Baylor University- Medical Socy

[Anon]

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY. Assistant Professor. Pending final budgetary and administrative approval, the Department of Sociology expects to recruit a tenure-track sociologist for August, 2013. Rank will be assistant professor (entry-level or advanced). Areas of specialization should include population health and medical sociology. An interest in demography would also be welcome. This individual will be expected to teach undergraduate courses and contribute substantially to doctoral training in our two graduate program tracks: sociology of religion and applied sociology.

Candidates should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, transcripts, reprints or other writing samples, and three letters of reference to Chair, Search Committee, Department of Sociology, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97326, Waco, TX 76798-7326. Applications will be reviewed beginning September 17, 2012, and will be accepted until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, applications should be complete by October 15, 2012.

Baylor, the world’s largest Baptist university, holds a Carnegie classification as a “high-research” institution. Baylor’s mission is to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community. Baylor is actively recruiting new faculty with a strong commitment to the classroom and an equally strong commitment to discovering new knowledge as Baylor aspires to become a top tier research university while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission as described in Pro Futuris (http://www.baylor.edu/vision/). Baylor is a Baptist university affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. As an AA/EEO employer, Baylor encourages minorities, women, veterans, & persons with disabilities to apply.

[anon]

Does anyone know anything about Baylor's "faith statement"? I'm not religious and am wondering if it's even worth talking to them (even though the substantive fit appears good).

[jcbnmr1979]

Okay... so I was searching around for information on Baylor and came across this (under the link for 2013 faculty recruitment):
As a Christian university in the Baptist tradition, Baylor expects that prospective faculty
members will be comfortable in an environment where individuals freely express their
religious beliefs. Affiliation and active participation in a congregation are expected of
faculty members. Applicants are asked to provide a few sentences about their interest in
being part of such a setting and to discuss past and present religious congregational
involvement. The search committee will ask short-listed applicants about their affiliation
and level of participation in Christian or Jewish congregations. The department
nominates 2-3 prospects for interviews. The religious information along with the letter of
application is reviewed at the administrative level before proposed candidates are
approved for campus interviews. Applicants who are brought to campus to interview will
meet with university administrators to discuss their views on teaching and doing research
at a Christian university.

Does anyone have any further information about this department/university? I guess I am asking, "How religious is this?"

[insight]

I am not at Baylor, nor did I attend grad school there. But I know several former and current members of the department, both faculty and grad students. My sense is that they mostly care at the administrative level. Any on campus interview will entail a meeting with administrators who will care about and ask about religious compatibility with the university. I've been told that day-to-day life in the department is relatively unaffected. That said, I think it would be important to be able to honestly answer an administrator or Dean or Provost or whoever that you're comfortable being at an evangelical-oriented institution, and that you possess some modicum of religiosity.

I'll also add that the above statement from their job ad pisses me off since it almost seems to say "non-Christians need not apply." Whether that's an oversight or an intentional statement of exclusivism, I don't know.

[Religious]

I am also not at Baylor. Unless you're an Evangelical, or a very committed Christian, I don't see why someone would want to be there. It's a religous department in a highly religious school in a highly religious city. I couldn't do it.

[anon]

If you're not at baylor, how would you know something as detailed as "its a religious department" or its a "highly religious school" Assume much?

[religious]

Well, they're not exactly hiding it....

[anon]

I'm the original poster. I asked around and my understanding is that life in the department isn't much affected by the broader university mission. Plus, it seems like the department has a lot of resources to support faculty research (more than I can say for many other 'agnostic' departments). Thanks to everyone for the input, I think I'm going to apply anyway.

[no no no]

I don't know Baylor, but I am familiar with the school (grew up in the area) and have been in a religious university with a mission similar to it. I'll say this: simply because a university says they are religious doesn't mean its sociology department is actively religious. I agree with the poster who said that if you aren't in the university you really shouldn't assume too much based on the university's mission. So while I can't say that religion doesn't dictates departmental life at Baylor, it is a HUGE assumption to assume that it does.

[religious]

Yes, it could be an assumption. Or it could be based on a bit of easily searchable evidence. A little research will show that at least two Baylor sociology faculty members were openly critical of folks who called out the Regnerus study. In fact, it was Baylor's Institute for Studies on Religion (headed by members of the sociology department) that organized such a response. Other faculty members were once listed as Christian Sociological Society members and/or appear to be blogging regularly on religious blogs. I am not saying that religion regularly guides the thoughts/actions/behaviors of the department---but to suggest that it's not a religious department or university seems at least a little bit naive, no?

[no]

No, it's not naive, it just leaves open the question of just how religious the department is. To suggest something is not to make a definitive stance, it's to interrogate the possibilities.

[GetAJob]

My impression is that the Sociology Dept. tries very hard to mitigate concerns about religiosity. They also have really great resources and seem very nice. On the other hand, I'm worried about encounters with upper administration. If there is anything about your life that the upper admin might dislike, it may be better to look elsewhere.