[Smt-talk] Princeton and Theory

[Jill T. Brasky]

Hi, All, 

While I agree that falsifying credentials is a serious business, there are also equally practical and ethical reasons to advertise the actual contents of a degree, not its name. My own is a Ph.D. in Historical Musicology and Music Theory. While the rest of my C.V. and transcript make clear that I am a theorist, there are search committees who believe that the title means I am less qualified for theory positions on that name alone, in part because many people don't actually know or understand what theorists do. (For the record, the degree's name change occurred a year or two before I finished my Ph.D.) 

I have never hidden this information, but neither have I ever been asked about it. The Buffalo faculty encouraged me to list my degree as one in theory and I believe they are right. (Anecdotally, until I took their advice, I also never got a look on the job market...) If the official name were to lead to an investigation of false pretenses, I would have to conclude that this is not the kind of school at which I would want to be employed. 

All best, 
Jill


On 19 Nov 2010, at 16:45, S. Alexander Reed wrote:

> There are also schools that award doctoral degrees in Composition/Theory combined, but not in either solely.  My Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh is in thus both areas (Gary, feel free to add Pitt to your list).  While it's all well for those of us in the know to call it a rose by any other name, I have known of colleagues on the job market who have run into difficulty on account of having, for example, a musicology degree when applying for a theory job.  I encourage us all, when we find ourselves on search committees, to look as much to the type of academic work candidates conduct (or plan to) as we would to the subfield of their doctorates.
> 
> S. Alexander Reed
> Assistant Professor
> University of Florida
> 
> alexreed at ufl.edu
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****************************************
J. T. Brasky, Ph.D.
http://web.me.com/jtbrasky/J.T._Brasky/Welcome.html

Assistant Professor of Music Theory
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620

813–974–8721 (fax)
brasky at usf.edu

"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to invade Poland."
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