Asian Studies

Current Guidelines (PDF)

Previous Guidelines

Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary program devoted to the study of the diverse cultures of Asia. The Asian Studies program committee comprises faculty housed within the program as well as other departments. The multidisciplinary, trans-regional nature of Asian Studies requires a degree of flexibility in the Program’s guidelines for tenure and promotion. The Committee remains committed to the College’s high standards in teaching and scholarship.

Process for Evaluation Prior to Reappointment and Tenure

The Tenure and Promotion committee chair (T&P chair, hereafter) has primary responsibility for advising tenure-track faculty as they work toward reappointment and tenure. This will be done formally through the T&P chair’s evaluation of tenure-track faculty members’ annual reports, which will be reviewed and signed by all members of the candidate’s T&P committee. Through this process, the T&P chair will review the tenure-track faculty members’ annual reports, highlighting their contributions to teaching, research, and service. In the case of Associate Professors, annual conversations concerning progress toward promotion will also be with the Program Director/T&P chair. The annual review will document senior members’ perspectives on progress towards promotion.

Teaching

The candidate must demonstrate competence as a classroom teacher in lecture and seminar formats from introductory through advanced levels. The candidate’s teaching should be informed by a breadth of knowledge about Asian cultures and/or their specific subfield. The Faculty Handbook lists three key criteria in the evaluation of teaching: “commitment to teaching; knowledge and mastery of the discipline; and the ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students.” 

The program evaluates effective teachers based on the following pedagogical practices:

1. Communicates expectations clearly. Expectations may be communicated through organized and clear syllabi that outline the instructor’s guidelines for assignments and thoughtfully crafted activities. Evidence may include syllabi, sample assignments, peer observations, select/random student letters, and student evaluations of teaching.     
2. Delivers feedback to students as appropriate. Evidence may include personal narrative as part of self-evaluation (i.e., annual reports and personal statements) and student feedback (select/random student letters and student evaluations of teaching)
3. Challenges students intellectually. Evidence may include personal narrative as part of self-evaluation; sample syllabi, especially the instructor’s choices of readings and materials; assignments and class activities to encourage active participation that fosters critical thinking and reflection; peer observations; and student feedback.
4. Communicates content effectively, in and out of class. Effective classroom instruction may include lectures, group activities, and leading or managing productive discussions around the assigned readings. Effective communication outside of class may include emails or conversations in office hours. Evidence may include course materials, for example handouts, peer observation, or student feedback.
5. Demonstrates reflective and ongoing growth. Growth may be demonstrated through experimentation with new pedagogical approaches, development of new assignments or activities, design of new courses, or revisions of existing courses. Evidence may include personal narrative for self-evaluation, course syllabi or materials, and peer observations. Additional evidence may come from participation in faculty development activities such as course revision grants, teaching collaborations within and beyond Hamilton, and attending teaching workshops.
6. Practices inclusive and equitable pedagogy. Asian Studies faculty are expected to have inclusive engagement from all students and to facilitate a productive and positive learning environment. Evidence may include personal narrative as part of self-evaluation, peer observations, select/random student letters, and student evaluations of teaching.

According to the Faculty Handbook, “All voting department colleagues should be in a position both to assess from first-hand knowledge the classroom effectiveness of the instructor and to evaluate the instructor’s knowledge and mastery of the discipline” (VI.F.1). The Program therefore evaluates the candidate’s teaching on the basis of:

1. Reports of class visits by T&P committee and follow up conversations about those visits;
2. The candidate's articulation of their pedagogy in personal narrative as part of self-evaluation, with a focus on inclusive pedagogical methods that reflect curricular diversity;
3. Evaluation of syllabi and assignments;
4. Student feedback in the form of end-of-semester course evaluations, as well as letters from randomly-selected and instructor-selected students. Given the significant, multiple, and systemic biases exhibited in course evaluations, use of evaluations should be correlated with the candidate’s annual review and personal statement to assess teaching effectiveness and their classroom environment. 

Reappointment

Candidates for reappointment will show evidence of developing the pedagogical practices described above. Candidates should expect a peer observation in each class each term. The T&P committee should consider that teaching about a distant geographical region and its diverse cultures often poses multiple challenges in Hamilton’s classrooms, which should be carefully enumerated in peer observation reports.

Tenure

The Faculty Handbook lists three key criteria in the evaluation of a tenure candidate’s teaching: “commitment to teaching; knowledge and mastery of the discipline; and the ability to communicate with, stimulate, and evaluate students.” These criteria are described above and      candidates for tenure are expected to regularly demonstrate these pedagogical practices.

Promotion

Candidates for promotion to Professor will have demonstrated excellence in the pedagogical practices described above as well as further growth as teachers, possibly including refinements or revisions of courses in light of specific feedback or other professional development, or new emphases in course offerings, contents, and pedagogies.

2. Scholarship

Hamilton College expects its faculty to be productive scholars of high quality and is committed to the notion that scholarship and teaching are mutually reinforcing. Scholarship is important both for the advancement of knowledge and as a critical means to advance teaching in the classroom. The program evaluates the candidate’s scholarship on the basis of assessments by the T&P committee members and on letters written by scholars at other institutions who work in the candidate’s field.

During the first year, the candidate for reappointment should meet with the program director and T&P chair to discuss publications, plans for publication, and their longer research trajectory. The      T&P chair and the candidate will discuss the latter’s scholarly goals at the time of each annual review. If necessary, the T&P chair, in consultation with voting members of the committee, will advise the candidate about ways to revise the publication plan in accordance with the program guidelines. In addition to clarifying the candidate’s scholarly goals, these discussions will address the candidate’s ongoing research agenda to ensure that their trajectory is moving beyond their dissertation.

Reappointment

At the time of reappointment, the candidate’s plan should provide a clear trajectory toward meeting the scholarship expectations for tenure listed in the next section, including a schedule and concrete plans for revising the dissertation for submission to a scholarly press and/or preparation of articles/chapters to be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes.

Tenure

The successful candidate for tenure in the Asian Studies program will have completed a manuscript of a monograph submitted to or accepted by a scholarly press. If approved by the T&P committee, prior to the third-year review, several refereed scholarly articles may substitute for a monograph. We recognize that changing publishers’ criteria and research conditions may necessitate revisions in a candidate’s scholarly plans as outlined in their first year. If a candidate needs to change course, they should meet with the T&P chair as soon as possible. In evaluating a record of publication, the T&P committee regards scholarly publications in the following order of significance, proceeding from greatest to lesser importance:

• a full-length, individually written monograph based on original research
• a full-length, co-authored monograph based on original research
• articles in major refereed journals or editorship of a collection of essays or a significant, annotated collection of documents, which may include translations of documents or of oral histories
• chapters in edited collections
• public-facing scholarship such as talks, podcasts, blog posts or essays

This ranking of scholarly work constitutes a general framework of reference; more specific consideration shall be given to the nature of particular publications, the nature of the candidate’s field, or the reputation of particular presses and journals. In addition to the candidate’s publishing record, scholarly accomplishment is also marked by major grants or fellowships, invited talks, editorship of scholarly journals, election to executive committees of professional organizations, invitations to serve on grant review committees, book reviews in major peer-reviewed journals, and/or other achievements that reflect recognition by the scholarly community outside of the College. The program evaluates the candidate’s scholarship on the basis of assessments by the T&P committee and on letters written by scholars at other institutions who work in the candidate’s field.

Promotion

In evaluating a candidate for promotion to Professor of Asian Studies, the program places great weight on scholarship in addition to continued excellence in teaching. In order to earn the T&P committee’s endorsement for promotion to Professor, the candidate must demonstrate that they have moved well beyond the body of work submitted during the tenure review. The successful candidate for promotion should have completed a second monograph or shown significant progress toward completion of a second scholarly monograph or corpus of work through:

• a book contract and a manuscript
• publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals
• a significant, annotated collection of documents, which may include translations of documents or of oral histories
• chapters in edited volumes
• digital scholarly projects or collections
• presentation of new research at professional conferences
• application for and awards of competitive research grants
• public-facing scholarship such as talks, podcasts, blog posts or essays

It is particularly important that these indicators show a clear trajectory toward completion of a major post-tenure scholarly project.

The successful candidate should have furthermore achieved a national or international scholarly reputation, as marked by achievements such as external grants and fellowships, editorship of scholarly journals, election to executive committees of professional organizations, invitations to serve on grant review committees and/or tenure committees, book reviews in major peer-reviewed journals and invited talks.

3. Service

The program expects its faculty to demonstrate a record of service. Such service can take various forms. Service to the Asian Studies program can include organizing guest speakers, conference programs or other activities to promote the program’s curriculum and its enrollment. Service to the College can include serving on committees or advising student organizations. The program also recognizes service that extends beyond the campus in regional, national and international activities that draw on or improve the candidate’s professional status and the College’s profile. Service to the profession can include editing professional journals or newsletters, serving as external reviewers at other colleges or universities, serving on boards of national or international associations, organizing conferences, or reviewing papers for journals or conferences.     

Reappointment

The program expects candidates for reappointment to participate in program meetings, advise concentrators and non-concentrators after the first year of teaching, and take on appropriate senior projects. The program discourages candidates for reappointment from taking on significant College committee service.

Tenure

Candidates for tenure are expected to participate in program meetings, contribute to the program’s initiatives, advise concentrators and non-concentrators, and supervise senior projects. After the third-year review, candidates for tenure should be willing to engage in service on committees with more modest time or workload commitments.

Promotion

The candidate for promotion to Professor must establish a record of multifaceted service to the program and College. They will have an increased role in faculty governance or engagement with the College community, for example serving as program chair or on elected College committees, or in other leadership roles. They can choose to serve the scholarly profession outside the College, which may include election to executive positions in professional organizations, appointment as a referee for scholarly journals, fellowship review panels, or as an outside reviewer of T&P cases at other institutions.

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Appendix: Peer Observation Policies

Classroom visits are typically done in person for one class meeting. Faculty may request classroom recordings for their own use or to review with other members of the T&P committee. All instructors should be aware of the program’s expectations for teaching effectiveness as described in the teaching section above. The program encourages junior faculty to develop their own range of teaching excellences that reflect their evolving interests, style, expertise, and aspirations. The T&P committee should coordinate with the candidate a plan for peer observation in each class each term.

In the policy that follows, ‘visitor’ refers to the observing faculty member, typically a member of the T&P committee, and ‘instructor being observed’ refers to the instructor, at whatever level, being observed.

General Policies Regarding Classroom Visits

At least one week prior to a classroom visit, the visitor will:

• ask the instructor being observed for the syllabus, readings and any other relevant materials to prepare;
• have a conversation with the instructor to be observed in which the context for the class to be observed (material to be covered, goals for the session, and any other relevant information) and the expectations for the visit (including whether it will be for one class or several) are discussed; and
• write up a brief summary of this conversation to be included in their written report of the visit. 

1. In the day or two before the visit, the visitor will confirm the visit and solicit any relevant information about the class meeting.
2. At an early opportunity after the visit, and before writing their report, the visitor should discuss the class with the instructor being observed.
3. Within four weeks of the last visited class session, the visitor should provide a written report of their visit to the instructor being observed and to the chair for the program’s file. The report should include both evaluation and concrete suggestions for improvement. The report should also provide feedback on course materials, including the syllabus. For instructors who will come up for reappointment, tenure, or promotion, the report should include suggestions for meeting the program’s guidelines.
4. Optional: The observed instructor may append a written response to the observation report to be kept together with it.
5. Observation reports may be used in preparing annual review letters and reappointment or tenure letters, but will not be directly included with materials submitted to the COA and Dean for reappointment or tenure files.

Tenure-Track Faculty

Every course taught by each tenure-track member each year will be visited by a member of the T&P committee. The T&P chair should coordinate with the candidate a plan for peer observation in each class each term. Within the first two weeks of the semester, the T&P chair will coordinate class visits with tenure-track instructors, balancing:

• the preferences of the instructor to be observed;
• the availability of T&P committee members to visit; and
• the Faculty Handbook expectation that all voting colleagues should be in a position to assess instructors’ classroom effectiveness.

Once visitors have been assigned, the visitor and the instructor to be observed will coordinate on the best timing for visits. The visitor will contact the faculty member to be observed to schedule the visit. The General Policies above will then guide the visit and report. As part of the annual review process, the T&P chair should discuss the substance of the year’s observations with the observed instructor, including possible ways to improve their teaching.

Associate Professors

Because of the Faculty Handbook expectation that all voting colleagues should be in a position to assess instructors’ classroom effectiveness, the T&P committee should coordinate with the candidate a plan for peer observation once per year. Once visitors have been assigned, the visitor and the instructor to be observed will coordinate on the best timing for visits. The visitor will contact the faculty member to be observed to schedule the visit. The General Policies above will guide the visit and report. As part of the annual review process, the T&P chair should discuss the substance of any observations with the observed instructor, including possible ways to improve their teaching.

Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Faculty    

All Asian Studies instructors should be aware of the program’s expectations for teaching effectiveness as described in the Tenure and Promotion Guidelines. Those who are not on a tenure track should show familiarity with those guidelines and take steps to meet them. Those who are not undergoing the annual review process (e.g., postdoctoral fellows or visiting instructors on one or two-year contracts) may not have the same opportunities for narrative self-evaluation; reflections may be shared with the chair independently of that annual process.

The program director will arrange classroom visits for all non-tenure-track faculty teaching each semester for the primary purpose of supporting instructors’ ongoing pedagogical development. The General Policies Regarding Classroom Visits will be followed, including writing reports and sharing them with the instructor being observed and with the program director.

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Approved by COA 9/16/25