Call for applications – Position in Indigenous Languages and Cultures

The School of Languages and Literatures is seeking a specialist in Indigenous Languages and Cultures and invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level to commence on 1 July 2023.

To be located in the School of Languages and Literatures, the new faculty member will assume responsibility for teaching six courses per year (typically 3 in Fall and 3 in Winter). The colleague in this teaching-stream position in Indigenous Languages and Cultures will be a specialist in an Indigenous Language and will teach language courses at all levels, courses in language revitalization, and/or courses in Indigenous cultures, depending on their specialty (such as literatures, film, oral traditions, etc). Responsibilities will initially include teaching three courses per semester in Indigenous Languages and Cultures. Expected duties will also include co- curricular work with the Indigenous Students Centre, Nokom’s House, and other projects relating to Indigenous language and culture in the campus community.

Qualifications:

Required: The successful applicant for this teaching-focused position in Indigenous Languages and Cultures will be proficient in an Indigenous Language of the territories on which the University of Guelph is situated (or those nearby) and will have experience teaching Indigenous Language courses.

Preferred: Additional experience teaching culture courses (for example, literature, film, oral traditions, land-based activities) will be an asset. The ideal candidate will have a record of excellence in language teaching and of community-based involvement. They will have an interest in research in Indigenous languages and cultures. The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. in a field related to Indigenous Languages and Cultures or terminal or higher degree in an associated field.

The University’s Indigenous Initiatives Strategy, Bi-Naagwad/It Comes into View, foregrounds the importance of Indigenous Language Revitalization and includes a specific recommendation for offering curriculum in Indigenous Language(s).

This tenure-track faculty position is part of the University of Guelph’s Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative. Launched in June 2022, the Black and Indigenous Hiring Initiative (BIHI) calls for hiring fifteen or more Black and Indigenous faculty and four or more Black and Indigenous professional staff across the University of Guelph during the next three years. The faculty and staff positions will be filled in areas that support the advancement of Black and Indigenous academic excellence and the University of Guelph’s commitments to inclusion, anti-racism, indigenization and decolonization.

The University of Guelph seeks qualified individuals who identify as Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, or Métis). Applicants will be asked to self-identify through the Applicant Tracking Questionnaire (ATQ) facilitated by Diversity and Human Rights. Applicants who self-identify as Indigenous on the ATQ will be asked to confirm their Indigenous citizenship/membership and/or ancestral and kinship connections to a recognized and inherent Indigenous nation, community, treaty, land claim, territory or region through a confidential follow-up process facilitated by Indigenous Initiatives.

The School of Languages and Literatures, which is comprised of nineteen full-time faculty members, offers several undergraduate degree programs, including a B.A. in French Studies, Classical Studies, Spanish and Hispanic Studies, as well as a minors in Italian and German. The School offers three different M.A. programs: French Studies, European Studies, and Latin-American and Caribbean Studies. The University of Guelph is a research-intensive university, ranked highly among comparable Canadian institutions. Guelph is a vibrant community of about 135,000 people, one hour west of Toronto (75km).

The University of Guelph is the third largest employer in Guelph, a city of approximately 130,000 people, located about an hour drive west of Toronto, Ontario. University of Guelph is a top-ranked comprehensive university in Canada with an enrolment of over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across over 40 academic units. The University is known for its commitment to student learning, innovative research, and collaboration with world-class partners. It is a unique place, with transformative research and teaching and a distinctive campus culture. People who learn and work here are shaped and inspired by a shared purpose: To Improve Life. Reflecting that shared purpose in every experience connected to our university positions us to create positive change, here and around the world. Our university community shares a profound sense of social responsibility, a drive for international development, and an obligation to address global issues.

Application Process

The deadline to apply for this position is March 6, 2023. Interested applicants should submit the following materials electronically by email (preferably as a single PDF file):

• Letter of application,
• Curriculum vitae,
• Teaching dossier (including a teaching philosophy statement and evidence of teaching effectiveness),
• Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Statement (1 page),
• Candidates should arrange for three confidential letters of recommendation to be sent under separate cover

Please send application materials to:

Ms. Angelina Candotti, Administrative Assistant
School of Languages and Literatures
College of Arts
University of Guelph
50 Stone Road East
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
Email: candotti@uoguelph.ca 

For other enquiries, please contact:

Dr. John Walsh
Director, School of Languages and Literatures
Chair, Indigenous Languages and Cultures Hiring Committee

Email: waljo@uoguelph.ca 

Screening of applications will begin immediately after the deadline and will continue until the position is filled. Salary for this position depends on qualifications and experience in accordance with the Collective Agreement terms.

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

The University recognizes that applicants may have had obligations outside of work that have negatively impacted their record of achievements (e.g., parental, elder care, and/or medical). You are not required to disclose these obligations in the hiring process. If you choose to do so, the University will ensure that these obligations do not negatively impact the assessment of your qualifications for the position.

The University of Guelph resides on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people and the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and we offer our respect to our Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Métis neighbours as we strive to strengthen our relationships with them.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion  (https://uoguel.ph/ox2p9) is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

If you require a medical accommodation during the recruitment or selection process, please contact Occupational Health and Wellness at 519-824-4120 x52674.