Recommendation letters: Dos and Donts

So, you are a student and you want to ask a professor for a recommendation letter? Consider doing the following:

—Explain who you are (e.g., “My name is Elisa Freschi, I was in your PHL 100 and PHL 401 classes”)

—Explain what you want their recommendation for (e.g., “I am writing to ask whether you might want to write a recommendation letter for me for my application to an MA in Gender Studies at Western University”)

—Be specific: Do you need a recommendation letter or just to put down their name as a reference?

—Give all the details about yourself: Attach your transcripts, letter of intent, writing sample, cv…

—Give all the details about the position you are applying for (a graduate program? A summer course? A conference?…)

—ASK before giving the name of a certain professor as reference (it is annoying to know that you have no choice)

—Explain when the deadline is and REMIND the professor one week in advance (I have never received an automatic reminder, but I know that it looks bad on an application if a professor did not submit their application)

—Don’t aim too high: It’s better to have an engaged letter by a TA or postdoc than to have a lukewarm letter by a well-known professor who does not really know you and will only say vague things about you.

—Connected with the above: Be sure that the professor will be happy to write a strong letter for you (not just a letter). Some letters are not really of help.

—Optional: Explain why you are asking exactly this professor (e.g., “I am asking you because you are the one who engaged the most with my writing assignments and could therefore speak about them/because your class is the one during which I have been improving the most and I hope you can attest to that/because of the many 1-1 discussions we had, which makes me confident that you have a clearer opinion about my philosophical ideas than most other professors/…”).

—INFORM your letter-writers of what happened. It’s nice to hear back from you!

Am I forgetting something?

(Updated, thanks to @neuroyogacara.bsky.social)

Lecturer in Philosophy (including comparative philosophy engaging with more than one tradition)

Lancaster University is hiring a lecturer in philosophy (full time, indefinite position), to start on August the 1st 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The post is “open to all those working in all areas of Philosophy, though we would particularly welcome applicants whose work addresses topics in either (a) feminist philosophy or (b) history of philosophy, including areas of the history of philosophy which consider the contributions of marginalised groups and comparative philosophy that engages with more than one tradition.”

More details: https://hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?id=9897&forced=1

Sanskrit position in Chicago

Instructional Professor in Sanskrit

Position Description
The Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations and the College of the University of Chicago invites applications for a position as an Instructional Professor (open rank) in Sanskrit. The position begins in academic year 2023–24, with a start date of September 1, 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter. The selected candidate will be appointed at the rank of Assistant Instructional Professor, Associate Instructional Professor, or Instructional Professor, depending on qualifications and educational background. The initial appointment will be for a minimum of two years, with longer initial terms possible depending on initial rank, with review and progression schedule determined by a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Service Employees International Union.

Qualifications
Applicants must have advanced proficiency in Sanskrit and evidence of excellence in teaching Sanskrit at the university level. An M.A./MPhil degree or foreign equivalent degree is required. A Ph.D. in a related field is desirable. Preferred qualifications include proficiency in another South Asian language, advanced training in South Asian area studies, and specialized training in second-language pedagogy.

Responsibilities
Responsibilities include both teaching and service duties. Teaching normally consists of seven courses across three quarters, six of which are Sanskrit courses at the beginning and intermediate levels of the language. One additional course may include non-language offerings in the College Core or in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, to be determined in consultation with the Department and College. There may also be an opportunity to teach occasional courses in another South Asian language, depending on departmental need as well as the ability and experience of the selected candidate. Service duties may include advising undergraduate theses, teaching independent studies, and engaging in outreach, or other program-specific duties. Instructional Professors of all ranks are required to engage in regular professional development.

Application Instructions
To apply for this position, please submit your application through the University of Chicago’s Academic Recruitment website at http://apply.interfolio.com/112938. An application must include:

  • a cover letter;
  • curriculum vitae;
  • a teaching statement;
  • one sample syllabus for a Sanskrit language course at the beginning or intermediate level;
  • a second sample syllabus for a non-language course; and
  • the names and contact information of three references who can supply letters of recommendation upon request.

Application deadline: All applicant materials must be received by January 9th 2023. Candidates may be asked to provide additional materials following the initial review.

This position is contingent upon budgetary approval. The terms and conditions of employment for this position are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Service Employees International Union. For information on the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, please visit https://salc.uchicago.edu/. For questions about the position, please contact Tracy Davis.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.

Assistant professor opening at the Thapar Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Thapar Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (TSLAS) inaugurated its first semester in August 2020. We are in the early phase of building a world-class research and teaching space in all major areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Sciences, including interdisciplinary areas. The school is currently open for applications from qualified candidates for the position of Assistant Professor in any area of Indian literary, intellectual, and cultural history, preferably in classical/medieval/early modern Indian literature and culture. An advanced-level training in one of the Indian classical or medieval languages — Sanskrit/Prakrit/Apbhramsha/Persian, or any of the medieval regional/vernacular languages — and demonstrated use of the acquired linguistic skills is desired for such positions.  

 The minimum qualification for the position of Assistant Professor is PhD; however a PhD candidate expecting the degree in the near future is also welcome to apply. We will also consider applications from candidates with a strong proven record of high-quality research work for senior positions of Associate and full Professors. Our remuneration packages are highly competitive. Please send your detailed CV and two recent research papers along with a letter of application to ajit.sinha@thapar.edu with a CC. to lav.sharma@thapar.edu

Desirable areas of research/expertise fields:

·         The formation and development of intellectual, religious, and scientific/technical knowledge traditions/practices in classical/medieval/early modern South Asia 

·         Social history of the formation of social and religious identities in classical/medieval/early modern India 

·         Aesthetic, philosophical, and political cultures in classical/medieval/early modern India 

·         Formation of languages and literary cultures in classical/medieval/early modern South Asia

·         Rise and turn in jurisprudential cultures, and the nature of political authority in classical/medieval/early modern South Asia

·         Making and growth of textual, visual, and performing arts cultures 

·         Military culture, war technology, and the making of political authority

Professorship of Indology in Leipzig advertised

The Institute of South and Central Asian Studies at the Faculty of History, Arts and Oriental Studies seeks to fill the following professorship from 1 April 2021:
W3-Professorship in Indology

(Successor to Professor Eliahu Franco) (more…)

Post-Doc positions in Global Philosophy of Religion (how exciting!)

I received from Yujin Nagasawa (via Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad):

I am starting a new Templeton-funded project called the Global Philosophy of Religion (https://www.global-philosophy.org/). The aim of the project is to promote research involving philosophers of religion from all religious traditions and geographical regions. As part of the project, we are advertising three postdoctoral fellowships – in Hindu philosophy of religion, Islamic philosophy of religion and Jewish philosophy of religion – as well as a senior lectureship in philosophy of religion (tradition unspecified).

The list of the positions are published here: https://www.global-philosophy.org/vacancies

I would be most grateful if you could forward it to people who may be interested in any of the positions.

—–
Yujin Nagasawa
H. G. Wood Professor of the Philosophy of Religion
School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham
B15 2TT
United Kingdom

Web: http://www.yujinnagasawa.co.uk

How to deal with Sanskrit words in an English article

I already discussed in this post how to transcribe Sanskrit, and how to separate Sanskrit words in transcription. Here I would like to address a further problem many of my students appear to encounter, namely how to deal with Sanskrit words in an article.

First of all, how many Sanskrit words should you keep in your article? The answer depends on your audience. If you address an audience of non-Sanskritists, use as few Sanskrit words as possible. If you address a Sanskritist audience, use Sanskrit words in parentheses the first time you introduce a given translation, so that readers can understand what you mean by your translation, e.g.:

Authors of Dharmakīrti’s school think that linguistic communication (śabda) is not an independent instrument of knowledge (pramāṇa), but should rather be subsumed under inference (anumāna).

Then, the next time you’ll speak of inference, etc., you will not need to explain which term you are translating. You do not need to use the Sanskrit words in case it is obvious or irrelevant. If, for instance, you want to discuss Dharmakīrti’s soteriology, it is probably not needed to say that when you speak of `word’ he used pada and so on. In other words, focus on just a few termini technici for which you want to give the Sanskrit equivalent. Sanskrit words are italicised and therefore attract the attention of the reader. Use them sparingly or your reader will be just confused.

A further connected issue is: In which form should you mention Sanskrit words? As usual, consistency is key. You can decide among of the following three options, but then stick to it:

  1. You mention the word’s stem (e.g., puruṣa, ātman, pratyakṣa).
  2. You mention the word in the nominative singular (e.g. puruṣaḥ, ātmā, pratyakṣam).
  3. You mention the word in the case in which it is mentioned in the sentence you are translating (e.g. “A person’s (puruṣasya) self (ātmā) cannot be grasped through sense-perception (pratyakṣena).
What you should avoid is mixing the three methods, and especially the first two.

Now, you might think that these are all details and are not as important as the thesis you want to convey in your article. This is true, but your peer-reviewers will be disturbed by your sloppiness and annoyed. They might even be inclined to think that your translations are probably also sloppy, given that you are not even able to transcribe Sanskrit accurately. Don’t risk a rejection because of inaccuracy. What do experienced readers think? What annoys you as reader? What do you recommend to students?

 

Professor by special appointment: Diversifying Philosophy (Amsterdam)

Are you a philosopher with a passion for academic teaching and research in diversifying philosophy? If so, please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). Location: AMSTERDAM FTE: 0.2

Job description The chair for “Diversifying Philosophy” will contribute to diversifying academic philosophy and making this diversity visible to a broader audience. The professor by special appointment preferably does so through research and teaching in the field of non-Western philosophy.

Your duties
  1. you will develop and teach a course in the Bachelor of Philosophy and/or a relevant Master track, preferably in the field of non-Western philosophy
  2. you will do research, preferably in the field of non-Western philosophy, resulting in publications in academic journals and academic lectures, and (preparing) grant applications
  3. you undertake activities for valorization in the field of your research and teaching, e.g. in the shape of public lectures

Requirements
  • you have a PhD in philosophy and enjoy a good research reputation, as shows from publications in (national and) international media
  • you have ample experience in leading philosophy research projects and supervising PhD students
  • you have demonstrable experience in translating the results of your research for a broader audience
  • you have ample teaching experience and are an inspiring teacher
  • you have excellent command of the English language
  • What are we offering? This chair by special appointment (“bijzondere leerstoel”) is a rotating chair. Appointment will be for a period of 2,5 years, with the possibility of a second appointment for another 2,5 years. This chair is non-salaried and is supported with an annual bench fee of € 2.500,-.

    As desired by the chair holder, work for this chair can either be concentrated in a couple of shorter periods, or spread over the entire period. The appointment is for 8 hours a week on average. In accordance with VU policy, this chair is open only to external candidates.

    Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as: a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge (Thanks to Catarina Dutilh Novaes for pointing out this position).

    https://workingat.vu.nl/ad/bijzonder-hoogleraar-actuele-themas/xdayuc