Chair, Department of Women’s and Gender Studies – University of Alberta

Competition No. – A100151583
Closing Date – Oct 13, 2023

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

Location – North Campus Edmonton. This role is in-person.

Working for the Department/Faculty
The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies in the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, invites applications for the position of Department Chair, for a five-year term (with a potential for renewal for a second term pending review), commencing July 1, 2024. The successful candidate will also be appointed, with tenure, at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.

The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) at the University of Alberta, is a hub for feminist research, social justice studies, and engaged citizenship. With 11 full time academic faculty members, including a Landrex Professor and a Canada 150 Chair in Gender and Cultural Informatics, WGS has a number of award-winning teachers and researchers who offer a wide variety of exciting classes to students from across the University. The Department offers an interdisciplinary program leading to BA, BA Honors in Women’s and Gender Studies, an undergraduate certificate in Sexuality Studies, as well as an MA degree in Gender and Social Justice Studies. The University has a large concentration of feminist and intersectional scholars across all Faculties, many of whom are involved in the Intersections of Gender Signature Area, a network of scholars which brings together 250 scholars from across 18 Faculties. In collaboration with feminist scholars across the University of Alberta, our research and teaching is diverse and wide-ranging, with faculty members demonstrating expertise in fields including: legal and policy studies; feminist philosophy; gender, migration, and settlement; higher education in Africa; animal and environmental ethics; transnational feminism; trauma and cultural memory; gender and medieval history; gender-based violence; sexuality studies; queer studies, film and media studies; Indigenous pedagogy and resilience; scholarship of engagement; gender and cultural informatics; and feminist print culture. Our programs prepare students for careers in a variety of fields, including equity, diversity, inclusiveness and indigeneity; law; public policy; education; feminist non-profit; and human resources. Graduates from all programs have identifiable records of achievement on local, as well as national and international scales.

With over 60 undergraduate majors and 13 graduate students (2022-23 cohort) in a largely course-based MA program in Gender and Social Justice Studies, the Department is the academic home to 11 faculty, a half dozen Academic Teaching Staff (ATS), an academic department manager (administration), and a variety of staff.

Position
For this tenured position, we are searching for a scholar with a strong academic record, proven leadership and administrative skills, and scholarly expertise in any area of feminist scholarship and pedagogy. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills, capacity for strategic and creative leadership, a track record of innovative curriculum and program development, the ability to lead diverse groups of stakeholders and advocate for social and institutional change, as well as a commitment to excellence in teaching, creative activity, and research. They will have the capacity and commitment to work in an interdisciplinary environment and to support all areas of the department equally. The candidate will have a strong sense of collaborative leadership, and a clear commitment to championing the Department’s standing within the University, the community, Canada, and internationally. They will bring appreciation and respect for the unique contributions of all members of the Women’s and Gender Studies department; will be committed to fostering decolonization, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, as well as intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration. They will teach in their area of specialization and will be responsible for promoting the existing and future collaborations within and outside the University.

The successful candidate will have:

• A PhD in Women’s and Gender Studies or a related field, and a track record of engaging interdisciplinary initiatives in the context of equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and indigenization.
• Teaching experience at the university level, and a record of scholarly and/or creative endeavors that meets the University’s standards for a tenured appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor.
• Previous university administrative experience (as chair, associate chair, program director, etc.), or demonstrated capacity for such leadership by having held major service roles at a university or in professional organizations.

The position comes with a comprehensive benefits package, research allowance, and administrative stipend. Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, and in accordance with the salary scales in the AASUA Collective Agreement.

Edmonton and the University of Alberta are situated on Treaty 6 territory, homeland of the Metis, and traditional meeting ground and home for many Indigenous Peoples, including Cree, Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Dene, and Nakota Sioux. Established in 1908 as a board-governed, public institution, the University of Alberta has earned the reputation of being one of the best universities in Canada based on strengths in teaching, research, and service. The University is home to a diverse and welcoming community of over 1,300 Indigenous students from various Nations and communities; 4.2% of undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts self-identify as Indigenous. In 2022, the University’s Indigenous Strategic Plan was implemented, reflecting an important step in our institution’s commitment to reconciliation in post-secondary education and research, addressing the historical legacy of the residential school system and Canada’s colonial history in a meaningful and lasting way. The University’s principles and actions and its EDI Strategic Plan are underpinned by respect for the dignity, rights, and full participation of all those who live, work, and learn within the university. This is underscored by the Faculty of Arts commitment to fostering a welcoming, equitable, and antiracist working through deliberate actions to address structural oppression and racism. The Academic Success Centre administers the University of Alberta’s Duty to Accommodate procedure for students, and works with students, instructors, campus units, Faculties and departments, community and government agencies, and on and off-campus service providers to coordinate students’ medical and non-medical accommodation needs for participation in University of Alberta academic programs.

Edmonton, a city with a metro population of nearly 1.5 million people, has the second largest Indigenous population and the fourth largest Black population of any Canadian city. Nearly 10% of Edmonton’s population is of South Asian origin and 16% of East and Southeast Asian origin, with growing numbers of Edmontonians of Filipino, Latin American, and Middle Eastern origins. Edmonton’s school systems, including but not limited to Edmonton Public School Board, Edmonton Catholic School Board and the Francophone school board of Centre Nord, offer French immersion and bilingual education for children in a range of languages such as German, Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Punjabi and American Sign Language. At least two high schools, Amiskwaciy Academy and Victoria School of the Arts offer Cree and Blackfoot as a high school credit and has started an Indigenous Ways of Knowing program in junior high school. Edmonton has a thriving cultural scene including music, visual arts, theatre, festivals, and dining.

For more information about the University of Alberta and Edmonton, please visit http://www.ualberta.ca and http://www.infoedmonton.com

Specific questions about the position can be addressed to: mailto:(artsdean@ualberta.ca).

Business Address:
Faculty of Arts
University of Alberta
6-5 Humanities Centre
Edmonton Alberta, Canada T6G 2E5

How to Apply
To have your application considered, please select the Apply Online icon below and submit the following:

• Cover Letter (please include the names of three referees, letters of reference will only be requested for selected interview candidates and only after permission is granted. Referees should be prepared to send their letters by mid-December)
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Teaching Dossier that includes evidence of, or potential for teaching effectiveness. This can include a statement of teaching philosophy, a brief description of your approach to teaching, or brief descriptions of a few courses you have taught or would be interested in teaching. Full syllabi are not required. (Attach under “Statement of Teaching/Research Interests”)
• Diversity Statement that articulates your demonstrated commitment and capacity to contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion through research, teaching, mentoring, and/or community engagement.
• Portfolio, in electronic format, of selected recent research or creative activity (Attach as one document, including URLs as relevant, under \“List of Publications\”)

As part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program requirements, the university must conduct recruitment efforts to hire Canadians and permanent residents before offering a job to a temporary foreign worker. To ensure we remain in compliance with these regulations, please include the appropriate statement in your application “I am a Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident” or “I am not a Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident”.

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. If suitable Canadian citizens or permanent residents cannot be found, other individuals will be considered. The University of Alberta is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage women; First Nations, Metis and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas and the University to apply.

To apply, please visit: https://apptrkr.com/4447874