Mandarin Chinese – Teaching Professor (Assistant, Associate or Full Lecturer)

University of Alberta

ART East Asian Studies
Competition No. – A110251772
Closing Date – Will remain open until filled.

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

The Department of East Asian Studies of the University of Alberta is seeking to hire a full-time Teaching Professor at the rank of Assistant, Associate or Full Lecturer, to teach all levels of Mandarin Chinese. Anticipated start date is July 1, 2024.

This position has a Career Status appointment under the Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) agreement and comes with a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits.

Rank and salary will be determined in accordance with Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) agreement at the University of Alberta.

While this position welcomes applications from individuals external to the University, current Academic Teaching Staff will receive first consideration in accordance with Article D1.06.2 of the Academic Collective Agreement prior to considering external candidates. Please indicate your internal status using the « Advertisement » drop down menu when applying.

Responsibilities:

• Teach seven class sections of Chinese language per academic year, in person on our Edmonton campus. Normally, this will be taught as three sections each in Fall and Winter semesters, with one class section in our condensed Spring semester.
• Manage all aspects of our summer study-abroad program in Mandarin, currently taught in Taipei. The successful candidate will not need to teach the summer program, but they will need to budget, make funding applications, recruit students, perform risk mitigation, and accompany students to Taipei during July and August.
• Take primary responsibility for language screening and placement for new students entering the Chinese language program.
• Coordinate with and take direction from the Director of the Chinese language program
• Encourage and support all students, from a diverse array of backgrounds and identities

Required Qualifications:

• Native or near-native proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and English
• A Master’s or Doctorate degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, or some other field related to the study of the Chinese language, or to Chinese-language pedagogy.
• Minimum of three years’ experience teaching Mandarin at the post-secondary level in Canada, or in the United States or another Anglophone nation. This experience must include teaching at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
• Minimum of one year experience managing a study-abroad program, or equivalent project-based management experience including delivery of all aspects of budgeting, fund raising, policy and legal compliance, and risk management.
• A citizenship status that permits travel to both mainland China and Taiwan. It is not required to have work eligibility in mainland China or Taiwan.

In addition to the above requirements, the below are qualifications that will be considered an asset

• Strong teamwork within a cohort of language instructors
• Excellence in design and development of instructional materials
• Record of welcoming a diverse student body into the Chinese language classroom, and of managing a classroom with students of different backgrounds and proficiency levels
• Pedagogical innovation such as task-based learning, etc.
• Experience with educational technology, especially course design within Learning Management Systems such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Moodle.
• Familiarity with recent developments in the field of language pedagogy and a record of applying these advances
• Experience in using standard language proficiency frameworks (ACTFL and/or CEFR) in performing language assessment and placement

The Department
The Department of East Asian Studies was founded in 1982, and is one of the few departments of its kind in Canada that offers full four years in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, along with courses in the histories, cultures, and societies of East Asia. Our diverse faculty includes scholars working in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts, and we are the only area studies department at any university in the province of Alberta. Last year, our Chinese language program won the Faculty of Arts prize for Best Teaching Unit. The successful applicant will work closely with the director of the Chinese language program, Dr. Kuo-Chan Sun, one of Canada’s leading experts in Mandarin-language education.

Working at the University
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 of nearly 1.5 million people, is the sixth largest metropolitan area in Canada and has the second largest Indigenous population and the fourth largest Black population of any Canadian city. The Canadian prairies are the second most densely populated Black region in Canada. Moreover, Black people as a demographic are growing faster in Alberta than in any other region, apart from central Canada. 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. The Edmonton public school system offers bilingual education for children in French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), and American Sign Language. amiskwaciy Academy offers Cree as a high school credit and has started an Aboriginal study course in junior high school. 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.

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

• cover letter that includes highlights of the candidate’s profile (2 pages max);
• curriculum vitae that includes the names of three referees (CV);
• teaching dossier that includes evidence of or potential for teaching effectiveness. This dossier should include at minimum: a) a statement regarding the applicant’s approach to, and experience in Chinese language teaching; and b) student evaluations of teaching, preferably from different levels, or else comparable evidence of teaching effectiveness.

Review of applications will start on October 1 and will continue until the position is filled, with a targeted start date of July 1, 2024.

Inquiries regarding the position can be addressed to the Chair of the Advisory Selection Committee, Dr. Tsuyoshi Ono, at mailto:tono@ualberta.ca, using \“Teaching Professor Position Query\” as the email’s subject.

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 ».

How to Apply

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/4568893

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.