where the inspiration occurred. I want to avoid all appearances of plagiarism, but I’m very uncertain on what the norms for this are or should be. Do readers have any intuitions on how I could give credit where it’s due?

    Complicating this is the slim chance that my objection is so plausible that the presenter no longer wishes to be identified with the view being objected to, in which case it’s a moot point to try to credit said presenter. I would ultimately ask the presenter’s permission before proceeding, but what should I do before then?

    I’m not sure, but I definitely think that, at a minimum, one should absolutely ask the original author’s/presenter’s permission before proceeding to write anything. But even then, the OP would be (as they put it) recreating the “same debate parameters”, utilizing the “same secondary literature trail”, etc. So, I’m not sure that what the OP describes can be done in a legitimate way.

    What do readers think?

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  • How long to prep for intro-level courses?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    How long should I spend on teaching prep for intro-level courses? I’ve heard some say to try to take no more than 2 hours per class, but this is vague. Am I spending 2 hours just on what we are doing in class? Or does that 2 hours also include reading the text (for the first time?)? Does the 2 hours rule govern new preps as well?

    For some references on the advice: Trevor Hedberg’s 7 Years Later seems to recommend this rule, as well as Jason Brennan’s Good Work if You Can Get It.

    What do readers think?

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  • UK Philosophy PhD admissions etiquette?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    I have two questions about UK Philosophy PhD admissions etiquette.

    1) Accepting offers vs waiting
    I’m starting to receive offers of admission from UK universities, but I’m still waiting for funding decisions and for decisions from other UK and US programs.

    Is it appropriate to accept an offer now (to secure the place) and withdraw later depending on funding/other outcomes, or is that considered unprofessional? In other words, what does accepting at this stage mean: does it mainly function as an administrative step, or as a real commitment to the department/supervisors?

    2) “Would you still come without funding?”
    In interviews, I’ve been asked whether I would still attend without funding. What are interviewers trying to learn from this, and is it rude or presumptuous to say I can’t attend without funding?

    Do any readers have any helpful insights to share?

    6