Assistant Professor, Digital Public History

Description

INTRODUCTION

The Department of History at the University of Connecticut welcomes applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in Digital Public History working with racialized communities in the United States. The position will be a joint appointment with the Africana Studies Institute, Asian & Asian American Studies Institute, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, or El Instituto: Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin American Studies. We are especially interested in scholars whose work promotes voices, experiences, and opinions silenced and marginalized by media and mainstream accounts of U.S. history. The successful candidate will regularly teach undergraduate courses in public history and digital methods, along with advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in their area of interest.

The position is part of an anti-racism and anti-bias cluster of seven new faculty in the Departments of Communication, Journalism, History, Philosophy, Political Science, English, and Literature Cultures and Languages. The cluster hiring initiative of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seeks faculty to join our vibrant collective of Centers, Departments, Institutes, and programs in engaged anti-racism and anti-bias scholarship. We envision such scholarship as rooted in intersectional struggles against dehumanization, denigration, and dispossession and for decolonization and liberation. Anti-racist and anti-bias scholarship thus involves the active work of dismantling systems of oppression, including larger systems of thought, through generating reparative alternatives, modes of justice and healing, and visions of transformative futures. We hope insights borne of such struggles will inform the development of a dynamic role for UConn in shaping a contemporary global society conducive to human dignity and planetary well-being. 

We welcome scholars with expertise in different forms of digital public history.  We anticipate the successful candidate will participate in our new public engagement initiative, EPOCH (Engaged, Public, Oral, and Community History) https://history.uconn.edu/epoch/. The successful candidate is also invited to collaborate and affiliate with Greenhouse Studios (https://greenhousestudios.uconn.edu/) and the Department of Digital Media and Design (https://dmd.uconn.edu/), which have particular strengths in areas such as developing media and technology for use in museum exhibitions, digitally mediated community outreach, creating and maintaining digital archives, building online educational resources, podcasting and video production, and game development.

The Department of History has 40 tenure stream faculty members, approximately 40 graduate students, and 300 undergraduate majors. UConn is ranked as the top public university in New England, and among the top 25 public universities nationwide. For more information see https://history.uconn.edu.

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the state’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in History or Ethnic Studies or related field (or international equivalent) by August 2021.
• Strong research focus aligned with description above.
• Potential for teaching undergraduate courses in public history and digital methods.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The university seeks candidates with some or all of the following qualifications:

• Strong record of refereed publications and digital projects
• Demonstrated experience with community-engaged research
• Experience in teaching digital methods 
• Professional experience in oral history or museum studies
• Success in securing extramural funding

APPOINTMENT TERMS 

This is a 9-month, tenure-track position at the level of Assistant Professor, with an anticipated start date of August 23, 2021. Teaching load includes two courses per semester. The successful candidate’s primary appointment will be at the Storrs campus. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

TO APPLY

Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/17627 and submit the following application materials:

• Cover letter that addresses the criteria for the position, including research and teaching interests
• Curriculum vitae
• Equity and Inclusion statement 
• Sample journal article or chapter
• Three (3) letters of reference.

Please include the search number #494893 with all correspondence. The evaluation of applicants will begin January 15, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled.

Candidates selected for interviews will be asked to submit a teaching statement (including teaching philosophy and experience) and sample syllabi.

For questions about this position, please contact the search chair, Dr. Fiona Vernal Fiona.vernal@uconn.edu

At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse community.

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

This position will be filled subject to budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.