Washington and Lee University
The Department of Romance Languages

Positions available (9/1/07)

Professor and Chair, Department of Romance Languages

The Department of Romance Languages at Washington and Lee University invites applications and nominations for Full Professor to serve as Chair beginning July 1, 2008.   Qualifications: Ph.D. with specialization in any area of Latin American or Peninsular Spanish literature and culture; demonstrated ability for creative leadership and management; a strong record of teaching and scholarship appropriate to appointment as Full Professor; willingness to teach Spanish at all levels; ability to support departmental initiatives such as Casa Hispánica and student-volunteer program in ESOL.   The Department of Romance Languages offers majors in French, Spanish, and Romance Languages with additional courses offered through the intermediate level in Italian; shares curricular and teaching interests with Latin American and Caribbean Studies and other interdisciplinary programs such as Women’s Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies.  A complete application will include a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a brief statement of educational  and administrative philosophies, a summary of research interests and contact information for three references. Please send to: Dr. Cecile West-Settle, Chair of  Search Committee, Department of Romance Languages, 316 Tucker Hall, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. 24450.   Formal review of applications begins November 19, 2007.  MLA interviews. Washington and Lee is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Assistant Professor of Spanish

The Department of  Romance Languages at Washington and Lee invites applications for a tenure-track position to begin July, 2008.  Ph.D. in hand by time of appointment.  Area of specialization:  Spanish General or Applied Linguistics.  Teaching responsibilities include Spanish language courses at all levels.  The appointee will be responsible for  the development of courses in applied topics, such as Romance linguistics, second language pedagogy, advanced grammar and stylistics, and translation.  Other curricular opportunities include study abroad and service learning.  Native or near-native fluency in Spanish and English, evidence of effective teaching and scholarly potential.  Interested candidates should send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, official transcripts, and three current letters of recommendation to Dr. Jeffrey C. Barnett, Chair of Search Committee, Department of Romance Languages, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va. 24450.    Formal review of applications begins on November 19th.  MLA interviews.  Washington and Lee is a small, highly selective, liberal arts institution.   Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.  Equal Opportunity Employer

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Web Resources for Job Candidates

The Department:

The Department of Romance Languages site contains general information about the faculty, the French and Spanish major, and departmental initiatives, such as the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, the Casa Hispánica, ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and The Argentine Internship Program in Secondary Education, among others.

The Tucker Multimedia Center allows language faculty and others to incorporate digital technology into language courses at all levels.  For research and Inter-Library Loan the James G. Leyburn Library houses an exceptional undergraduate collection.  Holdings can be viewed through the on-line catalog Annie.  

The University:

Founded in 1749, Washington and Lee is one of the nation's oldest institutions.  In addition to the University webpage, The College website contains information about the undergraduate program in general, Departments, Student Research and Service Learning, Administration, Grants and Research Opportunities, the Faculty Handbook, and more.  The Department of Romance Languages also works closely with various interdisciplinary programs listed on the College site, including LACS, Women's Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, African-American Studies, University Scholars, and the Shepherd Poverty Program. 

The Office of Institutional Research offers statistical information about student demographics, enrollment trends, accreditation, self-study data, and other pertinent items for prospective faculty and students. And, the Visitors page will offer you a tour of the campus.

“W&L At A Glance” offers a quick profile of the essential characteristics of the university.

Lexington:

Washington and Lee is located in historic Lexington, Virginia (population 7,000) and  Rockbridge County in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia about three hours southwest of Washington, D.C.  

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Quick Facts about the University and Department:

• University Structure:

The College (Arts, Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences), Williams’ School (Commerce, Politics, and Economics), and Law School

• Endowment (as of 2005): $532,000,000
   

• Number of enrolled students: 1,777 undergraduate
   

•  Semester system:

12 week Fall term, 12 week Winter term, 6 week Spring term, (no summer semester).  For example, Intermediate Spanish (161-162) is offered over 24 weeks (Fall and Winter) with the Spring term usually dedicated to special topics and seminars. (*note: beginning in 2009-2010 the calendar will change to a 12-12-4)

• Course Numbering system in RL: 100 = Intro. and skills courses; 200 = Core curriculum; 300 = Advanced work
   

• Teaching Load: 6 courses / year (3-2-1 or 2-3-1).  *Note: beginning in 2009-2010 course load will be 5.5 (eg., 6 one year, 5 the next)
   

• Course load for students: 12 to 14 credits (4 to 5 courses) per semester, 6 to 8 credits (2 courses) in the Spring
   

• Number of Undergraduate faculty:  approximately 180 undergraduate (140 College / 40 Williams School);
   

• Number of RL faculty: 12 tenure lines (7 Spanish, 5 French), plus part-time faculty.
   

• Other Languages taught at W&L:

German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Latin (Arabic at Virginia Military Insitute)

• Class size: 

11 to 1 ratio; typically 17 in an Intermediate language class, 8 to 14 in a literature or civilization class

•  Course rotation in Spanish:

typically 1 course / year  of literature; 1 or more / semester of language; others as surveys and topical courses.

• Course rotation in French:

typically 1 course / year in literature, 1 or more / semester of language, others as advanced skills course (language / Intro to Literary Analysis) or Civilization

• Number of Majors:

Approximately 25 Spanish; 10 French; 5 Romance Languages declared Junior and Seniors.

• Average SAT scores: Critical reading: 700  / Mathematics: 691

   

• International Students: approximately 5%
   

•  Significant experiences abroad: over 50%, 35-40% of which is semester-long study
   

•  Popular post-career plans for language majors: 

Graduate School (Languages, Medicine, Law, Politics, Journalism, Social Work), Teaching, Business

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