Assistant Professor, Public and Applied Humanities (T/TE)

The Department of Public & Applied Humanities at the University of Arizona is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor to start August 2023. The top candidate will be able to contribute expertise, leadership, and imagination to the department’s efforts to theorize and prefigure responses to future human challenges and opportunities for individuals and communities.

The Department works to translate the personal enrichment characteristics of humanities study into public enrichment and the direct and tangible improvement of the human condition. Through research-driven, collaborative, and publicly facing projects built to explore and enhance life in the community and beyond, our students and scholars convert understanding into action for the measurable betterment of society. The Department is fundamentally experimental, entrepreneurial, and transdisciplinary, and focuses on public and private opportunities that straddle disciplinary boundaries.

Candidates for the position should be highly collaborative, exploratory, and hardworking, with a humanities-oriented and publicly engaged research specialization in one or more of the following areas: the environment (natural or built), health (epidemiological, dis/ability-related, and/or societal), technology (digital, analog, biological), narrative knowledge (place-based, embodied, digital), or similar cross-cutting and emergent research areas, including areas related to the curricular emphases of our BA in Applied Humanities (see below). Experience with Hispanic Serving Institutions and understanding of Indigenous/First Nations/Native lifeways will be of particular interest given the Department’s institutional and geographic location.

The Department of Public & Applied Humanities is one of 19 units in the University of Arizona’s College of Humanities. The Department’s BA in Applied Humanities features a project-driven curriculum, career readiness sequence, and eight emphasis areas for students to choose from (with additional areas in the planning stages): Business Administration, Fashion Studies, Game Studies, Medicine, Plant Studies, Public Health, Rural Leadership & Renewal, and Spatial Organization & Design Thinking. The Department partners with other units on campus to deliver the emphasis courses, and the preferred candidate will have interest in and/or experience with this kind of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The Department strongly supports the University’s diversity and inclusiveness strategic initiatives, which are designed to create an inclusive environment for all faculty, staff, and students. The successful candidate is expected to support diversity and inclusiveness efforts in the Department and the University.

Alumni Jacquelynn and Bennett Dorrance have made a gift commitment of $5.4 million to endow the deanship of the University of Arizona College of Humanities to bring the humanities to the forefront of the University of Arizona's life and mission through a continuous and fearless spirit of open inquiry: https://humanities.arizona.edu/about/fearless-inquiries-project

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; sick leave and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please visit talent.arizona.edu

Duties & Responsibilities

  • Maintain an active research agenda
  • Teach two courses per semester
  • Engage in Departmental, College, and University service and outreach
  • Contribute to curriculum development and program building
  • Recruit and mentor students and majors
  • Help develop and expand collaborations with community partners
  • Contribute to University initiatives focused on fostering diversity and inclusive excellence, enhancing student engagement, and mentoring students including those from underrepresented backgrounds
  • Participate in Departmental and College-wide activities such as Convocation, Welcome Back receptions, Homecoming, Commencement, Tucson Humanities Festival 
  • Additional duties may be assigned

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

  • Robust research skills
  • Diverse, demonstrated, and student-centered pedagogical knowledge and experience
  • Superior communication and collaboration skills
  • Knowledge of and experience with interdisciplinary and applied/public facing projects and programs

Minimum Qualifications

  • Ph.D. or equivalent in hand at the time of appointment
  • Demonstrated trajectory toward excellence in research, evidenced by publication in academic journals and books, sponsored research, and/or other suitable research and impact metrics in one or more of the specialization areas listed under the position summary
  • Demonstrated excellence in teaching, as indicated by course evaluations, teaching awards, or other metrics in one or more of the specialization areas listed under the position summary

Preferred Qualifications

  • Record of high quality research published in leading academic journals and presses
  • Evidence of ability to secure external funding
  • Experience and expertise with online/hybrid teaching, multimedia technology, and an aptitude for creative and innovative teaching
  • Experience using cutting-edge teaching methods and/or curricular design to effectively promote student learning and engage a diverse student body
  • Evidence of innovative and multidisciplinary public facing and/or applied projects
  • Experience with digital media production, maker spaces, art practice, or other forms of creative content development
  • Interest and/or experience with digital humanities

Review of applications begins November 1, 2022

Applications are only accepted through the University of Arizona Talent system. https://talent.arizona.edu/


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