The Philosophers' Cocoon

A safe and supportive forum for philosophers.

Owned & Moderated by Marcus Arvan (University of Tampa)

Contact: marvan@ut.edu

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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2026-27)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2026-27)

  1. I have a decent teaching profile for history (have taught Chinese philosophy, can also teach early modern and early analytic/pragmatism),…

  3. Should you ask references to update their letters every single year? I’ve been on the market 4 years in a…

  4. Just saw that there’s a new editorial assistant at AJP. Is this related to what Anonymous of Oct. 10 says…

  5. I have some courses I’ve taught many, many times. With those, every time I teach it I try to pick…

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  • Why “open AOS/AOC” job ads?

    In our September “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    I don’t really understand TT positions that have an open AOS/AOC. Why do departments advertise these? And what should the applicant’s strategy be in applying given that they don’t know what the department wants or needs vis-a-vis research/teaching expertise?

    I’ve repeatedly heard that these are often de facto “Core: Language, Mind, Metaphysics, Epistemology” searches where the committee may want to leave their options open if there is a really attractive candidate in another area. But again, this is just what I’ve heard.

    Do any readers have helpful insights to share?

    14

  • Delays at AJP?

    In our September “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    What’s going on at the Australasian Journal of Philosophy? They’ve had one of my manuscripts for too many months. When I inquired after four months, I was told that it hadn’t even been assigned to an associate editor–the very first step. Several peers of mine have similar stories. I replied to ask about the median time to first decision, but the question was unsurprisingly ignored.

    Judging by the data from papers recently published there, it seems to take a minimum of a year to get through their review process, and often two. One recently published paper took *three years*.

    This strikes me as completely bonkers. Does anyone have more information about what’s going on at that journal? Do they have any sense of urgency about this, or are they twiddling their tenured thumbs? It’s hard not to think I should withdraw the manuscript if I find out it’s still not with external reviewers. Advice welcome.

    This is a surprise to me, as I’ve always had very good experiences with the journal and had the sense that it has a good reputation for fairly quick turnaround times. Maybe, like other journals, they are dealing with vast increases in submissions (e.g., due to AI)?

    Do any readers have any helpful insights to share?

    32

  • Search committees scooping applicants’ ideas?

    In our September “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    Is there a risk that people on search committees might take applicants’ “next project” ideas, run with them, and try to scoop the topic? I’m curious how specific or general you should be when describing your future research agenda in job applications (research statement), especially in highly competitive, “trendy” fields like the philosophy/ethics of AI.

    Especially if you’re not a grad student but someone in a TT position trying to make a lateral move? I mention this because if you have a grad advisor and faculty and other people who know your current work, they might be able to vouch for you in case someone does try to scoop you, but as a faculty member in not well-known departments and you yourself aren’t well known, it seems like it’ll be nearly impossible to argue. And given the state of our discipline, more senior or mid-career but well-known people seem to get the benefit of the doubt more often than others.

    I would certainly hope this doesn’t happen. Is this a real risk? If so, what’s the best way to manage it? (Please note: the Cocoon is not a place to make/air accusations–comments to any such effect will not be approved).

    16

  • Submissions stuck at “submitted” stage?

    In our September “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    A few months ago a bunch of people wrote about their submissions getting stuck at “successfully submitted” at American Philosophical Quarterly for a long time. Now I have a submission at that stage for a month and I’m considering withdrawing early instead of waiting months and getting into a sunken investment situation.

    Could those who posted a few months ago and maybe others also share what ever happened with their submissions at APQ? Is APQ broken?

    Any readers able to weigh in?

    2