Animation and Visual Culture, Limited-Term (2 Year) Teaching Stream Assistant Professor

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The Department of Communication Art and Department of Fine Arts in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo invites applications for a Limited-Term (2 Year) Teaching Stream Assistant Professor beginning May 1, 2025.

The successful candidate will have a PhD or MFA in Communication, Visual Culture, Media Arts, or a related field, as well as a strong practitioner profile and demonstrated excellence in teaching. In addition to teaching Digital Arts Communication (DAC) and Visual Culture (VCULT) classes, they will contribute to a post-graduate program in Animation supported by both departments and WATSPEED by 1. providing curriculum oversight (but not teaching) for practical animation courses delivered through WATSPEED and 2. teaching the Animation program’s 4-week Summer Experience focused on the social and cultural dimensions of animation.

The successful candidate will contribute to current departmental programs by teaching primarily undergraduate Digital Arts Communication (DAC) classes in Communication Arts and Visual Culture (VCULT) classes in Fine Arts. A demonstrated pedagogical commitment to theoretically-informed practice, student-centered learning, and engagement of broad public concerns is required. We seek a dynamic and innovative scholar-educator whose creative/design practice and teaching explore the intersections of visual media, images, and visual forms within professional, sociocultural, and global contexts. In addition to teaching the historical and cultural dimensions of animation in the summer experience, the ideal candidate will be able to teach broadly in the DAC and VCULT areas, including courses such as DAC 305 Designing and Evaluating Digital Games, DAC 309 User Experience Design, VCULT 200 Visual Studies Across Disciplines, and/or VCULT 256 Experimental Film. The ideal candidate will also have a deep understanding of visual culture theory and history, coupled with expertise in animation history and/or its application in contemporary art and animation practice. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in critical humanistic understanding of visual culture theory and history. Approaches based in principles of anti-racism, feminism, inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and methodologies informed by critical race, Indigenous, dis/ability, trans, feminist, queer, sustainable, and/or Marxist theories are especially welcome.

The Department of Communication Arts is committed to providing students with lifelong capacities 1) to examine agency and implication; 2) to support the development of critical and creative competencies; and 3) to encourage a language and imagination for the public good. The department has undergraduate programs in Communication Studies, Communication Arts & Design Practice, and Theatre & Performance, and a minor in Digital Arts Communication open to students across the university.

In the Department of Fine Arts we teach the how and the why of art and image making. The how involves a wide-range of material and digital skills in studio art. The why helps students develop criticality in visual culture—a rigour that hones an understanding of what things look like and mean within the current global condition. Fine Arts currently offers a BA (Bachelor of Arts) in Studio Art and Visual Culture and an MFA (Masters of Fine Art) in Fine Arts Studio. Many of our undergraduate students combine their degree with Arts and Business or Honours Arts Co-op .

The salary range for this position is $80,000 – $120,000. Duties include teaching (70%) and academic service (30%).

The closing date for applications is April 4, 2025. Application materials must be submitted as PDF files through the Online Faculty Application System (https://ofas.uwaterloo.ca/). Application materials should identify how the candidate’s teaching and service aligns with the program objectives (see below) and advances equity, anti-racism, decolonization, and inclusion. Please include electronic copies of a:
• cover letter
• curriculum vitae
• evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g. 1-2 examples of syllabi, small selection of course evaluations, statement of teaching philosophy)
• evidence of publication, practice-based and/or research-creation work
• Names and contact information for 3 referees who will only be contacted to provide references for you should your application advance to the final round of consideration.

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within the Office of Indigenous Relations (https://uwaterloo.ca/indigenous).

The University of Waterloo is a research intensive university that values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as Indigenous peoples (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit/Inuk), Black, racialized, people with disabilities, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Adrian Buchanan at [email protected].

If you have any questions regarding the position, the application process, assessment process, or eligibility, please contact either Monica Leoni, Chair of Fine Arts, or Gerald Voorhees, Chair of Communication Arts.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Three reasons to apply: https://uwaterloo.ca/faculty-association/why-waterloo.

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