University of California
Department
Of
Philosophy
2024-25
Graduate Student
Handbook
Santa Barbara
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
SANTA BARBARA
This handbook is designed to guide graduate students through the various stages of their studies. The following pages include faculty specialties, an outline of the graduate program and procedures, financial support, rules and responsibilities for graduate student teaching, and job placement information.
We hope you find the information useful, and wish you every success in your studies.
Aaron Zimmerman, Chair
July 11, 2024
Table of Contents
§1 Message for Incoming Students 4
§2 Program at a Glance 5
§3 Departmental Administration and Staff 6
§5 Climate, Conduct, and Diversity 11
§6 Monitoring and Mentoring 12
§7 Coursework, Registration, and Grades 13
§8 Qualifying Paper and Qualifying Examination 17
§9 The M.A. and the Ph.D. Dissertation 20
§10 Leaves and Lapses 21
§11 Facilities and Resources 23
§12 Financial Support 25
§13 Special Awards and Opportunities 28
§14 Teaching Assistants and Associates 29
§15 Placement 32
We are pleased that you have chosen our department to pursue your graduate studies in philosophy and extend our heartfelt welcome to you. This handbook has been written with an eye towards answering many of the questions you may have, and we would like to suggest that you peruse it and use it for future reference.
Our graduate program has two objectives: to provide you, through coursework, with the broad familiarity of a variety of philosophical subjects that you will need to be a well-rounded philosopher and an effective teacher; and to develop your potential as a researcher by giving you an opportunity to do supervised research, culminating in the writing of a doctoral dissertation.
Information about how to register for courses can be found below in §7. We encourage you to enroll in three courses each quarter of your first year, including (in the Fall) the first-year proseminar, held on Mondays 4-7pm. Be aware that not all courses are offered every year, and many courses will be taught only once during your two years of coursework. It may therefore be wise to take any course that interests you as it occurs.
Please make it a habit to read all emails, to respond as requested in a timely fashion, and to check your “spam” folders regularly for emails mistakenly placed there. You are expected to check your email regularly throughout the summer as well, for important time-sensitive emails.
Your first paycheck will normally be issued on October 1 (if you selected a four-month payment schedule) or November 1 (if you selected a three-month payment schedule). If you are a domestic student from outside California, please take the steps necessary for establishing California residency, some of which must be taken immediately on arrival (see §12 for detailed information).
Tips for international students
· If you are an international student on an F-1 visa, you cannot establish residency, so there are no steps you need to take regarding residency. You will be billed as a non-resident for the duration of your time at UCSB. This means that you will be charged Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST), and these charges may appear in BARC (Billing Account Receivable Collections). But not to fear! International students generally do not have to pay for NRST themselves: the charges are covered by a Grad Division fellowship until you advance to candidacy (in year 3 or 4), and the charges are waived after you advance to candidacy.
· If you are an international student on a J-1 visa, you must remember to renew your authorization to work each year, via UCSBGlobal. If you plan to work during the summer, you’ll need to renew during the Spring quarter.
· International students are encouraged to visit the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) for help navigating the U.S. tax system.
· International students are generally but not entirely prohibited from working outside the university; more information here.
University sponsored housing is partially subsidized and is often cheaper than rates available in Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Isla Vista. See the UCSB Housing website for information and applications. If you are arriving without household items, you may find what you need on Craig’s List or The Independent classified section. Students may also make use of food banks through Associated Students and Miramar Pantry.
We strive to establish a sense of a community within the department. Please plan to attend our colloquium speaker series and the dinners that follow, as well as other social functions our department may have. Make use of the Philosophy Common Room to spend time with your fellow students and faculty, and take whatever opportunities that may arise to get to know each other. We are always interested in your ideas for improving student/faculty relations and how we can enliven our philosophic community.
We trust your stay here will be productive and pleasant.
This section is meant to give a general overview of normal progress through the program. Precise statements of policies and further details can be found later in the document.
You can think of your graduate career as divided into three phases:
a) Fulfilling course requirements
b) Passing the Qualifying Paper and Oral Examination
c) Writing the Ph.D. dissertation
During the first phase, you’ll take 15 courses, satisfying the following distribution requirements:
In your first year, you should plan to take three courses each quarter, including the first-year proseminar. You are encouraged to make good progress towards completing your distribution requirements during this first year, particularly the logic requirement. In your second year, which is when you will typically begin to TA, you will generally take two courses each quarter.
The Qualifying Paper (QP) is the critical milestone in our program. You should expect to spend much of your third year working on your QP, and to submit the QP by the end of the third year. As soon as possible after passing the QP Requirement, you will have a Qualifying Examination, typically on the topic of the QP. After passing the Qualifying Examination, you will normally be advanced to candidacy.
In the first quarter after passing the QP—typically the Fall of your fourth year—you will be expected to submit a dissertation proposal. Students in their fourth year also begin to have the opportunity to design and teach their own courses.
While writing your dissertation, you will meet regularly with your chosen dissertation advisor and meet at least once a year with the entire committee. You should aim to complete your dissertation by the end of your sixth year.
§3 Departmental Administration and Staff
Here are some of the main administrative positions and their current occupants. Always feel free to come to any of us with questions and concerns. If you’re unsure where to direct your question, you can start with the Faculty Graduate Advisor. Faculty and staff email addresses can be found on the department website: https://www.philosophy.ucsb.edu/people
Department Chair
Aaron Zimmerman
The Department Chair has final responsibility for all matters relating to the department. They have full authority in matters of course scheduling and appointments of TAs and Associates. In all other matters, it is the Department Chair who recommends actions to the campus administration (typically after consulting the faculty).
Faculty Graduate Advisor
Dan Korman
The Faculty Graduate Advisor is responsible for matters affecting graduate students or the graduate program. The Faculty Graduate Advisor advises students on their course of study and advancement to candidacy, and has individual meetings with each student every Fall quarter. The Faculty Graduate Advisor’s signature will be needed on various forms and petitions presented by graduate students (e.g., to add or drop courses, to waive or substitute requirements, or to take a leave of absence).
Staff Graduate Advisor
Andrew Sanchez Garcia
The Staff Graduate Advisor provides administrative support for the graduate program, assisting the Faculty Graduate Advisor in monitoring students’ progress toward their degrees and providing information about department and Graduate Division policies and procedures.
Colloquium Officer
Sonny Elizondo
The Colloquium Chair organizes the departmental colloquium series. You may contact the Colloquium Chair with suggestions for invited speakers. Students planning departmental events should consult the Colloquium Chair to avoid scheduling conflicts.
Graduate Diversity Officer
Dan Korman
Diversity Officers are faculty members in each department who advocate for the inclusion of students and guide their department to recruit from diverse backgrounds. They recognize and intervene when students need assistance in their academic, professional, and social lives.
Administrative Coordinator
Chloe Kimble
The Administrative Coordinator assists with ordering textbooks, key check out, copy codes, reserving materials and rooms, department library policy, and ordering office supplies. Please report any problems with department computers, printers, or copiers to the Instructional Program Assistant, so that repairs can be made as soon as possible.
Library Liaison
Adina Roskies
Students may contact the Library Liaison with specific requests or suggestions regarding books or journals for the university library to obtain, as well as questions or suggestions concerning the departmental library.
Logic Exam Administrator
Teresa Robertson Ishii
The Logic Exam Administrators administer the logic exam that students may take in order to be exempted from the PHIL 284G logic requirement.
Placement Officer
Elinor Mason
The Placement Officer assists students in finding academic appointments as they approach completion of the Ph.D. program. The Placement Officer assists students in preparing their dossiers, holds an informational meeting each Spring for new job seekers, and arranges mock interviews, teaching demos, and job talks.
Teaching Coordinator
Amanda Greene
The Teaching Coordinator runs annual training sessions for first-time Assistants and Associates. They are the go-to person for pedagogical trouble-shooting (how to deal with plagiarists, how to organize a syllabus, etc.). They observe lectures and sections and offer feedback, and write teaching letters for graduate students nominated for fellowships and on the job market.
Climate Monitor
Dan Korman (Fall), K.T. Falvey (Winter and Spring)
The climate monitor serves on the climate committee, working with graduate students to promote and oversee initiatives aimed at improving the social and intellectual life of the department.
Fingarette Fund Executor
Colin Allen
The Executor oversees the distribution of Fingarette travel funds for graduate student travel. More on this in §12.
Staff Undergraduate Advisor
Céline Tang
The Undergraduate Philosophy Advisor conducts the Philosophy course scheduling, and can help with add codes, wait lists, and other issues connected with course enrollment.
Webmaster
Thomas Barrett (Winter), Colin Allen (Fall and Spring)
Students should contact the webmaster if they spot any mistakes or omissions on the department website, or with any ideas about improving the website.
COLIN ALLEN, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Professor (philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of biology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of communication)
My main areas of research concern the philosophical foundations of cognitive science, particularly as related to the scientific investigation of nonhuman animal cognition and artificial intelligence. This work touches on issues in the philosophy of neuroscience, philosophy of biology, and philosophy of communication and language, and addresses epistemological questions in the philosophy of mind. I am also interested in the cognitive capacities of groups of organisms or agents, the capacities and limitations of machines with respect to ethical reasoning and behavior. Other current projects concern the role of mathematical modeling in cognitive psychology and the application of computational methods to the history & philosophy of science.
THOMAS BARRETT, Ph.D., Princeton University
Associate Professor (philosophy of physics, philosophy of science, logic)
My research is primarily in philosophy of physics, philosophy of science, and logic. I also have interests in philosophy of mathematics and the history of analytic philosophy, and in metaphysics and epistemology more broadly. I teach classes and will supervise dissertations in all of these areas. My recent graduate courses have been on the logical positivists, scientific realism, the indispensability argument, and probability theory.
E. SONNY ELIZONDO, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Assistant Professor (moral philosophy, Kant)
My research concerns the nature of and prospects for rationalism in ethics. I am particularly interested in the kind of rationalism that takes its inspiration from Kant. I believe this rationalism has been misunderstood and so its virtues underappreciated. My philosophical ambitions, then, are twofold: to lay out the best interpretation of Kant’s rationalism, and to develop and defend the best version of Kantian rationalism, one that respects the spirit of Kant’s work, if not always its letter. I am also interested in the history of ethics more broadly, especially the Aristotelian tradition.
K.T. FALVEY, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Associate Professor (philosophy of mind, philosophy of language)
Modern philosophy has inherited from Descartes a picture of the mind as an inner realm the facts concerning which have no essential connection to the goings-on in the natural and social world we inhabit. In my opinion, the principal elements of this picture persist even in contemporary materialist theories that feature the brain (rather than an immaterial substance) in the starring role. However, there is a tradition of loyal opposition to the Cartesian doctrine, represented above all by Wittgenstein, but including also—in at least some of their moods—Sellars, Putnam, Davidson, Burge, and McDowell. These are the philosophers who have most influenced me. Much of my work has been on the special epistemic authority carried by first person ascriptions of belief, intention, and other propositional attitudes, which I see as emerging from the roles such ascriptions play in the social practices of making and justifying claims about the world. More generally, I am interested in ways of seeing our commonsense intentional discourse as primarily normative and interpretive, rather than as comprising a primitive (“folk”) scientific theory of behavior.
AMANDA GREENE, Ph.D., Stanford University
Associate Professor (political philosophy, legal philosophy, ethics, ancient philosophy)
My research examines the nature of legitimate political authority, especially as it relates to democracy and political realism. I also write about free speech, human rights, the morality of markets, and Plato’s political philosophy. I’m currently finishing a book entitled The Morality of Power: Legitimacy in Politics, Business, and Civil Society, under contract with Oxford University Press. I’m also starting a new project on power and digital platforms. I regularly teach courses in legal and political philosophy, and periodically I teach Ancient Greek philosophy. I’ve supervised postgraduate work on topics such as democracy, autonomy, justice, liberalism, nationalism, sovereignty, and international law, as well as projects that focus on figures in the history of political thought such as Plato, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Mill.
MATTHEW HANSER, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Professor (ethics, philosophy of action, philosophy of law)
My research primarily concerns problems in moral philosophy—especially problems arising where moral philosophy intersects with other branches of philosophy, such as philosophy of mind, philosophy of action, philosophy of law, philosophy of language, or metaphysics.
TOM HOLDEN, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Professor (modern philosophy)
My research work is in the history of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy, and focuses largely on issues in the metaphysics, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, and philosophy of religion of the empiricist tradition.
DAN KORMAN, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Professor (metaphysics, epistemology, mind, and language)
My main areas of research are the metaphysics of material objects, where I defend a conservative view on which our intuitive judgments about which objects there are and aren’t are more or less correct, and debunking arguments as they arise in various domains (including metaethics, material-object metaphysics, and the philosophy of color). Other topics of interest include social metaphysics (esp. the metaphysics of race), philosophy of perception, abstract artifacts, Locke on substratum, the nature and status of intuition, and anything having anything to do with Kripke’s Naming and Necessity. I have taught graduate seminars on material objects, the philosophy of race, debunking arguments, and epistemic circularity, and have advised dissertations on such topics as personal identity, composition, grounding and fundamentality, metaphilosophy, social ontology, universals, and indispensability arguments.
ELINOR MASON, Ph.D., Reading
Professor (feminism, moral responsibility, ethics)
I work on and teach a broad range of topics, including feminism, moral responsibility, and ethics. I’m particularly interested in the various intersections of these topics, for example feminist approaches to responsibility, and feminist issues in normative ethics and legal theory. My book, Ways to be Blameworthy: Rightness, Wrongness, and Responsibility was published in 2019. My latest book, Feminist Philosophy: An Introduction came out in July 2021. I have supervised Ph.D. dissertations on a wide range of subjects, including false consciousness, supererogation, the virtues, consequentialism, moral responsibility, and punishment. See here for more information.
TERESA ROBERTSON ISHII, Ph.D., Princeton University
Professor (philosophy of language, metaphysics)
My primary research interests are in topics that fall into the areas of metaphysics and philosophy of language, especially where the two (at least seem to) intersect. I have published articles on origin essentialism, the sorites paradox, reference to kinds, and Chandler’s Paradox. More and more, I find myself attracted to paradoxes. I like their “clean lines”: confronted with a few claims that seem intuitively plausible that lead to contradiction, one is forced to reject an initially appealing claim. That’s a situation ripe for learning something significant. Or, as Tarski put it, “In this way we have arrived at an obvious contradiction. In my judgment, it would be quite wrong and dangerous from the standpoint of scientific progress to depreciate the importance of this and other antinomies, and to treat them as jokes or sophistries. It is a fact that we are here in the presence of an absurdity, that we have been compelled to assert a false sentence … If we take our work seriously, we cannot be reconciled with this fact. We must discover its cause, that is to say, we must analyze premises upon which the antinomy is based; we must then reject at least one of these premises, and we must investigate the consequences which this has for the whole domain of our research” (Alfred Tarski, “The Semantic Conception of Truth and the Foundations of Semantics”, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 4: 341-376, p. 348).
ADINA ROSKIES, Ph.D., MIT (Philosophy); Ph.D., UCSD (Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences)
Professor (philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, ethics)
My interests lie mainly in the intersection of philosophy and the biological and cognitive sciences, in particular in philosophy of neuroscience and cognitive science, neuroethics, and philosophy of mind. My recent work has focused on the problem of free will, philosophical issues related to neuroimaging, the nature of agency, and the ethics of intervention on neural processes. I also have interests in general philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, moral responsibility, and aspects of legal philosophy.
VOULA TSOUNA, Ph.D., University of Paris X, France
Professor (ancient philosophy)
My work is in the area of ancient Greek philosophy, specializing in Socrates, Plato, the Socratic schools, and Hellenistic Philosophy. My first book is a critical edition with translation and commentary of Philodemus: On Choices and Avoidances (Bibliopolis Press, Naples, 1995), a text of late Epicurean ethics. My analysis focuses on the topics of rationalism, attitudes towards superstition, and the fear of death. I discuss the contribution of late Epicureans to practical ethics and explain its philosophical interest. My second book, The Epistemology of the Cyrenaic School (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, 1998) is an interpretation of the epistemology of the Cyrenaics, a Socratic school active in the Classical and Hellenistic periods. I argue that the subjectivism of this school in some ways pre-announces modern positions and that its scepticism comes close to modern scepticism about the external world. Among the topics I examine are the relation between the mental and the physical, the authority of first-person reports, scepticism towards the empirical world and towards other minds, and the relations between relativism and scepticism. My third book, The Ethics of Philodemus (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2006) reconstructs and assesses the ethical system of Philodemus, a very important Epicurean philosopher of the 1st century B.C., whose surviving writings belong to the collection of the Herculaneum papyri. My next book, Philodemus, On Property Management (SBL 2012), contains a text, translation, and critical notes on Philodemus’ approach to questions concerning the acquisition and administration of wealth. The text and translation are prefaced by a substantial introduction which analyses the ideas and arguments of Philodemus’ treatise and underscores their philosophical relevance. My last book is entitled Plato’s Charmides: An Interpretative Commentary (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Also, Gabor Betegh and I have co-edited a collection of essays entitled The Notion of Concept in Greek Philosophy currently under consideration by Oxford University Press. I am currently working on two monographs, The Normativity of Nature in Hellenistic Philosophy and Imperfect Cities, Imperfect Lives: An interpretation of Plato’s Republic VIII-IX, and also articles on the Two Worlds Problem, Ancient Subjectivism, and the physics and ethics of the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus.
AARON ZIMMERMAN, Ph.D., Cornell University
Professor (philosophy of mind, epistemology, action theory, moral psychology)
My research centers on the philosophy of mind in general and moral psychology in particular. In Moral Epistemology (Routledge, 2010), I survey accounts of moral knowledge and argue against moral skepticism, but I also reject various forms of moral perception. In their place, I advance a positive view of moral knowledge on which it is directly inferred from value-neutral premises. The Routledge Handbook of Moral Epistemology, which I co-edited with Karen Jones and Mark Timmons, provides a further overview of the field with a focus on the science of moral judgment and the application of moral philosophy to matters of public policy. My Ph.D. dissertation explored our knowledge of our own beliefs, and I continue to examine the nature of belief and introspection in several articles. In Belief: A Pragmatic Picture (Oxford UP, 2018), I advance a theory or “picture” of belief and trace the origins of this conception to the work of JS Mill’s protégé Alexander Bain. Recently, I have been exploring the role of Bain’s theory of belief in the origins of Pragmatism and analyzing pragmatic trends in cognitive science and the philosophy of mind more generally. This research has awakened a fresh interest in American philosophy. I regularly teach courses on these subjects and supervise dissertations in the philosophy of mind, moral psychology, and epistemology.
The philosophy department at UCSB is committed to creating and maintaining a work environment in which students, staff, and faculty feel welcome and safe, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, age, ethnicity, religion, disability, or socio-economic status. We aim to accomplish this by promoting an atmosphere of collegiality and respect, cultivating a sensitivity to the sorts of practices and behaviors that generate a hostile or non-inclusive environment, and in no way tolerating harassment or discrimination.
We are proud to have an active chapter of Minorities in Philosophy (MAP), founded by philosophy department graduate students. Like the broader network to which it belongs, the chapter’s general mission is to promote awareness and productive discussions of issues connected to the participation of underrepresented groups in academic philosophy. Since its inception, a large number of our graduate students have participated in the group, which has promoted its mission through various initiatives, including reading groups on inclusive pedagogy, talks and workshops by outside speakers, and collaborations with other Southern California MAP chapters. Among the topics addressed by these initiatives are LGBTQ workplace rights, the social responsibilities of academics, reparations for US Slavery, the New Jim Crow, and institutionalized racism. MAP also helped organize the department’s Coffee Talks series, in which faculty members present and discuss their current research projects.
Graduate students are encouraged to socialize with both faculty and fellow graduates in an appropriate and professional manner. They must be mindful of preserving a positive climate in the department and of conducting themselves in a way that promotes collegiality and learning. Faculty members will likewise hold themselves up to the highest standard when socializing with graduate students. Breaches of confidentiality and, generally, of professionalism on the part of faculty in such contexts violate departmental policy. The department will not tolerate any form of harassment, bullying, sexism, xenophobia or, generally, abusive behavior. This prohibition applies to words as well as deeds. Episodes of abusive behavior by a graduate student or faculty member may incur disciplinary action.
Students should be particularly mindful of the way in which sexual or romantic attention towards other students in the philosophy program, graduate or undergraduate, can create a toxic environment, particularly for women in the department. So, while it is no doubt possible for students in the program to cultivate healthy romantic relationships with one another, one should not view one’s fellow students as a “dating pool”. It is especially problematic for graduate students to enter into romantic and/or sexual relationships with undergraduates in courses for which they are serving as a TA or Associate. In case a graduate student should enter into such a relationship, they must immediately (with the assistance of the Faculty Graduate Advisor) remove themselves from grading or in any way assessing the undergraduate with whom they are involved. No form of harassment from a graduate student to an undergraduate student will be tolerated by the department. Such behavior is likely to incur disciplinary action.
Please feel free to share with the faculty any thoughts for improving the climate or promoting diversity in the department, either through the Faculty Graduate Advisor or through the Diversity Officer. Any instances of harassment or discrimination may also be brought to the attention of the Faculty Graduate Advisor or Diversity Officer. Students should be aware that faculty are “responsible employees” and cannot keep such reports confidential; we are required to report any instances of sexual violence, sexual harassment, or sex-based harassment to the Title IX office. Students may also consult with the Graduate Student Academic Counselor (Ryan Sims).
The department has several procedures in place to help mentor and monitor the progress of graduate students.
Each incoming student will be paired with a faculty mentor. Mentors will reach out to them once a quarter for their first two years, extending an invitation to meet and/or answer questions by email. After the second year, students will select an advisor, and will take a course (PHIL 597 or 599) with their advisor each quarter for S/U credit until completing their dissertation. Students will discuss with their advisors what they plan to accomplish in order to earn an S grade in the course.
Each Fall, the Faculty Graduate Advisor holds a one-on-one meeting with each graduate student in residence. This is an opportunity to discuss their plans for the academic year; discuss any questions or concerns they have about the program, its requirements, or their work as TAs; and ensure that students entering their second year have a viable plan for completing their coursework, that students in their third year have a plan for completing their QP, and that students in their fourth year and beyond have a plan for completing their dissertation. Students will be asked to complete a Self-Assessment form in advance of the meeting, detailing accomplishments and challenges from the previous academic year and plans for the upcoming academic year.
The department conducts an annual review of all graduate students’ progress, typically in the Spring quarter. In this review, we examine the short narrative evaluation of students’ performance filed by the instructor of each course they have taken. Reviewing these evaluations is often useful in spotting patterns of strengths and weaknesses. The evaluations are not made directly available to students, so as to encourage candid assessments of student performance. Any concerns that arise in the meeting are communicated to the student by the Faculty Graduate Advisor.
Every student in their third year or beyond is required to have an annual meeting with their (QP or dissertation) advisor and committee, ideally in the Fall quarter. At the meeting, the student and their committee will make plans for the academic year, including (but not limited to) how often the student will meet with each committee member and how often they will send drafts for comments to each committee member. Students will record the results of the meeting on this form, which they then send to the entire committee and the Faculty Graduate Advisor.
Students should always feel welcome and encouraged to contact the Faculty or Staff Graduate Advisors if they have questions, or are seeking advice, about any aspects of their course of study.
Registering for Courses
The Registrar Office’s GOLD system is used to enroll in classes, view the general catalog, or view course offerings for a particular quarter. You can enroll during your pass times, and you can find your pass times by logging into GOLD, and looking under the registration tab. New students should be able to view their pass times once they have submitted all official transcripts and documents to Graduate Division, and have been given unconditional admission. Continuing students are encouraged to register before the end of pass 2 in order to avoid a late registration fee; to have fellowships, TAship fee remission, and financial aid credited on time; and to retain student status. If a graduate course you wish to enroll in is full, you should contact the instructor to request an add code.
In order to be eligible for fellowship and teaching positions, students must always be enrolled in at least 8 units per academic quarter. Should a student ever drop below 8 units, their teaching assignment and funding would be in jeopardy. For this reason, we strongly encourage all students to enroll in 12 units every quarter. These four additional units serve a safety net, allowing you to drop (either during the quarter or retroactively) without jeopardizing your teaching assignment and funding. This does not apply to Summer Session: graduate students do not register for, nor are they charged fees for, Summer Session.
Some courses are taken for a letter grade, and others for “S/U” credit (“S” for satisfactory, “U” for unsatisfactory). S/U grading is also sometimes called “Pass / No Pass”. Those are the same thing.
Here are general guidelines for reaching 12 units in each year of the program, broken down by year.
· Year One: In Fall, enroll in two regular courses, plus four units of PHIL 594 for S/U credit with the proseminar instructor. Enroll in three regular courses in the Winter, and three more in the Spring.
· Year Two: In Fall, enroll in two regular courses, as well as two units of PHIL 500 and two units of PHIL 501 with the Teaching Coordinator as instructor. In Winter as well as Spring, enroll in two regular courses and four units of PHIL 500.
· Year Three: Each quarter (prior to passing your QP) enroll in eight units of PHIL 597 with your QP advisor and four units of PHIL 500. If you pass the QP before the end of the third year, enroll in PHIL 599 in place of 597.
· Year Four and Beyond: Each quarter after passing your QP, enroll in eight units of PHIL 599 and four units of PHIL 500.
Departures from these guidelines are sometimes acceptable or even advisable, but should always be discussed with the Faculty Graduate Advisor.
A bit more information about 500-level courses:
· PHIL 500 (Apprentice Teaching in Philosophy): Students must enroll for two units in their very first quarter as a TA and for four units every subsequent quarter in which they are a TA or Associate. Enroll for S/U credit, with the Teaching Coordinator as instructor.
· PHIL 501 (TA Training): Students must enroll in this course once, in their very first quarter as a TA. Enroll for two units for S/U credit with the Teaching Coordinator as instructor.
· PHIL 594 (Proseminar): Students must take this course once, in the Fall of their first year in the program. Enroll for four units with S/U credit, with whomever is leading the proseminar (Greene in Fall 2024).
· PHIL 596 (Directed Readings and Research): Students interested in taking an “independent study” may enroll in up to twelve units, with the permission of a supervising professor. This may be taken for a letter grade (four units), one time only, to fulfill coursework requirements. Many students complete the program without ever taking this course.
· PHIL 597 (Individual Study for Advancement to Candidacy): Students must take this course every quarter in which they are working on their QP. Enroll for S/U credit with at least four units (and up to twelve), with your QP advisor as instructor.
· PHIL 599 (Ph.D. Dissertation Research): Students must take this course every quarter after passing their QP. Enroll for S/U credit with at least four units (and up to twelve) with your dissertation advisor as instructor.
After completing your coursework, you may continue to enroll in regular courses, typically with S/U grading (consult the instructor about what will be required for an S grade), but you are in principle permitted to enroll for a letter grade.
Course Requirements
A total of 14 philosophy graduate courses (56 units) must be taken for letter grades of B or better, and these courses must meet the following distribution requirements:
(a) PHIL 284G (Intermediate Modern Logic)
(b) At least seven seminars
(c) At least three courses in the history of philosophy
(d) At least three courses in metaphysics and epistemology (broadly construed)
(e) At least two courses in value theory (broadly construed)
In addition to the requirement of taking 14 philosophy graduate courses for letter grades (hereafter “the 14-course requirement”), students must also take the first-year proseminar (PHIL 594). The proseminar does not count towards the 14-course requirement, since it is not taken for a letter grade, nor does it count as one of the seven seminars that satisfy requirement (b).
Courses satisfying requirement (b) are labeled “Seminar” in the course catalog (numbered 296-299). Requirement (b) was updated in Fall 2022. Students who joined the program prior to Fall 2022 only need five seminars to fulfill the seminar requirement.
Requirements (c)-(e) may be satisfied by either seminars or lecture courses listed as graduate courses. Any one course may be used to satisfy at most one of the requirements (c)-(e). A full list of courses counting towards each requirement can be found in the university’s course catalogue at this link (under “Requirements Download”):
https://ucsbcatalog.coursedog.com/programs/PHDPHIL
(If that link has not yet been updated to show the 2024-25 requirements document, you can also click here for it.)
In certain cases, a course listed as fulfilling one requirement may instead be counted towards a different requirement. For instance, PHIL 273G (Frege) is listed as fulfilling requirement (c), but can be used towards fulfill requirement (d) instead. Students wishing to have a course count towards a different requirement should seek approval from the Faculty Graduate Advisor.
While the only required logic course is PHIL 284G, it may prove difficult to pass (with a B or better) unless you are acquainted with the deductive system that is introduced in PHIL 283G (Beginning Modern Logic). As a result, you may want to take or audit PHIL 283G. If you take PHIL 283G for a letter grade, and receive a B or better, it will count towards the 14-course requirement.
A student may be exempted from requirement (a) by passing an examination (given only at the time of entrance into the Ph.D. Program) designed to demonstrate training in logic equivalent to that provided by 283G and 284G. The examination has four parts: symbolization, derivations, invalidating models, and a final section in which one must provide a derivation if the argument is valid and otherwise provide an invalidating model. The exam is designed primarily with the system of Kalish, Montague, and Mar in mind, and tells you what inference rules and forms of derivation are available, though rules are also given for the Fitch-style system that is used by Bergmann et al. in The Logic Book, as are a set of rules for definite descriptions. This is no practice test, and it takes a grade of 80% to pass.
Testing out of the requirement in this way should rarely be attempted, and only by students who have extensive training in logic. Those interested in taking the examination should contact Professor Robertson Ishii. If exempted from requirement (a), an additional elective course must be taken to satisfy the total 56 units required—in other words, testing out of the requirement does not reduce the overall number of courses you need to take.
A maximum of one independent study (PHIL 596) course may count towards the 14-course requirement in areas (c)-(e), provided that the content of the independent study does not significantly overlap the content of any other course used to satisfy the 14-course requirement and that the course is taken for a letter grade (B or better).
Graduate students may be allowed to take undergraduate courses, with the permission of the instructor, but only in their first year and only on the recommendation of the Faculty Graduate Advisor or Chair(s). Undergraduate courses (i.e. PHIL 199 and below) will not count towards the 14-course requirement.
In the rare case in which a student passes the QP Requirement prior to completing their course requirements, the student must complete the course requirements by the end of their fourth year (normative time).
Students should bear in mind that, while attendance is not recorded in graduate courses, it is nevertheless expected. If you have to miss a class, you should always inform the instructor in advance, with the sort of explanation and tone appropriate to canceling dinner plans.
Grades and Incompletes
Letter grades assigned at UCSB range from A to F. Any grade below a B (B- or below) is not a satisfactory grade for a graduate student and will not count towards the 14-course requirement. When a course was taken for an S/U grade, an S may be assigned only if the work is of B or better quality (not
B-). A grade of NR often means that the instructor neglected to enter a grade and may need a gentle reminder.
Students with less than a 3.0 (i.e, B average) GPA are placed on academic monitoring by the Graduate Division. If a student does not improve after some quarters of monitoring, they will then be placed on academic probation. A student on academic probation is ineligible for fellowships or teaching positions, and may be asked to leave the program in the absence of improvement. While a 3.0 GPA is considered the minimum satisfactory level for a graduate student by the Graduate Division, the department views anything below 3.5 as cause for concern. Many fellowships and grants require a minimum of 3.5 GPA to qualify.
Regarding Incompletes: If a student knows that they will be unable to submit their term paper (or other coursework) by the end of the quarter, they should ask permission from the instructor to take an Incomplete in the course (in order to avoid receiving an F). Upon receiving permission, the student should fill out a petition to receive an Incomplete. The student will then have until the end of the academic quarter following when the course was originally undertaken to finish the Incomplete course; otherwise, it turns automatically to an F. A petition for an Incomplete extension can be obtained from the Staff Graduate Advisor to delay the Incomplete turning into an F by one quarter. (Students who did file the initial petition for an Incomplete will not have the option of requesting an Incomplete extension.) Earning an F will substantially lower a student’s GPA, and if it causes the GPA to drop below 3.0, the student is in danger of losing their TAship or other funding.
The department generally discourages taking Incompletes, emphatically discourages having more than one Incomplete course at any one time, and strongly encourages those who do take them to resolve the Incomplete promptly after the quarter ends, so as to avoid a “cascade effect” of taking Incompletes in current courses in order to resolve Incompletes from past courses. (The same applies to NGs and NRs resulting from failure to complete a course.) Accumulating Incompletes seriously jeopardizes one’s success in the program. A student with 12 or more incomplete units is placed on academic probation by the Graduate Division, making them ineligible for TAships. Graduate Division regulations also preclude advancement to candidacy if there are any remaining Incomplete grades on a transcript.
Doctoral Emphasis
Students doing a Ph.D. in the philosophy department may apply for a doctoral emphasis in Feminist Studies. The details are available here. In brief, to be considered for the emphasis, students must take at least one feminist philosophy course in the philosophy department, two courses from Feminist Studies, and one additional seminar with a feminist topic from any department. Students do not need to declare their intention to take the emphasis in advance. Please see Elinor Mason if you have any questions or would like to discuss the options.
Students doing a Ph.D. in the philosophy department may also apply for a doctoral emphasis in Cognitive Science. The details are available here.
QP Basics
The Qualifying Paper (QP) is to be an original work and should present a philosophical thesis and defend it by argument. It can be no longer than 10,000 words, including introduction, footnotes, and appendices. The QP should be submitted by the end of the student’s third year. Upon submitting the QP, the student has a Qualifying Examination (aka the “Oral Examination”), administered by the student’s designated QP committee. The student must pass the Qualifying Examination in order to advance to doctoral candidacy.
Criteria
A successful QP is one that is judged by the student’s QP committee to demonstrate the ability to write a successful dissertation. The QP committee will assess the extent to which the QP demonstrates the following five abilities:
1. The ability to advance an original thesis and to situate it within an existing scholarly context
2. The ability to develop an original argument for one’s own position
3. The ability to engage seriously with competing views and likely objections
4. The ability to express one’s thoughts with clarity, concision, orderliness, and attention to detail
5. The ability to improve one’s writing and ideas in response to critical feedback
Should a student fail the QP, the committee will identify the specific categories among these five in which they found the QP to be deficient.
Choosing a QP Topic
Any paper written while its author was a student in the graduate program may be submitted as a QP. While a term paper written for a course may be submitted as a QP, only rarely will an unrevised term paper be good enough to meet the standards the faculty applies in evaluating QPs. Thus, it will be advisable for most students who want to submit a term paper as a QP to revise and expand it.
Students who do not feel that their coursework has yielded a term paper that could serve as the basis of a QP, or who feel that they could benefit from more guidance in developing a paper of the requisite length and depth, are encouraged to arrange an independent study course (PHIL 596) in an area that they think will yield such a term paper. Bear in mind, however, that an independent study course cannot count towards the 14-course requirement if it is used for reworking a previously written term paper, or if its content substantially overlaps that of another course used to satisfy the 14-course requirement.
The QP Committee
In the Fall of their third year, students will select a QP committee consisting of a minimum of three ladder faculty members (i.e., Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, and Acting Assistant Professors) from the UCSB Philosophy Department, one of whom will serve as the QP advisor (or two as co-advisors). Additional members from the department or from other disciplines may be added at the department’s discretion.
At the early-Fall check-in meetings, the Faculty Graduate Advisor will work with students entering their third year to select a committee. It is largely up to the student to select the committee and advisor, but the selection is subject to approval by the Faculty Graduate Advisor. Proposed committees that exclude faculty members with expertise in the area of the QP may not be approved. After this meeting, students should contact their proposed advisor and other committee members and invite them to serve on the committee.
Early in the Fall, the student will have a meeting with their whole committee to discuss what the student plans to accomplish each quarter, when the committee should expect drafts, and how often the student will meet with each committee member. The student will then return the Fall Committee Meeting form to the Faculty Graduate Advisor, reporting the results of the meeting.
In each quarter a student is working on the QP, they should enroll in at least four units of PHIL 597 with their advisor. They should communicate with their advisor about what they must accomplish in order to earn an ‘S’ in the course. Students are strongly encouraged to think of 597 as a genuine course, with a product due at the end of the quarter. Students should ideally plan to have a complete draft of the QP (however rough) by the end of the Fall quarter, which can be shared with the whole committee for feedback. The Winter quarter can then be spent revising the QP in light of feedback and meeting with committee members to discuss the adequacy of the student’s responses to critical feedback. Perhaps the QP will be ready to submit by that point; if not, the Spring quarter can then be spent fine-tuning the paper.
While students should of course consult with their committee during the preparation of a QP, a successful QP must demonstrate the capacity for independent work. Accordingly, students should not expect detailed advice about how (precisely) to fix problems with their writing and/or their arguments.
QP Submission
Students submit their QP by emailing it to the Staff Graduate Advisor. Students must submit a QP by the Tuesday of the ninth week of the third quarter of the student’s third year. Failure to submit a QP by this deadline will count as a failed first attempt. A student is allowed no more than two submissions (that is, two chances to pass), and students must submit a successful QP by the end (i.e., Tuesday of the ninth week) of the first quarter of their fourth year. This means that a student gets a second chance only if they submit for the first time during their third year. If the paper does not pass on the first attempt, the second attempt may be a rewrite of the first attempt or a completely different paper. Those who fail their first attempt will be placed on monitoring status.
QP submission deadlines for 2024-25 are:
Fall 2024: Tuesday, November 26 (4pm)
Winter 2025: Tuesday, March 4 (4 pm)
Spring 2025: Tuesday, May 27 (4 pm)
While a QP must be submitted, at the latest, by the end of the student’s third year in the program, it may be submitted at any time prior to that. (Students submitting early do not have to wait for the quarterly deadlines listed above.) Students who wish to submit their QP early (e.g., in the first or second quarter of their third year) are advised to share a draft of the QP with their committee by the seventh week of the quarter. That way, the committee has time to read the QP prior to the week-nine deadline and to advise the student on whether the QP is ready for submission.
The Qualifying Examination
Upon submission, the QP will be made available to the entire faculty. But it will be evaluated only by the student’s designated QP committee. After receiving the QP, the QP advisor—in consultation with the student and other committee members—will set a time before the end of the quarter for a two-hour Qualifying Examination. The student passes the Qualifying Examination if and only if a majority of the committee members vote to pass the QP. Students who do not pass by the end of the first quarter of their fourth year must leave the program (normally with an M.A.).
It is ultimately up to the QP committee how to structure the Qualifying Examination. Normally, the examination will begin with a short (no more than 15-minute) presentation by the student—reviewing the central theses and arguments in the QP—followed by roughly 90 minutes of discussion. The discussion may focus narrowly on the content of the QP, or may be forward-looking, assessing the feasibility of a dissertation topic rooted in the QP.
At the end of the Qualifying Examination, the student will leave the room, at which time the committee will vote on whether to pass the QP. The committee will normally inform the student of the results of the vote immediately after the discussion, though in rare cases the committee may wish to consult the faculty before making a final decision.
Whether a student passes or fails the Qualifying Examination will be determined primarily by the extent to which the QP demonstrates the five abilities listed above, as opposed to how well the student performs under the pressure of an oral examination. The Qualifying Examination itself serves primarily as an opportunity to provide the student with helpful feedback on their QP and dissertation plans, though committee members may in some cases use the Examination as an opportunity to assess whether some serious reservation they have about the QP rests on a misunderstanding.
The Formalities
Two forms must be submitted to Graduate Division after successful completion of the Qualifying Examination.
The first is the Committee Nomination Form, which specifies the members of the student’s QP committee. Students should submit this form themselves, via GradPoint Students (instructions here). This form should list the members of the QP committee, even if the student plans to have different people on their dissertation committee. The form can be updated at a later date, if the dissertation committee has different members from the QP committee.
The second form is the Report on Doctoral Degree Qualifying Examination Form (aka Form II), which reports the results of the Qualifying Examination. As soon as you have passed the QP, contact the Staff Graduate Advisor to let them know, and they will prepare the forms on your behalf and obtain the necessary signatures.
Upon passing the Qualifying Examination, advancement to candidacy may proceed. Students cannot be advanced to candidacy until completing all course requirements, removing all incomplete grades, the QP, and passing the Qualifying Examination.
Master of Arts
Upon advancing to candidacy, you are eligible to receive an M.A., but will not be awarded the M.A. until you fill out relevant paperwork. To obtain the M.A., most students will need to fill out a Change of Degree Objective form. (“Most students”, because most students originally applied to the program with Ph.D. as their stated objective. In rare cases in which a student was admitted to the program with an M.A./Ph.D. as their stated objective, the student does not need to fill out the Change of Degree Objective form, but does still need the Staff Graduate Advisor to file some other paperwork before they can be awarded the M.A.) Students should complete the form with meticulous attention to detail and should obtain all needed departmental signatures electronically using DocuSign (instructions in §11) Students are not responsible for obtaining Graduate Division signatures. The completed form, with all departmental signatures, should both be emailed to the Staff Graduate Advisor, who will then submit it, along with other supporting materials, to Graduate Division.
Students who do not already have an M.A. from another institution are strongly encouraged to obtain the M.A. Although you may file for an M.A. at any time after advancing to candidacy, you are strongly encouraged to file the paperwork promptly after passing the Oral Examination. By filing it promptly, you avoid the following scenario: Prior to defending your dissertation, you receive a job offer that’s conditional upon having an M.A. or Ph.D. in hand; only after receiving the offer, you submit the M.A. paperwork, and pray that the offer isn’t retracted as you wait and wait for the paperwork to be processed.
Only in special circumstances will the department accept students whose aim is limited to earning the M.A. degree. Students who plan to leave the Ph.D. program prior to passing the Oral Examination, and who wish to obtain an M.A., should discuss this with the Faculty Graduate Advisor. Graduate Division thesis and examination requirements may be satisfied by writing an M.A. thesis, by a QP oral defense, or by a project in a major area of philosophy, administered by a committee appointed by the department. In addition to the Graduate Division requirements, the master’s degree candidate must satisfy the course requirements of the Ph.D. program.
Students are also eligible to receive a C. Phil upon advancing to candidacy, and may contact the Staff Graduate Advisor if interested.
The Ph.D. Dissertation
Upon advancement to candidacy, the student begins carrying out the research for, and the writing of, the doctoral dissertation. Students will select a dissertation committee consisting of at least three faculty members, choosing one to be the dissertation advisor (or two as co-advisors). Each Fall quarter, the student will have a meeting with their whole committee to discuss what they plan to accomplish each quarter, when the committee should expect drafts, and how often the student will meet with each committee member. The student will then return the Fall Committee Meeting form to the Faculty Graduate Advisor, reporting the results of the meeting.
The time-to-degree for the Ph.D. in Philosophy is 6 years. This is the time span in which the Ph.D. program should normally be completed. This final phase of the program is significantly less structured and therefore requires a good deal of personal discipline, good work habits, and perseverance. Students at this stage should be in the habit of writing daily (or nearly every day), and one must be careful not to allow other activities, such as teaching responsibilities or reading, to consume all of one’s time.
To ensure that students make timely progress on their dissertation, students must produce a dissertation proposal no later than at the end of the first enrolled quarter after passing the QP, which they email to their whole committee and to the Faculty Graduate Advisor. Such proposals are generally one to three pages long, with one or two paragraphs explaining the aim or unifying theme of the dissertation, and short descriptions of each of the projected chapters. There is no formal process for approving dissertation proposals; however, a student may be asked to revise the proposal if it is unrealistic or otherwise problematic. The proposal is non-binding, and does not need to be updated should the structure of the dissertation later change.
In each quarter a student is working on their dissertation, they should enroll in at least four units of PHIL 599 with their advisor. They should communicate with their advisor about what they must accomplish in order to earn an ‘S’ in the course. Students are strongly encouraged to think of 599 as a genuine course, with a product due at the end of the quarter. In their first quarter of dissertation work, the product may simply be the dissertation proposal. In each subsequent quarter, students should plan to produce at least 20 pages of new writing (the equivalent of a substantial term paper), until they have a full draft of the dissertation—at which point the end-of-quarter product can be revised and polished drafts of existing chapters.
If your dissertation committee is different from your QP committee, or if at some point your dissertation committee composition changes, you should formally update your committee via GradPoint Students.
Upon completing the dissertation, the student should send it to the committee and schedule an oral dissertation defense. It is ultimately up to the dissertation committee how to structure the oral defense. However, the defense will normally begin with a short (no more than 30-minute) presentation by the student, followed by roughly two hours of questions from the committee. During or after the defense, the committee will indicate any further work that must be undertaken prior to approval of the dissertation. Information about the snake fight portion of the oral defense can be found here. The finalized dissertation must then be approved by each member of the student’s dissertation committee.
Students may defend their dissertation during the summer quarter, so long as they were enrolled as a full-time student in the preceding Spring. The deadline for filing is normally in mid-September (the Staff Grad Advisor can confirm the exact deadline). Such students should plan ahead, ideally sending a final draft to the committee by early August, leaving enough time before the defense for the committee to read the dissertation, and enough time after the defense to complete all the necessary steps for filing.
After passing the defense, ask the Staff Graduate Advisor to submit a Report on Doctoral Degree Final Defense Form (aka Form III) on your behalf. Students must also submit a signature page and title page, and will need to file their dissertation electronically. Students should familiarize themselves with UCSB’s Guide to Formatting and Filing Theses and Dissertations, which outlines requirements concerning (among other things) the signature and title page, margins, abstracts which need to be filed, and agreements and surveys which need to be signed and uploaded.
Before moving away from the area, please give your forwarding address to the Instructional Program Assistant.
Continuous Presence and Registration
Students in doctoral programs must spend at least six regular academic quarters, exclusive of summer sessions, in residence on the UCSB campus. Three consecutive quarters of residence must be completed prior to advancing to candidacy. Students are expected to register continuously for all regular quarter sessions until the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree are fully completed, including the dissertation. But exceptions can be made:
Leave of Absence
Leaves of absence (LOA) come in two forms: personal leave and filing leave. A student may request a personal leave for any personal reason that they encounter that limits their capacity to enroll and make progress towards their degree. Students are eligible for 3 quarters of personal leave but could request up to 3 more quarters with the Graduate Dean’s approval. No additional documentation is needed in support of the leave request, unless the student is requesting beyond the first 3 quarters of leave.
A filing leave enables graduate students who have fulfilled all degree requirements except the doctoral dissertation to take a leave for one quarter in lieu of registering. All research and a substantial portion of the dissertation must be drafted prior to the filing leave quarter. Student on filing leave are expected to file their dissertation by the end of the filing-leave quarter. However, there is no penalty for failing to file by the end of that quarter, apart from having to pay to register during the quarter that they do end up filing. Students cannot go directly from filing leave to personal leave, or vice versa.
Students on leave may not use any university facilities nor make extensive use of faculty or staff time. Students on leave are not eligible for financial aid, TAships, or Associateships, and may elect to pay for student health insurance on their own (details can be found at UC Student Health). Some student loans will become due and payable when a student takes an LOA. Further information regarding LOAs can be found on the Graduate Division website.
Students applying for an LOA must discuss this with the Faculty Graduate Advisor, who will need to sign off on the request. LOA request forms may be obtained from the Staff Graduate Advisor.
In Absentia
Graduate students who have advanced to candidacy may request to take up to 3 quarters (or up to 6 quarters with special approval by the Graduate Dean) of In Absentia to conduct research for a dissertation outside the local campus region. During quarters In Absentia, fees are reduced, but full-time student status is maintained. Students In Absentia are eligible for University fellowship support, University research grants and financial aid (provided all other criteria are met). In Absentia status prohibits students from serving as a TA or Associate. Library privileges remain during In Absentia status. Students are also eligible and may elect to pay for UC health insurance. On-campus housing eligibility may be affected by In Absentia status, so it is wise to contact the housing office prior to submitting an In Absentia petition. Students applying for In Absentia status must discuss this with the Faculty Graduate Advisor. Further information can be found on the Graduate Division website.
Lapsed Status
Students not on an approved LOA who fail to register and/or to pay fees by the third week of the quarter have “lapsed”. They lose all status and privileges as students, and cannot hold fellowships or other forms of financial support. You may petition for reinstatement if you wish to complete the program. Students are strongly discouraged from lapsing during their first six years in the program.
If you lapse while you are working on your dissertation, you must petition for reinstatement for the quarter you plan to file your dissertation. It is therefore advisable to file during the summer, since registration is much cheaper. Further information regarding reinstatement can be found on the Graduate Division website. (The Grad Division website is potentially misleading. It says “fall quarter reinstatement is required for all students in lapsed status who plan to enroll in Summer Sessions courses to … complete a degree.” This does not mean that such students must register for the Fall quarter, only that the reinstatement petition is not officially approved until the Fall.)
DocuSign
Students are strongly encouraged to use DocuSign for acquiring signatures on forms, especially forms that require multiple signatures. Log in with your UCSB email and password. When you click Start on the Home Screen, you will see two options: Send an Envelope and Sign a Document.
Sign a Document
If all you need is your own signature on a form, then choose Sign a Document. You will then be prompted to upload a copy of the form. After uploading it, you’ll see the document, and you’ll see some “Fields” listed on the left-hand side.
· Find the one that says “Signature”, and drag and drop it onto the relevant signature line.
· Find the one that says “Date Signed”, and drag and drop that onto the relevant date line.
· If there are any other blanks that need to be filled in (e.g., your perm number or printed name), find the field that says “Text”, drag and drop it onto the relevant line, and it will create a text box in which you can type the relevant information.
· If there are checkboxes that need to be checked, find the field that says “Checkbox” and drag it onto the box you want to check.
After filling out and signing the form, click “Finish”. A new window will pop up, giving you the option to send the completed form to other people. You may (if you like) fill in the Staff Graduate Advisor’s contact information to have it sent directly to them, or you can simply click “No Thanks”. Either way, you will receive a copy of the completed form in your email.
Send an Envelope
If you need to get other people’s signatures, you should choose Send an Envelope. You will then be prompted to upload a copy of the form. After uploading it, you will be prompted to enter the contact information for everyone who needs to sign it.
· Tick the box that says “Set Signing Order”
· If you need to sign the form and/or enter any information into the uploaded form, list yourself as the first recipient
· Then click “Add Recipient” as many times as needed, to list all others who need to sign it
You may then simply click “Send Now” (you can ignore prompts about “adding fields”). The first recipient (possibly you) will then get an email prompting them to fill out the form. See the instructions just above (under “Sign a Document”) for how to add a signature and other information. After the first recipient finishes, the next recipient will get an email prompting them to sign the form, and so on, until everyone has signed it—at which point it will appear in your inbox.
Computing Facilities
Philosophy graduate students may use the computers and printers in the department computer lab (in the Philosophy Common Room area, South Hall 5631). The code for activating the printer is the first five digits of your perm number. When using email on these computers, we ask that you exercise extreme caution in opening attachments. Viruses are prevalent and have caused the lab to be shut down. Please always be skeptical of emails asking you to reveal your password or other sensitive information. Do not attempt to fix any computer room problems yourself, as this could result in short or long-term computer lab closure. Contact the SASC Administrative Coordinator (Chloe Kimble) immediately if there are computer problems. There are numerous additional computer-equipped classrooms and labs across campus, open to all registered students.
Copying
The copy machine in the departmental library is available for use by TAs and Associates at no charge, for instructional use only. The code for activating the copy machine is the first five digits of your perm number.
Graduate Student and Faculty mailboxes are located in South Hall 3421. The mail room is open weekdays from 8am-5pm. Access codes for afterhours can be obtained from the Instructional Program Assistant. Please check your mailbox regularly, and read (and, when necessary, respond to) all information you find in your mailbox promptly. Students and faculty also have boxes in the Philosophy Common Room, though these are used less frequently.
For outgoing business and intercampus mail, there are bins in the South Hall 3421 for daily pickup by UCSB Mail Services. Personal mail may not be sent out through the department, nor should the department address be used to receive personal mail or deliveries. There is a post office in the UCEN basement, and a USPS mailbox near the Coral Tree Café.
Department Library
The department maintains a library of philosophical books and reference books, accessible from the Philosophy Common Room. Graduate students are able to check materials out of the library. If students have specific requests or suggestions regarding books or journals for the university library to obtain, they should address them to the department’s Library Liaison. The library also provides a Philosophy Research Guide, which outlines print and electronic resources in the UCSB Library collection, as well as resources available to UC Libraries via the California Digital Library.
Department graduate students who have teaching responsibilities will be assigned an office in South Hall on the fifth floor for the quarter. As the department has a limited number of offices, you will share an office with other students.
Student Needs Advising Center (SNAC) and Food Banks
The Student Needs Advising Center provides assistance with all aspects of basic needs, including (but not limited to) food, finances, housing, technology, and well-being. Students may also make use of food banks through Associated Students and Miramar Pantry.
USCB Multicultural Center (MCC)
The MCC serves, validates, and prioritizes marginalized populations on campus, whether it be undergraduates, graduates, faculty, or campus community partners. In many diverse capacities, the center intends to facilitate the retention of students of color and combat institutional racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, and the many other oppressive structures that still exist on our campus and society in general.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
The mission of CAPS is to assist Student Affairs and the University in helping the student body achieve academically, socially, and personally through culturally responsive mental health services. CAPS is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and affirming environment to ensure that all students remain psychologically healthy in pursuit of their goals.
Graduate Student Resource Center (GSRC)
The GSRC is the primary resource for graduate students at UCSB for career and professional development support. They offer a variety of workshops and events, individual advising, and referrals to other campus resources that serve graduate students.
General Information
Our students typically receive financial support in the form of fellowships in their first year, and TAships or Associateships in their second through fifth years. Teaching positions may be available beyond the fifth year, but are not guaranteed, and systemwide regulations prohibit graduate students from serving as a TA or Associate beyond 21 quarters (not counting Summer teaching).
All domestic graduate students are required to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), by March 2, to be considered for most of the student support funds. The FAFSA is used to compile a “need analysis” which is used in the determination of financial support packages.
While there are some sources of financial aid noted here, a more comprehensive list can be found at the UCSB Financial Aid website (www.finaid.ucsb.edu). Information regarding financial support, such as the easiest way to pay fees, how to look up your BARC Account on GOLD, how fee credits are applied to your BARC Account, and what to do if you cannot pay your fees by the deadline, is available here.
Financial Support Pay-out
If you are employed as a TA or Associate you will be paid once a month on the first of the month (except for January 1), for service rendered the preceding month. If you begin in the Fall, your first paycheck will normally be issued on October 1 (if you selected a four-month payment schedule) or November 1 (if you selected a three-month payment schedule). If you are employed as a Reader, you will be paid once a month on the first working day of the month.
Fellowship stipends are awarded once quarterly just before the beginning of each quarter through the BARC Office. If your fellowship includes the payment of fees and/or tuition, payments will be credited directly to your billing account prior to payment deadlines. Registration fees and nonresident tuition may or may not be covered in your fellowship award. Read the award letter carefully, and contact the Staff Graduate Advisor if you have questions.
Academic Student Employment
Student employment as a TA or Associate is normally limited to 50% FTE (15-20 hours per week) during academic quarters. If this time limitation causes an undue hardship on either the student or the department, the Department Chair or Faculty Graduate Advisor may ask for an exception up to a maximum of 75% FTE for total combined UC employment. Students on F-1 or J-1 visas may not work over 50% FTE during an academic quarter. All students may work 100% FTE during summer. In addition to providing a salary, these appointments cover payment of Gaucho Health Insurance and partial payment of fees (educational and registration fees, only). Payment of insurance in Spring Quarter continues your policy until September.
A limited number of TA and Associate positions are available for Summer Session courses. The salary is roughly half of the regular quarterly salary. To be considered for summer positions, respond to the inquiry about interest in summer teaching normally sent out in the Spring by the Department Chair or Staff Graduate Advisor.
TAships are also sometimes available through the UCSB Writing Program. Be aware that applications for Writing Program TAships typically must be received early in the Winter quarter.
Readerships
Large and intermediate size classes periodically employ graduate students to read term papers and exams. Usually not more than five to ten hours per week are involved, depending on enrollment. Readerships are informally arranged between the instructor, the Student Services Business Officer, the Department Chair, and the student. Work‑study funds may be used for readerships.
Fellowships and Other Funding Sources
There are a number of centrally administered fellowships for which continuing students are encouraged to apply, or for which they may be nominated by the Department. The following central fellowships require departmental nomination, and generally include payment of fees and health insurance:
Graduate Opportunity Fellowship: A one-year diversity fellowship for domestic graduate students at any stage of their academic career. Students may receive the fellowship twice during their academic careers.
Graduate Division Dissertation Fellowship: A one-quarter fellowship for advanced international or domestic graduate students in the final stages of writing the dissertation. Students are expected to complete their degrees within the fellowship period. Students receiving this award will not be considered for further central fellowship awards.
Graduate Humanities Research Assistant Program: A one-year fellowship for domestic graduate students at any stage of their academic career. Students may receive this fellowship twice during their academic careers.
President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship: A one-year diversity fellowship for advanced, domestic graduate students in the final stages of writing the dissertation. Students are expected to complete their degrees within the fellowship period. Students receiving this award will not be considered for further central fellowship awards.
UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship: A one-year diversity fellowship for advanced, domestic graduate students. Students may receive the fellowship once during their academic careers.
Continuing students may apply directly for these fellowships:
Brython Davis Graduate Fellowship: For graduate students, one of whose parents is or was a regular member of the United States Navy or Marine Corps.
The James D. Kline Fund for International Studies Award: Funding is available for projects or programs of studies that promote international understanding and world peace.
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center Predoctoral Fellowships: A one-quarter award for doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy, for the purpose of devoting full-time work toward completing the degree. For complete information, see here.
Humanities and Social Science Research Grants: These grants may be used for travel or supplies, but not for stipend. If funded, students may reapply for the same award in future years.
Travel Funding
Graduate students in the Philosophy Department may apply for research travel support from funds given to the department in honor of former UCSB Philosophy Professor Herbert Fingarette. Research-related travel includes such things as going to conferences to present work and travel to other universities and research centers for dissertation-related projects. There are at least two application deadlines, in the fall and late winter of each year, with a possible third round in the spring of funds are available. A committee will evaluate proposals and make awards according to availability of funds and the significance of the travel for the student’s career development. Applications may be made for travel already completed or for upcoming trips (including for conferences where acceptance is pending) so long as all travel is completed while the student is registered and in good standing in the program. Funds will not be disbursed until the travel is actually completed and proper receipts (following UCSB travel policies) have been submitted. All other things being equal, priority will be given to those who have not received funding in previous years. Students who apply unsuccessfully may resubmit their applications to the next round. To apply, students should prepare a single page giving an explanation of how the travel serves their career objectives, a budget, and budget justification. Applications should also be accompanied by a brief (one paragraph) letter of support from the student’s faculty advisor. Awards are intended to subsidize but not fully cover the cost of travel, especially international trips. These materials should ordinarily be sent to the department’s Staff Graduate Advisor. Exact deadlines will be announced at least three weeks in advance, but will fall approximately in late October and late February for the two main rounds.
Students traveling to conferences are also eligible for GSA Conference Travel Grants prior to advancing to candidacy, and for Academic Senate Doctoral Student Travel Grants after advancing to candidacy. The Humanities and Social Science Research Grants may also be used to cover travel expenses.
Need-based Financial Support
A separate application with the Financial Aid Office is necessary for need-based financial support. These awards are administered by the Office of Financial Aid, not the Graduate Division or the department. Need-based financial support is available only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. There is, however, a limited amount of work‑study administered by the OISS, available to foreign students who have been enrolled a minimum of three quarters. You can also visit the Food Security and Basic Needs Advising Center for assistance with all aspects of your basic needs, including (but not limited to) food, finances, and housing. Students may also make use of food banks through Associated Students and Miramar Pantry.
University Sponsored Housing
University sponsored housing for single students, couples, and families is partially subsidized and is often cheaper than rates available in Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Isla Vista. See the UCSB Housing website for information and applications.
Establishing Residency
All domestic nonresident students must take the necessary steps to establish California residency as soon as possible after arriving at UCSB. Some of these steps should be taken immediately on arrival, before the beginning of classes. Out-of-state students who are U.S. citizens cannot expect more than one year of nonresident support, since one year on campus is sufficient to establish California residency. Residency can be lost if a student lapses, goes on leave of absence, or spends time living out of state. International students, on F-1 visas, are unable to establish residency, so there are no steps they need to take regarding residency upon entering the program.
What follows are general guidelines on what it means to establish residency. You should contact the Residency Deputy at the Office of the Registrar to assess your particular situation.
You must be continuously physically present in California for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the residence determination date (generally the first day of classes) and intend to make California your home permanently. You must demonstrate your intention to stay in California by relinquishing legal ties to your former state and establishing legal ties to California.
In order to demonstrate intent, it is important to stay in California during nonacademic periods. If you’re a nonresident student who is in the process of establishing California residency, and you leave California for more than one month during the summer before the term in which you are establishing resident status, your intent will be questioned. An absences exceeding 6 weeks during the one-year qualification period is disqualifying. Graduate and professional degree students who must leave for nonacademic-related reasons for more than a month during the summer should contact the campus Residence Deputy to seek advice prior to leaving and filing for classification.
Here are some further ways to demonstrate intent: register to vote, and vote in California elections; designate your California address as permanent on all legal matters such as school and employment records, current military records, taxes, an bank statements; obtain a California driver’s license or California identification card within 10 days of settling in California; obtain a California motor vehicle registration within 20 days of settling in California; work in California and file California resident income tax returns effective from the date of residency in the state; income earned outside of California after that date must also be declared in California; surrender all out-of-state driver’s licenses; establish a permanent home in California where your belongings are kept.
The department administers three special awards for graduate students.
The Stough Memorial Award in Philosophy
An award with a cash prize is normally awarded each year for an outstanding essay in the history of philosophy or value theory (broadly construed) written by a graduate student during the academic year. Papers must be nominated by department faculty. A faculty committee determines the award recipient, and it is the prerogative of the committee to divide the award between two or more students or to abstain from giving the award to any student. Prior recipients of the Stough Award are not disqualified from subsequent competition.
The Salmón Essay Prize
An award with a cash prize is normally awarded each year for an outstanding essay in M&E (broadly construed) written by a graduate student during the academic year. Papers must be nominated by department faculty. A faculty committee determines the award recipient, and it is the prerogative of the committee to divide the award between two or more students or to abstain from giving the award to any student. Prior recipients of the Salmón Award are not disqualified from subsequent competition.
The Siff Prize for Best Essay in Philosophy
Conditions and procedure for awarding the Siff Prize TBD during the 2024-25 academic year.
The Ralph W. Church Community Service Award
One or more awarded each year, with a cash prize, in each of two categories: (1) recognizing outstanding academic and professional contributions by a graduate student to the department's undergraduate community, and (2) for contributions to the intellectual and/or social well-being of the department. The former is administered by the Undergraduate Advisor and the latter is administered by the Climate Committee.
The two for service to the undergraduate community were administered by the Director of Undergraduate Studies while the two for intellectual/social well-being were administered by the Climate Committee.
The Wienpahl Award for Excellence in Teaching
An award with a cash prize is normally awarded each year for teaching excellence by a graduate student. It should be understood that undergraduate evaluation of teaching (ESCIs) is only one of the factors considered by the committee charged with determining the Wienpahl Award recipient. Furthermore, the terms specify that the award should be given only for genuine excellence in teaching and that it should not be automatically awarded to the best graduate student teacher of the year. The department tends to consider the Wienpahl Award to be a career award based on the student’s performance as a teacher throughout the student’s tenure as a teacher.
In addition to the departmentally administered Wienpahl Prize, there are also campus‑wide awards recognizing teaching excellence by graduate students, for instance the GSA Excellence in Teaching Award.
The University of California provides special opportunities for its students, two of which may be of interest to some of you:
Intercampus Exchange Program
This program enables students to enroll in courses and (in principle) even hold TAships at other University of California campuses. More information about the program can be found here. Students interested in such an opportunity should consult the Faculty Graduate Advisor.
The Education Abroad Program
While the University of California Education Abroad Program is primarily aimed at undergraduates, certain programs are open to graduate students. UC fees need to be paid to participate in these programs but may be reduced. Students interested in this opportunity should consult with the Faculty Graduate Advisor.
TA and Associate Basics
Teaching Assistants (TAs) and Associates are appointed by the Department Chair. A TA is typically responsible for running two 30-student discussion sections. An Associate is a graduate student serving as the primary instructor for a course, typically with the assistance of one or more TAs. Associate positions are offered only to students who have advanced to candidacy. A major criterion for an Associate appointment is academic performance, though other factors such as success in previous TAships are considered. All TAs and Associates are expected to put good faith effort into teaching. Failure to carry out responsibilities as a TA or Associate will severely jeopardize the possibilities of reappointment within the department in future quarters.
Requirements and Training
To be eligible to serve as a TA or Associate:
· Students must be enrolled in at least 8 units, must have fewer than 12 units of unfinished work classified as ‘incomplete’, and must not be on academic probation.
· Students must be enrolled in PHIL 500 each quarter for S/U grading (see §7 for details).
· Prospective international TAs for whom English is not the native language must pass the Graduate Division TA language evaluation before they can assume classroom teaching responsibilities.
To be eligible for a summer associateship, the Summer Sessions Office requires students to:
· have an M.A.,
· have at least one year of teaching experience at a TA, and
· have been enrolled in the the preceding Spring quarter.
First-time TAs—that is, students TAing for the first time at UCSB—must enroll in two units of PHIL 501 for S/U grading, with the Teaching Coordinator as instructor. To receive credit for PHIL 501, first-time TAs must (i) attend the departmental TA training at the beginning of the quarter (usually about 2 hours) and (ii) be observed, either by the Teaching Coordinator, the instructor for whom they are TAing, or the Office of Instructional Consultation. First-time TAs must also attend the annual campus-wide TA orientation meeting, held once annually just before the Fall quarter begins. Those who TA for the first time in the summer following their first year are still required to enroll in PHIL 501 and to attend the campus-wide TA orientation at the beginning of their second year.
First-time Associates—that is, students teaching as associates for the first time at UCSB—are required to complete the following 4 tasks:
1. They must turn in a syllabus to the Teaching Coordinator before their first lecture, and then meet briefly with the Teaching Coordinator to discuss the syllabus.
2. They must meet briefly with the Teaching Coordinator once in the middle of the quarter. This meeting may happen with the entire group of first-time Associates.
3. They will be observed at least once (either by the Teaching Coordinator or their advisor) during the quarter.
4. They must have attended the Associate training administered each Spring Quarter by the Teaching Coordinator. Note that this training happens only once per year. The most natural time for a graduate student to attend is in their 3rd year.
UCSB Summer Schools requires the Department to run a mentorship program every summer for first-time summer Associates, that is, students serving as Associates during the summer who have never before Associated during a summer session. All Associates meeting this description are required to participate, even if they have Associated during the normal academic year or have previously TA’d over the summer. The mentor for this program will be some member of the Department’s faculty, not necessarily the Teaching Coordinator. Associates will be required to have their syllabi reviewed by the mentor, and they will meet once before the term and twice during the term with the mentor (possibly as part of a group discussion with all of the other Associates who are participating in the program).
A TA’s appointment is a binding contract for the duration of the quarter. Once instruction has begun, it is unacceptable for a TA to break the contract for any reason except in an extreme emergency. It should be noted that the quarter typically begins prior to the first day of class, and TA responsibilities continue until final grades are submitted.
A TA’s basic duties will generally include preparing and leading section, grading, holding office hours, doing course readings, and responding to emails from students and the instructor. Unless otherwise agreed, attendance at lectures is required. TAs may also be asked to support the instructor in additional ways, including (but not limited to) managing crashers and add codes, creating or maintaining the course website or Gauchospace page, attending start of quarter TA orientation meetings or weekly instructor/TA check-in meetings, taking extra measures to ensure fair grading or prevent cheating, reading paper drafts or rewrites, holding review sessions before exams, holding additional office hours when papers are due, handling complaints about grades, helping prepare course materials (exams, assignments, lecture slides), maintaining records of grades, section attendance, excused absences, or extensions, and calculating and entering final grades.
Per university policy, it should never happen that a TA’s work exceeds 220 hours per quarter, 40 hours in any one week, or 8 hours in any one day. It is the mutual responsibility of the primary instructor and the TA to ensure that they do not exceed these strict limits. TAs who are exceeding these limits should consult with the primary instructor or the Teaching Coordinator. It is advisable in such situations for the TA to keep a record of how much time is spent during the week on various tasks, to facilitate discussion of whether the TA is spending too much time on assigned tasks, or whether too much is being asked of the TA. If it’s the latter, the primary instructor must find a way to lighten the TA’s workload.
TAs are not to be given sole responsibility for the instructional content of any course, for examinations, for determining the term grade for students, for instructing the entire enrollment of a course, nor for the entire instruction of an individual or group of students enrolled in any University course. Thus, while TAs may prepare instructional materials for discussion sections and will be grading student work, it is expected that TA efforts be checked by the primary instructor throughout the quarter to maintain academic standards and provide necessary feedback.
Faculty instructors are expected to provide “active tutelage” to TAs to help them improve their teaching skills. This must include communication about content or subject matter of the course and evaluation of and advice about teaching effectiveness. Such feedback must ensure that undergraduates receive instruction of satisfactory quality, and could involve the faculty member’s direct observation of the TA in section, discussion of students’ written or oral evaluations of the TA, or a review of a TA’s videotaped presentations in section. Advance notice should be given before classroom observation. (Associates should leave section observations to the Teaching Coordinator.)
The opportunity to give an occasional course lecture may be a welcome culminating experience for an experienced TA. Such lecturing experiences should be limited in occurrence and carried out under the supervision and guidance of the primary instructor. TAs should not be expected to lecture merely to substitute for an absent instructor.
Associate Responsibilities
Associates should clearly communicate their expectations to TAs regarding grading, sections, and other facets of the course. This should ideally happen at the start of the quarter, either in the form of a TA orientation meeting, a TA handbook for the course, or both.
Associates, especially those new to managing TAs, must bear in mind how easily the hours devoted to various tasks can add up, and be careful not to exceed the maximum hours listed above. Associates should especially be mindful of the additional preparatory work that’s required when students have an abundance of paper prompts to choose from, when students are given lengthy reading assignments (which TAs must read as well), when TAs are asked to cover material in section that was not covered in lecture (requiring extra prep time), or when no answer key is provided for exams and/or lengthy study guides.
To help ensure that TAs do not exceed the maximum number of hours, associates may consider protecting their TAs with “top-down” constraints, such as limits on the number of office hours a TA is permitted to hold each week, limits on the number of students who can receive add codes beyond the course cap, rules prohibiting reading paper drafts outside of office hours, guidance or limits on the quantity of comments TAs should provide when grading, or requiring that grade complaints go directly to the primary instructor.
Additional Guidance for TAs and Associates
TAs are encouraged to consult the pedagogical resources in the Instructional Resources Office in Instructional Development, and should be familiar with the array of services available at Campus Learning Assistance Services, and the Disabled Students Program, in order to refer their students to them where appropriate.
Other pedagogical resources include the Certificate in College and University Teaching (CCUT), “designed for doctoral students who wish to demonstrate superior competence and experience in teaching at the university or college level,” and the Pillars of Teaching Assistantship, “a workshop series and certificate designed to provide TAs with a comprehensive, research-based foundation for teaching in the role of a TA.” Students should also consider taking the course GRAD 210, “College and University Teaching – From Theory of Practice”, which is generally offered each Spring Quarter.
TAs are expected to familiarize themselves with campus policies concerning sexual harassment, and are required to take the online sexual harassment/sexual violence prevention training course. Timely completion of this course is expected and there will be a registration hold placed on students who do not comply. TAs should also familiarize themselves with policies concerning disability, student record confidentiality, distressed students response protocol, and academic dishonesty, and should report any suspected instances of the latter to the primary instructor.
If problems arise concerning the roles or responsibilities of primary instructors (either Associates or faculty) and TAs, the involved parties should meet with each other, together with the Teaching Coordinator, to discuss the problem and its resolution. If this meeting does not resolve the problem, the TA or primary instructor should consult the Department Chair, who has the responsibility to resolve matters regarding department personnel.
Securing an academic position is the natural goal of most graduate students enrolled in a Ph.D. Program.
What follows is intended to give an overview of placement and to alert students to certain preparations which must be done well before going on the job market. Since there are likely to be some differences of opinion and approach on the matter of placement, it should be stated that the view presented here is that of the department and is based on the experiences of past Placement Officers.
The department Placement Officer (Elinor Mason) will provide details of the procedures and the type of department assistance available at the end of each academic year for students ready to enter the job market, The Placement Officer also welcomes questions about job applications at any time, and is ready to read materials as job opportunities arise.
Be aware that what is outlined below as an ideal preparation for the job market is difficult to attain. Especially difficult is the problem of balancing all the demands within the finite number of hours one has in a week. You should be particularly aware of the danger of focusing on everything but the completion of the Ph.D. Without a Ph.D. (nearly) in hand everything else may be for naught. Budgeting time upon advancement to candidacy is crucial.
Preparation
Competition for available jobs is high. One should consider oneself ideally prepared when all of the following conditions are met:
· Ph.D. or the virtual certainty of having had the dissertation approved prior to the appointment date
· Clearly defined areas of specialization and areas of competence
· One or more papers published or accepted for publication
· Strong set of teaching evaluations, having independent teaching experience
· Strong set of letters of recommendation (minimum 3, best to have 5 solid ones)
This is, of course, an ideal, and most viable candidates will fall short of it in some way or other. Some comments, however, may be in order on each of these items.
Completion of the Ph.D.
Most jobs require the Ph.D. by appointment time and possibly by the time of application. If you have not completed the dissertation, be sure that you have written enough so that your advisor can provide sufficient evidence in his or her letter that the dissertation will indeed be finished before appointment.
Even if one should be fortunate enough to secure a position without a Ph.D., one seriously jeopardizes tenure if one does not arrive on the job with a Ph.D. already in hand. Since the tenure decision is typically made by the end of the sixth year, one has at most five years to establish a publication record sufficient for tenure. If one or two of these years are spent finishing the dissertation, it will be difficult to establish such a record in three to four years.
Areas of Specialization and Competence
Most jobs specify areas of specialization and competence, and for the department to be able to recommend you for those jobs, your area must match the advertised areas. The area of specialization is pretty much limited to areas in which you are actively engaged in research (viz. the area of your dissertation or areas in which you have published or are actively trying to publish). Areas of competence require a little less but you must in some way be able to substantiate that the alleged area of competence really is such an area. The simplest way to establish this is that you have served as a TA (and, better yet, an Associate) in that area. This means that you should seek to TA in as wide a range of courses as possible, so as to be competitive for as many jobs as possible. Short of TAing in that area, the combination of the following factors would make the claim to competence plausible: (a) having taken a number of courses in that area, (b) having been a reader for a course in the area, (c) a letter from the faculty member teaching the course stating that you were a reader and attesting to your competence in the area, or (d) a prepared syllabus for a potential course you may teach in the area.
It would be a good idea in general to prepare syllabi for courses in areas you claim as your areas of specialization and competence. In job interviews you are often asked how you would teach a certain course, and it could be impressive if you have already worked out a concrete plan in a sample syllabus.
Publications
In a sense, publication is a certification by the profession that the high opinion your teachers have of you is justified. In part, because of this, special pleading is needed for a department to claim that someone with no publications is a better candidate for the position over someone with one or more publications. Therefore, you should be thinking about publications well before you go on the job market.
The leading journals (The Journal of Philosophy, The Philosophical Review, Mind, etc.) have rejection rates in the high 90% level, and rejection rates are high for most journals. Beyond this, it typically takes journals 3 to 6 months to make a decision. Finally, submission of the same paper to more than one journal at the same time is a violation of the professional code. Perhaps a realistic timetable for the acceptance of a paper by some journal or other is two years after the initial submission of the paper. Therefore, you should start thinking about submitting a paper for publication fairly early in your career, and certainly by the time you advance to candidacy.
It may not be possible for you to have a paper accepted by the time you go on the job market. Furthermore, while any rejection notice is discouraging, all of us have had papers rejected. Rejection of a paper is no cause for depression; a healthy and realistic attitude is that this is the norm, with acceptance being the exception. A good plan may be to make an ordered list of three to five journals to which you plan to submit the paper, and upon receiving a rejection, to submit the paper immediately to the next journal on the list. Perhaps after three rejections, you should look at the paper again to see if you can improve it; but there is no need to do this with each rejection.
Teaching Evaluations and Independent Teaching
It would be difficult to imagine a person getting a teaching position without some evidence of good teaching, and teaching evaluations are in a sense the “bottom line” for most hiring departments. You should therefore keep a copy of all of your ESCI Survey Results.
Since the TAship is an apprentice period, there is the luxury of failure with no penalties, because there is no need to submit all summaries of teaching evaluations. But to be a viable candidate, you need a number of quarters in which you received good student evaluations as a TA for the course. Since “1” is the top score on our five point scale, a good evaluation would average between “1” and “2”; averages less than “2” will not be considered evidence of good teaching by the hiring department. Therefore, once you start teaching, you should make it a goal to have a minimum of three quarters of good evaluations. Take advantage of whatever help you can get from the department Teaching Coordinator and from the UCSB Learning Center.
An appointment as an Associate (teaching a course as the instructor) looks great on a resume. Exceptional TA evaluations are necessary for consideration as an Associate (and this is another reason to take your TAing seriously). Unlike a TAship, you are not guaranteed multiple chances at an Associateship and may well have to look elsewhere to gain independent teaching experience. Santa Barbara City College, and community colleges in Ventura, Oxnard, and Santa Maria should be considered. The pay is modest, but a good set of evaluations and a letter from the chair attesting to your teaching ability can be invaluable for the job market, particularly for future applications to community college jobs.
Getting good student evaluations becomes more critical for courses you teach independently. You should be aware that getting a good evaluation for large courses of over 100 students is challenging. A strong set of evaluations from a number of large courses taught on your own tends to be rare; but if you can achieve this, it can give you a tremendous boost on the job market.
Letters of Recommendation
There is a natural expectation that a student’s dissertation advisor will write a strong letter for the student. Thus, there is sometimes a tendency to look at other letters as confirmation of the fact that the candidate really is as good as the advisor claims. This is why you need three to five strong letters of recommendation. That you will eventually need such letters should be kept in mind during your graduate career.
When you are ready, decide from whom to request letters of recommendation and ask the professors if they will write for you. (If you are unsure whom to ask, you can consult with your dissertation advisor and/or the Placement Officer.) Avoid asking for a letter of recommendation prematurely. Be sure that you have really shown your best in your submitted portions of the dissertation before asking the advisor or other members of the committee to write letters. Once written, the professors will send their confidential letters directly to your selected placement service (typically Interfolio). Your dossier must have at least three letters.
It is extremely important that at least one letter of recommendation speaks well of your teaching ability. You should have at least one letter from the department’s Teaching Coordinator or from an instructor for whom you have TAd.
How to Set-Up a Dossier
The Placement Officer will schedule a meeting in the Spring quarter for students who are thinking about going on the market the following year. Here are the materials that you will need to prepare for your job applications:
Students on the job market should at least have first drafts of these materials by the start of the Fall quarter.
Finding and Applying for Jobs
Job information can come from several sources. The vast majority of job openings will be advertised on PhilJobs. The Chronicle of Higher Education also has a website with job postings, and community colleges frequently advertise openings only on their own websites. Notices that have been sent to the department from other institutions will be shared with those on the active list for placement as they come along.
Placement activity typically begins in late September (though some schools may advertise even earlier than that) and continues until late Spring. Don’t be discouraged by possible lack of success during the first six months; consider it as experience preparing you for the second round of job postings.
As you are actively entering the job market, it is advisable to set up an account with a placement service agency. Our department’s recommendation is Interfolio, which is inexpensive as well as multi-faceted and highly service-oriented. A placement service agency can collect and send out confidential letters of recommendation, as well as store and send out dossier materials, at a reasonable cost. If you choose to apply without the aid of a placement service agency, you will need to have your letter writers send individual letters to each prospective employer (which may be problematic for some letter writers).
Students become eligible for reimbursement for a year subscription to Interfolio in the Spring before their 6th year. They can also petition to get the reimbursement prior to that time, with confirmation from their dissertation advisor that they are ready to go on the market. Eligible students still need to announce an intention to go on the job market to the placement advisor, who will pre-approve them and communicate this to the Financial and Budget Coordinator (currently: Kasey Cheatham). She will then reimburse them so long as they bring her receipts within 30 days of subscribing.
Once you have an interview lined up, the placement officer can set up a “mock interview” with three department faculty members. This will give you the experience of an academic interview and help you learn what to expect. As a final word of advice, have a “game plan” for any interview you are going to. While the interviewers are ultimately going to control the interview, direct the discussion as much as possible to what you want to say and what you want to show them. Do your best to have a positive and confident attitude during your interviews. Remember that you have a lot to offer as an instructor, and the institution you are interviewing at would benefit greatly from hiring you.