NOTE: The application period for 2012-13 is now closed.

The Undergraduate Writing Program is currently soliciting applications from graduate students interested in teaching University Writing, Columbia's required first-year writing course.  Note: On average, we receive over one hundred applications for fewer than ten positions per year.

Information Meeting for SoA Graduate Students
Friday, October 21, 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Room 413, Dodge Hall
A representative from the program will speak about how to apply and what the program involves, and will take questions from students.

Eligibility

Graduate students in the following categories are eligible to apply:

• Students in Arts and Sciences Ph.D. programs who will be entering at least their third year of study and at most their seventh year of study in the fall of 2012.
• Students in the Writing, Film, or Theatre Divisions of the School of the Arts who are pursuing M.F.A. degrees and will be entering their second or third years of study in the fall of 2012.

Terms

Appointments are for two years, with one exception. Instructors who will begin teaching in their seventh year of graduate study will be appointed for one year only.

In the first year, most instructors teach one section of University Writing per semester. However, some instructors—especially advanced Ph.D. students in disciplines other than English—may be assigned to serve as consultants in our writing center. In the second year, instructors either teach one section of University Writing per semester or serve as writing consultants in our writing center.

These appointments will carry a stipend of at least $22,500 ['10-'11 figure]. Additional benefits involving tuition and fees vary, and will be described in individual offer letters.

Training and Development

All incoming instructors are required to take a preparatory seminar, Teaching Writing: Theory and Practice (English G6913), in the spring of 2012.  All instructors are expected to participate in ongoing staff development activities, which currently include small-group staff meetings and semesterly orientations. 

Application Procedure and Deadline

To apply, please submit the following materials in hard copy to Dr. Nicole B. Wallack, Director, Undergraduate Writing Program, 310 Philosophy Hall, by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 2, 2011:

1. Application cover sheet (available through the link below)
2. Letter of application describing your teaching philosophy, interest in teaching writing, and relevant experience
3. C.V.
4. Names of at least two Columbia faculty whom we can contact as references
   For first-year SoA students only: instead of listing two Columbia faculty as references, you have the option of replacing one of the two Columbia faculty with a non-Columbia person.  If you do choose an outside referent, we request that you have that person send in a recommendation letter/email for you immediately.  If a letter, have it sent to the above address; if an email, have it sent to uwp@columbia.edu. The deadline for receiving these outside references is November 14, 2011.
5. An essay you have written for academic purposes that demonstrates your ability to work with sources to construct an argument of your own. (This sample should be no longer than 10 pages. If you wish, you may submit 10 pages of a longer paper.)

Please submit these materials in a file folder (preferably a 3-tab one) with your name and department clearly printed or typed on the tab.

The selection committee will then make an initial decision by Tuesday, November 22, 2011, and those selected to continue will be asked to provide the following by noon, Thursday, December 1, 2011:

Comments on a sample student paper that we provide, below.

We will conduct half-hour interviews with selected applicants from Friday, December 9 to Friday, December 16,  and announce appointments before the end of the calendar year.

Attachments: 

Application Cover Page

Sample Student Essay Draft

Sample UW Reading