Public Humanities Visiting Faculty Fellow

University of Toronto

Posted: August 19, 2019

The Jackman Humanities Institute at the University of Toronto will accept applications for a Visiting Public Humanities Faculty Fellowship (VPH) to be held in 2020-2021. The JHI VPH Faculty Fellowship is intended to foster knowledge exchange between the academy and the public. The JHI VPH will be a mid-career, tenured faculty member from another institution who has a demonstrated track record of bringing humanities research out of the classroom and university press, and into the broader public realm for discussion, debate and examination across multiple media platforms, and who is experienced in addressing audiences outside the academy. The JHI VPH Faculty Fellow will hold a 12-month fellowship at the JHI (in residence for nine months), where they will pursue research in their own discipline and engage in the public humanities, and will continue to develop their public profile. The JHI VPH Faculty Fellow is expected to: 

1. propose, write, and publish innovative public humanities projects, some on the JHI’s annual theme, with the goal of taking humanities research into the public domain.
2. participate in activities with the multigenerational circle of fellows, including weekly lunch seminars and occasional workshops and lectures;
3. strengthen the U of T research network of publicly engaged humanities scholars by facilitating two day-long workshops (in the winter semester) on public-facing research and writing in the humanities;

In addition, the JHI VPH Faculty Fellow may participate, as appropriate, in the other “Humanities at Large” pillar activities (see below).

The Jackman Humanities Institute interprets “Humanities” as a broad category, including political theory, interpretive social science, music, and the arts.

The Annual Theme for 2019-2020 is COLLECTIVES
From political parties to literary coteries, from fan groups to sports teams, from terrorist organizations to online groups, our collectives, associations, and communities are multiform and complex. How do we band together and why? In teaming up, how does membership of a collective affect one’s own agency and standing – what do we lose, what do we gain? Can collectives truly be agents and how do group dynamics emerge? How do we balance the interests between collectives, of individuals and collectives, and of the individual within the collective?

Humanities at Large is a three-year (2019-2022) initiative, generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, that is intended to promote knowledge exchange.  
It will focus on six pillar activities:

i. Creative non-fiction writing workshops for academic researchers
ii. Social media training for academics
iii. Community-engaged public humanities scholarship
iv. Partnerships with local high schools
v. Talking Books, a public book club experience
vi. Radio showcase on each year’s humanities research at the JHI

Eligibility 
• Applicants must have achieved tenure by the beginning of the fellowship (1 July 2019). Any award will be conditional on a successful promotion.
• Faculty members employed by the University of Toronto are ineligible.
• This fellowship is open to citizens of all countries. Application for appropriate visa documents is the responsibility of the Fellow. 
• The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may further expand the range of ideas and perspectives.  

Selection Criteria
We are seeking individuals whose intellectual scope moves between formal academic research and public communications. The JHI is a site for interdisciplinary humanities research conversations, and we are therefore interested in candidates who have an interest in and capacity for presentation of their research across disciplinary and institutional boundaries. Candidates will be evaluated on the basis of commitment to the public humanities knowledge exchange, achievement as appropriate to their career stage, promise of excellence, and relevance of their proposed research project to the Annual Theme.

The Fellowship
The Fellowship provides funding for twelve months, with residency required for nine months (September—May). The stipend is $75,000 CAD plus benefits. This fellowship is suitable for faculty members who will be on leave for at least six months of their residency. The JHI will provide an office, University of Toronto Library access, and administrative support. Fellows are expected to attend weekly lunches on Thursdays from September through the first week of May. The incumbent will be eligible to apply for accommodation with University of Toronto Faculty Housing Guest Accommodations.

Procedure
You must have or create an account in the JHI website (https://humanities.utoronto.ca) to apply. You will be asked to upload the following documents in your application at: [INSERT URL]
1. Letter of Application 
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Proposal for Public Humanities Research relevant to the annual theme of Strange Weather
4. Writing Sample (academic) – a thesis chapter or published article
5. Communications Sample (public) – an article for popular press, a blog post, podcast, interview or other media product. Provide URL link to audio or video files if you wish. Upload text files.
All documents must be in .pdf format. The size limit for your completed application is 8 mb. If your upload documents are too large, you will see an error message; please optimize your files and try again.
You will be asked to provide the names and email addresses of two references. Your referees will receive an automated request for their letters, which will be due on 22 October. Please ask your referees to watch for our request email.

Deadline 
Application materials: 15 October 2019 at midnight
Reference letters: 22 October 2019

Questions?
For questions relating to the scope and expectations of this fellowship, please contact Professor Alison Keith, Director, at jhi.director@utoronto.caor (416) 978-7415.