History Department Statement on Scholarship
In terms of scholarly productivity, liberal arts colleges are best served by faculty members who are dedicated to research that serves the dual purpose of developing knowledge in the discipline and improving their ability to introduce their students to the best in their discipline. Given the professional practices of the discipline, the department’s responsibility is to provide students with the intellectual tools to seek truth and to intelligently evaluate received ideas; teacher/scholars can best model these behaviors.
The American Historical Association (see Appendix A) currently identifies four types of scholarship in the professional practice of history:
1. The advancement of knowledge—essentially original research
2. The integration of knowledge—synthesizing and reintegrating knowledge, revealing new patterns of meaning and new relationships between the parts and the whole
3. The application of knowledge—professional practice directly related to an individual's scholarly specialization
4. The transformation of knowledge through teaching—including pedagogical content knowledge and discipline-specific educational theory.
The AHA notes in its statement that weighting of different types of scholarship in tenure and promotion decisions should vary according to institutional needs. The following grid outlines our current sense of the relative value of certain kinds of scholarly activity to the work of the academic historian at Luther College.
Ideally, all forms of scholarship enhance the individual’s development as teacher, academic and member of the greater academic community. Peer review of some nature is certainly important in that it provides the scholar with an external evaluation of the credibility of his/her work. The purpose of peer review is both to establish the relative value of our scholarly endeavors, and to assist the scholar in improving his/her performance as a scholar and a teacher. Over time the standard of performance should become increasingly stringent.
Therefore the criteria for a positive evaluation at the third year, tenure year and promotion year for a member of the history department should show a developing pattern of work and productivity. Since graduate schools best prepare candidates for the scholarship of discovery, during the early stage in their careers it is reasonable to expect that continuation of this original research will dominate the faculty member’s scholarship. As historians mature as scholars and teachers they should continue their work of discovery, but may also begin to integrate and apply that advanced knowledge in ways other than traditional publication.
We see the activities described on the grid as only one component of what is to be expected of a candidate for each level of appointment. These scholarly activities need to be judged in terms of their relationship to the candidate’s performance in the other two areas of professional behavior: teaching and community service. Candidates should not be required to exhibit exemplary performance in all areas to qualify for tenure or promotion. We anticipate that the pattern for individuals will be unique and dynamic. Nonetheless, at the time of third-year review a candidate will have delivered one or more papers at regional or national history conferences and have evidence of at least one manuscript under consideration by a referred journal. At the time of tenure and promotion to Associate professor the candidate will have produced 3 or more of the items under the Associate category including publication of one article in a peer reviewed journal. Promotion to full professor requires the candidate to have completed since the time of tenure 3-5 of the items in the standard category including publication of one or more articles in peer reviewed journals.
New faculty will be encouraged to integrate scholarship and teaching in their professional lives through regularly scheduled history department research colloquia, communication of the department’s expectations through the attached form, and mentoring of new faculty by senior members of the department.
Third Year Review
Candidate will at a minimum have delivered one or more papers at regional or national history conferences and have prepared at least one manuscript under consideration by a referred journal.
Standard:
Delivery of papers on historical subjects at regional meetings
Publication of essays of intellectual merit in non-professional venues
Publication of book reviews in historical journals
Public presentations on historical subjects to the college community and the community at large
Article under consideration by a peer-reviewed journal
Meritorious:
Publication of articles in peer reviewed journals
Publication of encyclopedia articles in field
Presentation of papers at national and international meetings
Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor
Candidate will have completed 3 or more of the standard items, including publication of one article in a peer-reviewed journal.
Standard:
Delivery of papers on historical subjects at regional and national meetings
Publication of academic book reviews and specialized encyclopedia articles
Publication or delivery of papers or essays in academic or non-academic venues
Development of historical resources such as films, oral histories, museum displays, editing of historical documents, or translation of previously unavailable sources
Publication or presentation of scholarly research on the teaching of history
Participation in nationally competitive seminars and institutes such as the NEH Summer Programs
Meritorious:
Delivery of papers on historical subjects at international meetings
Publication of articles in peer reviewed journals of outstanding reputation
Publication of invited articles in historical anthologies
Publication of monograph by reputable historical presses
Publication or final production of historical such as films, oral histories, museum displays, editing of historical documents, or translations of previously unavailable sources
Faculty-student collaborative projects ending in joint publication
Promotion to Professor
Candidate will have completed since the time of tenure 3-5 of items including publication of one or more articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Standard:
Delivery of papers on historical subjects, pedagogy or applied history at national and international meetings
Publication of book reviews in historical journals and/or encyclopedia articles
Publication of articles in peer reviewed journals
Publication of invited articles in historical anthologies
Indicators of individual scholarship that contributes to the generation of new scholarship such as citations in the work of other historians
Development and publication of historical resources for the use of other scholars such as films, oral histories, museum displays, editing of historical documents, or translations of previously unavailable sources
Peer reviewer for regional or national journals, member of editorial board of same
Faculty-student collaborative projects ending in joint publication
Meritorious:
Publication of monographs
Publication of articles in peer reviewed journals of outstanding reputation
Editor for regional or national journals
Leader or presenter in nationally competitive seminars or institutes such as NEH Summer seminars
Editor of historical anthology