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Job Preparation and Placement Record

The French Department is committed to helping graduates secure employment and it provides support and preparation in a variety of ways. Throughout the year the Chair and Head Graduate Advisor host a series of job market meetings, which are intended to demystify the job-search process. Meeting topics include: how to prepare for the market over the summer; an overview of the job search process; writing a job letter; crafting a writing sample; preparing a syllabus; composing a curriculum vitae (CV); what to expect at MLA and on-campus interviews; negotiating a job offer. Faculty (even those not on your dissertation committee) will, at your request, review and comment on drafts of job letters, CVs, teaching statements, and writing samples. Copies of these materials from recent graduates are also available in the French Graduate Office, so students can see what an effective cover letter, CV, teaching statement, etc. look like.

Students also prepare for the job market by participating in mock interviews, mock job talks, and dissertation panels. These panels are intended to help job-seekers practice and refine the very short version (5-10 minutes maximum) of their dissertation description, which they need to have at the ready as they proceed through the job-search process. The panelists’ aim is to clearly articulate the What and the Why, i.e. what their dissertation argues and why it is significant (not just significant to scholars in their area of specialty, but to scholars in the field of French literature generally). The Department’s works-in-progress series also gives advanced students the opportunity to present their research in more detail.

GSI Teaching and Resource Center
This Center provides pedagogical support for Graduate Student Instructors, including workshops and individual consultations on composing a teaching statement and teaching portfolio, items that are increasingly required in one’s job application materials. The Center also offers workshops on syllabus and course design, a wide variety of teaching issues, and the academic job search.

Summer Institute for Preparing Future Faculty
Each year the Graduate Division sponsors this institute, which is designed to enable graduate students to excel in all aspects of academic life as they pursue an advanced degree at Berkeley and transition from graduate school to future academic careers. Courses include “From Graduate Study to Faculty Member”; ‘Editing, Academic Writing, and Academic Editing”; and “Developing a Teaching Portfolio.”

Documented since 2009, our PhD graduates have received employment offers at the following institutions:

Employment Offer – Position Type – Position Start Date

Northwestern University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2023
Duke University, Postdoctoral Associate, Fall 2023
Vassar College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2023
University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Professor, Fall 2022
Georgetown College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2021
Emory College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2021
Williams College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2021
EDC Paris Business School, Professor and Director of Language Learning, Fall 2021
Maynooth University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2020
Queen’s University Belfast, Lecturer, Fall 2019
Reed College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2019
University of California Berkeley, Lecturer, Fall 2019
College of William and Mary, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2018
Columbia University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2018
Davidson College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2018
Skidmore College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2018
UC Santa Barbara, Lecturer, Fall 2018
University of California Davis, Lecturer, Fall 2017
Austin College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2016
San Francisco State University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2016
University of Georgia, Assistant Professor, Fall 2016
University of the Pacific, Lecturer, Fall 2016
University of Minnesota, Visiting Professor, Spring 2016
Northern Illinois University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2015
George Mason University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2014
Pomona College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2014
St. Olaf College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2014
Grinnell College, Visiting Instructor, Fall 2013
Hamilton College, Visiting Instructor, Fall 2013
Reed College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2013
University of Washington, Assistant Professor, Fall 2013
University of Wisconsin Madison, Assistant Professor, Fall 2011
Middlebury College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2010
Pomona College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2010
University of Texas at El Paso, Assistant Professor, Fall 2010
Macalester College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2009
University of Texas at San Antonio, Assistant Professor, Fall 2009
Scripps College, Assistant Professor, Fall 2009
Auburn University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2009
Georgian Court University, Assistant Professor, Fall 2009