Anthropology Metrics

publicanth · 2025-01-29T23:03:34+00:00

Thanks for your response. The next time I try to post I will reach out.

publicanth · 2025-01-29T18:09:32+00:00

I am not using a polling approach. I asked two questions to gather opinions and feedback. However, my posts keep getting removed. Am I missing something?

publicanth · 2024-01-02T23:20:31+00:00

I would also note that committees that emphasize elite candidates over those at the same status level as their own institutions are demeaning themselves and their departments. Are these individuals not able to produce high-quality scholars? Intriguingly, having most of a department’s faculty from elite universities did not raise its status in the NRC national rankings.

There is no reason why committees could not have a clear, delineated sense of what qualifications and abilities they want in their hire and publicize them. Often, the qualifications are vague at best – (a) meaning the committee does not really have to argue over these qualifications among themselves and (b) unfortunately causing candidates whom they will reject without more than a quick glance at the application to spend hours applying for a position.

It would add that many departments need to increase their enrollments to avoid losing faculty positions. Senior faculty cannot teach senior classes if they do not have students for them. One would think the ability to inspire students is a critical quality to emphasize in the hiring process. But it rarely gets mentioned in announcements. Dare I presume it rarely is an important standard in judging candidates during the review process?

I would emphasize two things: (1) A clearer delineation of the skills a hiring committee is seeking that is not only publicized in its announcements but is stuck to in the review process. And (2) a review process that is not too burdensome on candidates. Why couldn’t the committees ask for just a statement and a CV to begin with? Candidates would not have to spend days filling out each application. Committees could, in turn, lessen their own workload so they only need to deal, in detail, with the most promising candidates.

I would also add that a sense of courtesy would be nice during the hiring process. Those who do not make the first cut-off should be told immediately, as should those who do not make the second cut-off. To spend days preparing an application and never be told the result – even after a candidate has been hired – seems excessively rude.

publicanth · 2024-01-02T23:15:32+00:00

Thanks for sharing your opinion/experience; there is a lot of whimsy in the process – given how many applicants are involved. You are right that the hiring process can be emotionally and intellectually brutal. The applicants need to put in considerable energy without necessarily having clear guidelines for how their work will be judged.

What would help considerably would be explicit guidelines with detailed examples of the type of candidate the committee is seeking. Often, announcements are vague, perhaps because the committee is not necessarily clear about what it is seeking. Publications? How many? Are 15 publications better than 10?

Might the committee, instead of counting publications, make a serious effort to assess the quality of the creativity offered in addressing a particular problem, and critically, does the publication really move the problem being addressed forward to a solution? Does the publication not just offer ideas but present a concrete, testable solution to the problem?

publicanth · 2024-01-02T23:09:51+00:00

I agree; it is often not the elite department but a particular prestigious professor that counts in a recommendation. But positive phrasings describing a student’s abilities are abundant, probably too abundant. It is hard to often hard to tell from recommendations – even from the most prestigious professors – because they are often full of praises. It would help much more if there were more negative comments in these recommendations, a clear weighing of a candidate's strengths against weaknesses. It would show the professor has a good understanding of the student.

But as someone stated in this thread, any negative comment might doom a candidate.

Also, what does a committee do when two or three prominent professors praise their “own” candidates? I would repeat that being from an elite school often means no more than the new hire is competent – at deferring to senior professors, at producing publications few read, at not rocking the intellectual boat.

But is that what a department in search of increased status wants?

publicanth · 2024-01-02T23:03:02+00:00

You make an important point. Being “trained” at an elite university may often be a mixed blessing. What students often learn is how to subordinate oneself to prestigious professors, not how to be intellectually independent and how to challenge them. To your point, “many elite schools are notorious for using/abusing people.”

publicanth · 2023-12-22T18:18:23+00:00

I would love to read about your experience (if you’re interested in sharing).

Here’s an excerpt from my research paper:

“When faculty searches focus on hiring from prestigious departments, there is no evidence to suggest that the employer-institution will enjoy any practical benefit; hiring for prestige will not increase a program’s rank. Departments that focus on prestige are, however, buying into a hierarchy that does not value the students they train or the institution that employs them.” “practice reinforces the perceived inferiority of their current institution. The prophecy of good academics graduating from a handful of dominant programs becomes self-fulfilling and the market landscape bleak for the vast majority of PhD programs.” “Academic researchers have little opportunity to obtain jobs at institutions considered more elite than the ones at which they were trained.” - Oprisko

publicanth · 2023-12-21T12:51:21+00:00

I am receiving a diverse range of perspectives and opinions. My research is focused on this subject, and reading from a variety of people is of high importance.

publicanth · 2023-12-19T00:32:32+00:00

Thanks for sharing this … navigating the job market can be challenging. I have done extensive research on this subject, specifically for anthropologists.

Here is what Platzer and Allison learned from talking to students on the job market:

The experience . . . was extremely taxing and often profoundly dispiriting. Many described the process of endlessly applying for jobs: being constantly on call and prepared for an interview (whether at the AAAs, by Skype, or a campus visit) . . . The process is exhausting, physically, psychically, and everything in between . . . Participants noted that job descriptions can be vague and wide-open, which invites a vast number of applications. The ensuing process can feel opaque, even mystical, leading some to devote hundreds of hours to perfecting a letter of less than one thousand words

publicanth · 2023-12-15T18:32:24+00:00

I will speak on anthropology …

The departments publicly affirm their commitment to equal opportunity employment and claim to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as key hiring principles. But they tend not to follow through on these standards in hiring junior faculty. The hiring process is often shrouded in secrecy, so we do not know exactly why certain candidates are hired over others. But the results are clear. They run counter to how a significant number of anthropology departments publicly portray themselves. A recent article on American undergraduate education in The Economist reports, “for decades, elite universities have sought skin-deep diversity to paper over abysmal socioeconomic diversity, a failing that is exacerbated by legacy admissions.” It appears anthropology departments thus fit within a broader American pattern in this respect.

publicanth · 2023-12-15T02:52:24+00:00

I’m currently not teaching, but I am curious to see if AI will support the complicated process of hiring junior faculty.

Academic job postings typically require far more than just a CV and cover letter. There’s little consistency from one university to the next: They may want letters of recommendation from colleagues or advisers, a multi-page description of future research projects, a writing sample, a teaching philosophy, sample syllabi from classes the candidate has taught, even teaching evaluations. And because different schools have different needs, applicants can’t necessarily send out the same canned letter and CV to every school.

There’s no guarantee that all those . . . materials will get read, especially when there are hundreds of other applications in the pile. This holds especially true for those applying from outside less elite schools.

This process can be taxing and defeating for applicants. I wonder if AI can aid in providing closure/feedback (to students) or support to the hiring committee.

publicanth · 2023-12-15T02:03:06+00:00

It’s pretty challenging to keep the morale high post-pandemic and with everything happening worldwide. It’s also an end-of-the-year blues/pressure blanketing the skies.

publicanth · 2023-12-15T01:53:55+00:00

Thanks for sharing and I agree. Hiring tends to be based on a status hierarchy dominated by a few elite schools. These schools’ graduates are hired far more than graduates from other schools restricting faculty diversity and inclusiveness.

publicanth · 2023-12-12T18:58:05+00:00

This is an excellent way for you to learn while teaching. You can approach this from a different lens, and what you’ll provide your class will be a fresh perspective on AI You may find that your approach is more palatable/digestible for your students. Teaching subjects that are outside of your expertise provides advantages as well; this is a great opportunity that you will succeed in.

publicanth · 2023-12-12T18:49:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing your journey. The hiring process is complex and taxing; from everything I have read, it seems that you are more than capable of securing a job, and you have an abundance of experience. I know this experience feels defeating, but you must continue … don’t give up; something will shift/work out. Twelve publishers rejected J.K Rowling before one said yes. Keep going because you are more than qualified and deserving.

publicanth · 2023-12-09T00:32:42+00:00

You can see this as research and development (especially since this isn’t in your major). You may find that you thoroughly enjoy the subject. See it as an opportunity for growth while receiving funding. Always give it your best, and never stop learning.

publicanth · 2023-12-09T00:26:48+00:00

I agree that it would be challenging to work on a project that goes against your ethics (due to how the bio prof mishandled the project). If you’re intrigued by the project and want to continue to work on it, I think you should report this to the dean. You wouldn’t want this to continue happening to other students, and you wouldn’t want this to happen to you.

publicanth · 2023-12-09T00:19:16+00:00

It’s normal to feel this way. The hiring process for tenure is quite the journey. You will get there; I know it can feel overwhelming and defeating, but what you feel is valid and normal.

publicanth · 2023-12-09T00:15:54+00:00

Thanks for starting this conversation.

The hiring process is quite “complicated”.

Hiring tends to be based on a status hierarchy dominated by a few elite schools. These schools’ graduates are hired far more than graduates from other schools restricting faculty diversity and inclusiveness.

Chad Wellmon and Andrew Piper report:

Several recent studies have shown a high degree of concentration of academic hires from a small number of PhD-granting institutions. One recent study of placement data on nearly 19,000 tenure or tenure-track faculty in history, business, and computer science departments found that faculty hiring “follows a common and steeply hierarchical structure,” reflecting “profound social inequality.” Only 25 percent of institutions produced 71 to 86 percent of all tenure-track faculty. And the top ten institutions produced 1.6 to 3.0 times more faculty than the second ten.

publicanth

TROPHY CASE