Director of Practice, Instructional Professor in Human Rights (open rank)
The University of Chicago

Description

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for an Instructional Professor who will also have responsibility for the Human Rights Practice component of the undergraduate curriculum in the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights. This is a full-time, renewable appointment, with an initial term of at least three years, beginning September 1, 2025. Appointment at the rank Assistant, Associate, and full Instructional Professor will be considered based on the candidate's experience. The position is year-round: teaching will be scheduled during the autumn, winter, and spring quarters of the academic year, but all other responsibilities will continue throughout the calendar year.

The Instructional Professor will support the Center's Human Rights major, which explores the theory and practice of human rights through sustained interdisciplinary inquiry, experiential learning, and capstone research or practice-based projects. Students in the major examine fundamental conceptual issues around human rights through coursework in a variety of disciplines, from the arts and humanities to the law and the social and biological sciences, while formulating their critical perspectives by engaging in practice-based work.

The Instructional Professor will teach an annual load of four courses during the regular academic year, comprising a human rights fieldwork course, a two-quarter human rights capstone project seminar (weighted as one course), a large lecture course on contemporary human rights issues, and an upper-level seminar for Human Rights majors. The Instructional Professor will help grow the Center's global programming on human rights through experiential learning components as well as strategically aligning applied programmatic work with course work and creating research collaborations that span academic disciplines. The Instructional Professor will advise students through the field placement process during summer term, plan events and programs to prepare students for their field placement, oversee research opportunities for majors who undertake independent research to meet their required fieldwork experience, and coordinate the Center's summer human rights internship program for undergraduate students. The Instructional Professor will supervise 4th year BA thesis and capstone projects. The Instructional Professor will also cultivate relationships with external organizations, such as NGOs and community-based organizations, inter-governmental agencies, and think tanks, to build and deliver appropriate learning opportunities for both human rights majors and other university students. Additionally, the Instructional Professor will plan programs and events to serve the broader University and provide forums to link the University with the community.

Qualifications

The position requires a Ph.D. in a related field with a background in human rights, or a JD (or its equivalent) with a specialization in international law or human rights. Also required are teaching experience and a record of scholarship and experience with experiential learning programs. The candidate must have a working knowledge of the UN human rights system (both Charter and Treaty). This can be demonstrated by work to advance human rights through advocacy toward UN treaty mechanisms or other UN bodies, work with non-governmental organizations, government, the United Nations, or other inter-governmental and international organizations as well as related research and teaching experience.

Application Instructions

To apply for this position candidates must submit their application through the University of Chicago's Interfolio jobs board at apply.interfolio.com/157013 and upload the following:

A curriculum vitae

A letter of interest

A teaching statement

Syllabi of courses previously taught and/or designed by the candidate, including a proposed syllabus for "Human Rights Fieldwork and Practice"

One writing sample (not more than 30 pages in length)

Additional evidence of pedagogical accomplishment and promise: such as a teaching portfolio, recent course evaluations, third-party observations of teaching if available, or other relevant assessments

Three (3) letters of recommendation.

The review of applications will begin on December 1, 2024, and continue until the position is filled or the search is closed.

The terms and conditions of employment for this position are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the University.

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