The School of Journalism, Writing, and Media in the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, invites applications for experienced and dynamic educators to join its faculty as Lecturers with an anticipated start date of July 1 or September 1, 2021, depending on course scheduling.

The School of Journalism, Writing, and Media, known for its leadership in the fields of journalism and writing studies, offers innovative research and teaching in journalism and media, writing and communication, knowledge-production and knowledge-mobilization. The School contributes to the development of new analyses of scholarly and professional communication and new uses of media competencies across and beyond UBC, in Canadian society, and in a global context. The School‘s team of faculty is committed to creating unique opportunities for students to succeed as practiced writers and media professionals in an era of significant shifts in communication technology and culture.  Building on existing initiatives, the successful candidates will work collaboratively to deliver new courses and projects within the School and therefore play significant roles in shaping the School’s approaches to writing, media, and pedagogy.

We expect to fill up to 2 Lecturer positions for terms of up to three years. The Lecturer position is a full-time appointment without review (i.e., non-tenure track), renewable for successive terms, subject to availability of funding and demonstration of excellence in teaching, in accordance with the Collective Agreement between UBC and the UBC Faculty Association. The successful candidates will be expected to carry an annual teaching load of 24 credits (i.e., eight 3-credit courses per year) in the School, with the possibility that some of the teaching assignments may be made in another unit in the Faculty of Arts, based on the needs of the School and the collaborating unit. In addition, the position will involve service responsibilities. In cases where extraordinary additional service responsibilities are assigned by the Director, a 3-credit teaching reduction may be granted. The Lecturer will work closely with the Director and with other faculty in the School in a highly collaborative environment.

The School currently offers two undergraduate courses (WRDS 150 and WRDS 350) that teach research writing to 5,000 students each year. We use writing-in-the-disciplines, genre-based, and discourse-analytic approaches informed by current research in the fields of writing studies, rhetoric, and applied language studies. The successful candidate will teach sections of WRDS 150 and WRDS 350, and new courses as they are developed, both for students in the Faculty of Arts and students from other faculties. Applicants will be expected to work closely with other faculty to support student participation in research activities (e.g., student conferences and publications), and they may be asked to contribute to other School initiatives and to the further development of curriculum for undergraduate research writing.

Application instructions

Applicants must have a doctorate in a relevant field (e.g. writing studies, discourse studies, rhetoric, applied language studies, communications), or a PhD and significant experience teaching writing in university settings (this teaching should be informed by current writing theory). We particularly welcome applications from instructors with experience teaching academic writing to students in various disciplines including the social sciences, business, and science, and experience with or expertise in teaching academic writing to diverse student populations, including those for whom English is an additional language. Evidence of successful team building, collaboration, and curriculum development is also an asset, as is a keen interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Applicants should provide:

(1) a letter of application indicating suitability for the position;

(2) a curriculum vitae, including a list of all post-secondary courses taught; 

(3) a teaching dossier including:

(a) a statement of teaching philosophy related to the teaching of writing (max. 500 words);

(b) course evaluations for courses taught over the last 3 years and, if available, reports from peer review of teaching; and

(c) proposed WRDS 150 syllabi for: 

i)  students within the Faculty of Arts and

ii) students from outside the Faculty of Arts 

Each syllabus should include a description of the research area examined, a list of sample texts, and descriptions of sample assignments. For examples of syllabi of WRDS 150 sections currently being taught, see: 

https://jwam.ubc.ca/undergraduate/writing-requirements/arts-students/

(4) a statement about the applicant’s experience working with a diverse student body and contributions or potential contributions to creating/advancing a culture of equity and inclusion (max. 300 words); and

(5) the names and contact information for 3 academic references.

Application materials must be submitted electronically as PDFs. Please follow the instructions provided on the application webpage: https://jwam.ubc.ca/about/job-opportunities/.  Review of applications will begin on January 25, 2021 and will continue until the positions are filled.

We will contact the referees of shortlisted applicants for confidential reference letters. Applicants should ensure that their referees are aware that this is a teaching position and should accordingly focus their assessment on teaching and pedagogical expertise and experience. Enquiries addressed to Dr. Jonathan Otto, Chair of the Search Committee, c/o Blossom Gasapo, may be sent to jwam.admin@ubc.ca.

Positions are subject to final budgetary approval. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

UBC-Vancouver’s Point Grey Campus is located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Musqueam people, with whom UBC shares a framework Memorandum of Affiliation. For information relating to Aboriginal initiatives that are available at UBC, visit the UBC Vancouver Aboriginal portal at: https://indigenous.ubc.ca. 

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.

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

Given the uncertainty caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, applicants must be prepared to conduct interviews remotely if circumstances require. A successful applicant may be asked to consider an offer containing a deadline without having been able to make an in-person visit to campus if travel and other restrictions are still in place.