Friday, November 7, 2008

"In what respect, Charlie?"

A useful strategy. In case you're feeling cornered in an APA interview.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I didn't know what "Bush doctrine" meant either, and I READ newspapers (although, of course, not "all of them").

Anonymous said...

Good tip.

I actually went looking on youtube the other day to see if by chance there was a (mock) philosophy interview on there. You never know. But there wasn't.

I realize that mock interviews are essential, but it really would be nice to be able to analyze one. Anyone want to tape their mock interview and put it on the intertubes?

Anonymous said...

I think the appropriate strategy to be learned here is that of not blinking:

Q: Doesn't your position entail metaphiloantiquidosyncism?
A: The important thing to notice about my position is that does not blink in the face of metaphiloantiquidosyncism.

Job = had.

Anonymous said...

anon 10:40

Yeah and that means that you are not qualified to be vp either. The Bush Doctrine is perhaps one of the most important changes in foreign policy EVER; if you want to be in charge of this country then you had better know what it is...I mean c'mon!

Anonymous said...

Now, now.

I didn't say that I was ignorant of Bush policies of pre-emptive war or unilateralism, I just forget they'd put some dumb marketing term on the whole thing.

Tell me if you remember the "Clinton doctrine"....

Anonymous said...

Oh, man. I forgot about the Clinton Doctrine. That was a pretty good one. A lot better than Bush's.

I think a qualified candidate for Vice President of the United States should have a working knowledge of the principles that have guided our foreign policy in recent years, especially when those principles have guided us into the war we're in right now, and especially when you are campaigning for the opportunity to continue those very policies. You should know the principles, and you should know their names. Palin's cluelessness is terrifying.

If you aren't running for VPOTUS and you forgot the name, I don't think it's any big deal.

Anonymous said...

307., 308., 309. BOSTON COLLEGE, CHESTNUT HILL, MA. The Carroll School of Management at Boston College invites applications for three (3) full-time adjunct lecturer positions in the newly designed and interdisciplinary Portico Program. An earned doctorate is strongly preferred, preferably in Philosophy, Applied Ethics, or Business (with a focus in Business Ethics). Alternatives may be considered (e.g., an MBA with an M.A. in Philosophy). Please visit www.bc.edu/portico (and click on the Teach Portico link) for a full description. (180W), posted 11/7/08.

This year's Marist.

I'll apply. I need the work, but WTF? Three full-time adjunct positions. They know they'll need someone the next year as well.

Sisyphus said...

It's comedy, and it's making fun of literature interviews to boot, but there is always

http://www.9interviews.com/

as a model of how _not_ to interview.

Anonymous said...

I would know if I were governor of a state and selected to be a vice presidential candidate.

Anonymous said...

That's not a dumb marketing slogan...every president has an official doctrine. Clinton's was seomthing about interventionism. But that is besides the point. The point is that a potential leader of teh country had damned well better know more about this than you or I.

Anonymous said...

The Clinton Doctrine substituted off-shore balancing for preventive (technically not preemptive) war.

For a fairly good philosophical treatment of the Bush Doctrine, also called the "Freedom Agenda", check out this paper on SSRN:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1143484

Anonymous said...

So, it took you two months to come up with this joke? Also, what about the SNL parody of the Katie Couric interview. If you can't find it on youtube you can on SNL's website.

Will Philosophize For Food said...

"307., 308., 309. BOSTON COLLEGE, CHESTNUT HILL, MA. The Carroll School of Management at Boston College invites applications for three (3) full-time adjunct lecturer positions . . . An earned doctorate is strongly preferred, preferably in Philosophy, Applied Ethics, or Business (with a focus in Business Ethics)."

For once (perhaps ever, as relates to job matters) I'm happy I'm not an ethicist.

Anonymous said...

New thread, anyone? Can we get some good insider's gossip on philosophy departments, esp. the "unranked" ones that we hear little about?

Specifically, does anyone know anything about American University's (DC) philosophy department? Is it stable? Well regarded for a non-PhD program? Friendly faculty?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Anonymous said...

I think the lesson to take away from Palin's interview is that one should always repeat an opponent's first name (e.g., Charlie) as many times as possible when responding. Doing so will make the opponent believe whatever you say.

Anonymous said...

I think the lesson to take away from Palin's interview is that one should always repeat an opponent's first name (e.g., Charlie) as many times as possible when responding.

Also, don't blink.

Anonymous said...

Bush doctrine aside, the confusion over South Africa is ... I'm at a loss for words, but something like, nauseatingly shocking? I mean, besides the obvious WTF to the Grand Old Party, it makes me wonder about the worth of working in college-level education. Most of us will end up at universities at the same level of prestige as the ones Palin attended, and yet she, a woman who was an adult when apartheid came to an end, was unaware that South Africa is a sovereign nation.

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:01,

Don't believe everything you hear.

But anyway, have you BEEN inside an elementary school lately? They don't much educating in geography and quaint subjects like that.

Anyway, of course she knew those facts. Someone's pulling your leg.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2:15pm said: "The Clinton Doctrine substituted off-shore balancing for preventive (technically not preemptive) war."

Actually, the Clinton doctrine was the same as Bush's, perhaps even more extreme, since Clinton's advocated "unilateral use of military power" not just in anticipatory self-defense, but even just to ensure "uninhibited access to key markets, energy supplies, and strategic resources...." (Same as the Carter doctrine too, by the way.)

See the Clinton admin's National Security Strategy at http://www.fas.org/man/docs/qdr/sec3.html

Wonder if Charlie knew that.

Anonymous said...

Could he be sitting any closer to her? I guess that's a minor improvement over APA interviews conducted in hotel rooms, but just barely…

Anonymous said...

As "last week" as this is, it's funny to see the Palin-academia parallels.

To my mind the biggest one is "I'll get back to you." I know people thought this was just another Couric interview gaffe, but I've heard this plenty of times during the question-and-answer session after regular Friday afternoon colloquia.

Anonymous said...

"According to this vision, the United States must spread democracy to all people who desire liberty and vanquish those tyrants and terrorists who despise it. Freedom is universally valued, and the United States is everywhere perceived as freedom's protector and purveyor."

Sounds like a straw man. The problem is, George W. actually is a straw man (as well as being the mascot for Mad Magazine, anyone notice that?).

Anonymous said...

Other interview strategies from the Palin playbook:

1. Insist that you're not interested in anwering "gotcha" questions.

2. Admit that you may not answer the question in the way that the interviewers might want, but you're going to talk straight to the American people.

3. Tell the interviewers that they're out of touch because they're academic "elites" with fancy "degrees" and "jobs" with "tenure."

Also, try not to utter any complete sentences when using these tactics.

I expect these would work equally well in a dissertation defense.