Critical Digital Media and Design, Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

The Department of Communication Arts in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Critical Digital Media and Design beginning July 1, 2024.

The Department of Communication Arts, located in a research-intensive university, is committed to program objectives (https://uwaterloo.ca/communication-arts/about-our-department) 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. These attractive and growing programs currently serve approximately 200 majors and 150 minors, and the department is in the process of proposing a practice-based graduate MA program. In addition, the Department delivers approximately 130 sections of communication courses to students from several different programs at the University. Presently these sections are offered to students in the Faculties of Science, Engineering, and Math.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in a research field such as Communication, Informatics, Design, Digital Humanities, or a related field, a strong research agenda, potentially combined with a practitioner profile, and demonstrated excellence in teaching. They will support current departmental programs by teaching primarily undergraduate Digital Arts Communication (DAC) classes, will help integrate digital arts practice into courses across the department, and will contribute to the department’s proposed MA program. In particular, the successful candidate will be able to teach DAC 309 (User Experience Design) as well as other Digital Arts Communication courses such as DAC 201 (Designing Digital Media), and DAC 305 (Designing and Evaluating Digital Games). A demonstrated pedagogical commitment to theoretically-informed practice, student-centered learning, and engagement of broad public concerns is required. We are particularly interested in applicants with expertise in critical humanistic and design approaches to user experience (UX). This includes approaches to user-centered research and design based on principles of anti-racism, feminism, inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility to interrogate the perspectives, assumptions, methods, and artifacts of UX Design. Candidates with expertise in critical race, Indigenous, dis/ability, trans, feminist, queer, sustainable, and/or Marxist methods and approaches to the practice and study of UX Design specifically and critical digital design more broadly are preferred. Approaches to digital media arts and production as communication are especially welcome, as is having a high degree of technological literacy, the ability to secure external funding, collaborative potential with other faculty across the department and university, the ability to engage in outreach activities with industry in their area, and the ability to contribute to the growth of the department.

The salary range for this position at the rank of Assistant Professor is $95,000.00 to $125,000.00. Duties include research, teaching, and academic service.

The closing date for applications is December 15, 2023. 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, research and service aligns with the Department’s program objectives (see above) and advances equity, anti-racism, decolonization, and inclusion. Please include electronic copies of a cover letter (addressed to Dr. Grit Liebscher, Interim Chair, Communication Arts), curriculum vitae, research statement (1-2 pages), statement of teaching effectiveness (1-2 pages) with additional teaching evidence (e.g. 1-2 examples of syllabi, small selection of course evaluations), and a sample of a publication/creative work or work in progress. Please also indicate three referees who will be contacted to provide references for you.

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 our Indigenous Initiatives Office (https://uwaterloo.ca/human-rights-equity-inclusion/indigenousinitiatives).

The University 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 adrian.buchanan@uwaterloo.ca.

If you have any questions regarding the position, the application process, assessment process, or eligibility, please contact Dr. Grit Liebscher at gliebsch@uwaterloo.ca.

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.

 

Comments are closed.