Assistant Professor of Italian: Transnational Italian Studies

The Department of French and Italian at the University of Pittsburgh (www.frit.pitt.edu) invites applications for a tenure-stream assistant professor working at the intersection of transnational Italian studies and one (or more) of our department’s four curricular and research networks: environment; gender & sexuality; film & media; and nation/translation (https://www.frenchanditalian.pitt.edu/research/research-networks). Candidates should be able to conduct research and teach courses in at least one of these areas (and ideally more than one): African Studies, Asian Studies, European Studies, Global Studies, Latin American Studies, Mediterranean Studies, Migration Studies, or Post-colonial Studies. Applicants may work in national, transnational, or global contexts; and they may work on any time period, across periods, or in multiple periods, though candidates working principally after 1700 are particularly welcome to apply. They may work in areas such as ethnicity studies; translation studies; visual studies; the circulation of media forms and products from and around Italian spaces; critical geography; the history of industry, design, and innovation; ecocriticism; and intellectual history. We welcome interests in the digital humanities and public humanities. The ability to run a Humanities research “lab” with undergraduates is also desirable, as is the ability to integrate creative initiatives such as theatre, performance, and creative writing into teaching and experiential projects. The teaching load is four courses per year at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Pending budgetary approval, the position will begin in the fall of 2024. Applicants must have an active research profile, proven excellence in teaching, demonstrated interest in curriculum development, a high level of proficiency in both Italian and English, the ability to mentor undergraduate and graduate students in curricular and experiential contexts, and a PhD in hand at the time of appointment. PhD may be in any area. We are particularly interested in candidates able to further the Italian program’s ongoing efforts to decolonize and deterritorialize Italian Studies; for this reason, we welcome applications from scholars engaged with marginalized communities, knowledge, and areas of inquiry such as those relating to Black and Afrodescendant Italians, migrants, and LGTBQ+ people. 

The candidate will contribute to the ongoing development of new and innovative programs within the Italian program, the French & Italian department, across the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, and university-wide. In particular, our hire will be expected to contribute to the new International Studies co-major and existing and new programs in the University Center for International Studies (UCIS). The Department of French and Italian at the University of Pittsburgh is a vibrant community of students and scholars hosting two Italian major tracks, an Italian minor, and an MA in Italian. Italian and French faculty collaborate on research, curriculum, and programming initiatives across the two programs. Italian faculty also participate in the Ph.D. in Critical European Culture Studies and in Film and Media Studies offered in conjunction with the Film and Media Studies Program. Beyond the department, Pitt offers a rich environment for engagement with the many interdisciplinary programs and centers that inform our work, such as Critical European Culture Studies; Cultural Studies; Film and Media Studies; Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies; Jewish Studies; Medieval and Renaissance Studies; the Center for African Studies; the European Studies Center; the Global Studies Center; the Center for Latin American Studies; as well as a robust Humanities Center, an Early Modern Worlds group, a World History Center, and various Digital Humanities initiatives. 

For the first round of consideration, please send a cover letter, article-length writing sample, diversity statement, and curriculum vitae to Prof. John Walsh, Interim Chair, Department of French and Italian, online at www.join.pitt.edu by October 27, 2023. The diversity statement should address your contributions to diversity through research, service, and/or community engagement. Applicants should share how their past, planned, or potential contributions or experiences relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion will advance the University of Pittsburgh’s commitment to inclusive excellence. Applicants who advance to the second round of consideration will be invited to submit additional documents by November 17, 2023. These will include a graduate transcript(s); a teaching dossier (containing a statement of teaching philosophy, two or more sample syllabi, two or three packets of student evaluations with student comments, sample assignments, and any other teaching materials applicants wish to include); and contact information for three persons able to provide confidential professional letters of recommendation. Please direct position questions to Prof. Walsh at jpw64@pitt.edu.