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[123_abc]

Kind of an odd set of openhanded questions. 

Here's my situation:

BA and MA in English
PHD in American Studies with most coursework in American cultural history and a smattering of English and media studies (most of my PhD coursework had American Studies course numbers but history seminar names; things like "American Studies 700: Twentieth Century African-American History and Culture")
Grad student teaching was in composition with a smattering of American Studies
Post-PhD teaching (at 4- and 2-year schools) has been in Ethnic Studies (which is housed with history in the Social Sciences where I have taught) and History with a smattering of composition
This past year I had a lot of success landing campus interviews (but no job offers) in English at community colleges.  However, I'd much rather teach and work in History at a community college

Here are my questions:
As far as I can tell, most CC's require a MA or 18 credit hours in the field to which you are applying.  Will my experience teaching history and Ethnic Studies stand me a chance in the History market for CC's?  Or, will my lack of a history degree be a major problem? 
I already have 6 graduate credit hours in history; my spouse works at the university at which I earned my PhD and I can take classes for free; so, I could conceivably take 12 more credits in history and reach a total of 18.  Would this be advisable?  Or would CC's look unkindly upon post-PhD course work?

Alternately, anybody out there want to give me a job? 

Thanks in advance.

[mended_drum]

I don't work at a cc, but I asked a friend, and she says that you need 18 graduate credit hours in history to teach at hers.  American studies is unlikely to count as history at her institution.  She also says that her department would want experience teaching history courses, especially western or world civ.

[msparticularity]

Of greater important, please take a look at the threads here on the market in history before you invest any additional time in studying more of it. You're going to be competing against people from top programs, with publications and teaching experience--seriously.

[hstrytool]

At this point there is no help for the history market!  I would think you would want to go the other route and try to get employed in the English/Lit side of it?!  You would have a better chance of getting a gig that way.  It is tough for the historians right now.  I hate to say it but most would want to see that you taught introductory courses and have degrees in history. 

[123_abc]

Thanks, everyone.  I know the history market is bad; that's why I asked before doing anything.

The only reason I've considered this path is that I have been teaching intro-level history courses (including world/western civ) at a community college.  And, my publications and conference presentations fall on the history end of the spectrum; on paper (and in life) I'm much more a historian than a lit/rhetoric specialist.  In fact, my history credentials are far more developed than my developmental writing credentials, which are what is of major importance for community colleges. 

[bluezebracat]

Try it and if it doesn't work out, you'll know, right?

There are ways in which the job market 'behaves' the way people expect, and then there's the huge illogical 'luck' factor that gets people hired or not.

[iclaudius]

At my CC you might have a chance teaching as an adjunct if you had 18 hours in history. Here we teach mostly American history, so you would need to have most of your history credits in American history. For a full-time job you currently would not have a chance at my CC even if you had 18 credit hours in history. That's due to the fact that you don't have any degree in history. We'd look suspiciously at anyone with an American Studies degree as we'd want a "real historian" for the job. There are enough history PhDs or ABDs around to consider.

[msparticularity]

At my CC you might have a chance teaching as an adjunct if you had 18 hours in history. Here we teach mostly American history, so you would need to have most of your history credits in American history. For a full-time job you currently would not have a chance at my CC even if you had 18 credit hours in history. That's due to the fact that you don't have any degree in history. We'd look suspiciously at anyone with an American Studies degree as we'd want a "real historian" for the job. There are enough history PhDs or ABDs around to consider.

Yes, I agree that you're quite likely to be able to pick up some adjuncting, but is that what you want? I was responding above out of the concern that you were looking for reliable employment.

[123_abc]

At my CC you might have a chance teaching as an adjunct if you had 18 hours in history. Here we teach mostly American history, so you would need to have most of your history credits in American history. For a full-time job you currently would not have a chance at my CC even if you had 18 credit hours in history. That's due to the fact that you don't have any degree in history. We'd look suspiciously at anyone with an American Studies degree as we'd want a "real historian" for the job. There are enough history PhDs or ABDs around to consider.

This is the kind of answer I was looking for--thanks, folks.

[oatmeal]

OP--You stand a good chance at a c.c. job. Also, try for some SLAC. They like interdisciplinary folk who can teach lots of different subjects and in different disciplines. I have several friends with Amer Stud. Ph.Ds who got jobs in history programs/departments in c.c. and also SLAC. So long as you have course work and a dissertation with a historical perspective, you should be fine. Good luck!

[rshotwel]

As iclaudius said 18 graduate credits in History is going to be safer. C.C.'s often have tunnel vision on credentials (why this is the case is a whole 'nother thread). Many of them will opt for someone who has clear cut credits in history over someone who has credits that require "interpreting". At my CC (and others I know of), your actual professional experience in history (teaching and publishing) will not make any difference when they decide if you are credentialled or not.

The bigger question is why you have had difficulty getting something in English at a CC (besides general job market crappiness). You might want to see if there is something going on in that process that will continue to give you issues if you switched to history.

[badlands]

OP, I have an American Studies PhD and was in a similar dilemma. I asked the same question this past March:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,67332.msg1531693.html#msg1531693

My sense is that most CC's strongly adhere to the rule that one must have 18 hour credits in the subject he or she teaches. Some are more lenient.

Fortunately for me, I recently got a visiting position in a History department at a reputable private university. I assume I was competing against many candidates with history PhD's. However, I think my hire is rare. This was the first time I had ever been interviewed for a position strictly in history. My other interviews and teaching stints came through American Studies programs or a combination of History / American Studies. 

Talk about a dream; try to make it real.
You wake up in the night with a fear so real.
You spend your life waiting for a moment that just don't come.