The Department of Language and Literacy Education within UBC’s Faculty of Education, invites applications for an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) or Associate Professor (tenured) in Indigenous Language and Literacy Education.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Situated on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people, the Department of Language and Literacy Education (LLED) in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver invites applications for an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) or Associate Professor (tenured) position in Indigenous Language and Literacy Education. The position is set to begin on July 1, 2025, but this start date can be negotiated with the successful candidate.

We invite candidates whose work focuses on Indigenous language and literacy education, research, teaching, and community collaboration. We see Indigenous language and literacy education as encompassing a broad range of meaning-making practices in contexts of Indigeneity and Indigenous knowledge. Examples include but are not limited to storytelling; land-based literacies; “orality”, including histories and narrative pedagogies; children and adolescent literatures; multimodal and digital literacies; health literacies; language and culture revitalization, renewal and reclamation; and literacy pedagogies in school, community-based and other educational contexts.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

We are seeking a colleague who self-identifies as Indigenous (in accordance with UBC’s employment equity plan and the BC Human Rights Code). The successful candidate must have a doctoral degree (PhD or EdD) in Education or a related field by the start date of this appointment, with potential to engage in (at the rank of Assistant Professor), or with a demonstrated record of (at the rank of Associate Professor), embedding Indigenous language and literacy education practices in teaching, learning, and research. Candidates in various phases of their PhD program, including post-candidacy, will be considered, recognizing the diversity of career trajectories and lived experiences among applicants.

The ideal candidate will: (a) have a promising (Assistant Professor) or strong (Associate Professor) record of scholarship that shows sustained engagement with Indigenous communities, methodologies, knowledges, and research ethics; (b) be engaged in research and teaching that advances Indigenous language and literacy priorities in various educational settings; (c) demonstrate potential for excellence (Assistant Professor) or demonstrate excellence (Associate Professor) in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, and supervising graduate students; and (d) demonstrate a genuine commitment to Indigenous lived experiences and culturally grounded worldviews, and decolonizing approaches to anti-racism. In addition, the ideal candidate will provide evidence of effective, successful, or excellent teaching that is appropriate for their stage of career.

We expect that applicants will demonstrate scholarship in the form of: (a) promise of (Assistant Professor) or record of (Associate Professor) peer-reviewed publications and/or alternative forms of knowledge dissemination that have impact in the field locally, nationally, or internationally; and (b) potential (Assistant Professor) for, or evidence of (Associate Professor) securing competitive external research funding.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The candidate will build on existing strengths and research synergies with colleagues in the Department and Faculty and will add research and teaching expertise to graduate programs within LLED, the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP), Teacher Education, and/or university and community programs for language teacher professional development. The successful candidate is expected to (a) teach in both undergraduate and graduate programs coordinated by the Department, including courses in the Teacher Education Program; (b) recruit and supervise graduate students enrolled in the Department’s programs; (c) engage in sustained and productive scholarly activity; and (d) contribute to scholarly and educational communities and service work of the Department, the Faculty of Education, and the University. The annual teaching load for this position is 4 courses (12 credits) or equivalent.

This is a tenure-track (Assistant Professor) or tenured (Associate Professor) position in the Professoriate Stream. At the rank of Assistant Professor, the successful candidate will be reviewed for reappointment, promotion, and tenure in subsequent years in accordance with the Collective Agreement. At the rank of Associate Professor, the appointment (rank and tenure) is subject to a positive review of the successful candidate’s record of achievements based on UBC’s appointment and tenure criteria as specified in the Collective Agreement, following the University’s established appointment processes. For more information on the review process and criteria for promotion in this stream, please visit this link.

This position is subject to final budgetary approval. The expected pay range for this position is $130,000 - $150,000 per annum for an Assistant Professor, or $150,000 - $190,000 per annum for an Associate Professor. Starting salary is determined both by the candidate’s qualifications and experience and by their placement on the career progress scale within the Faculty of Education.

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE & LITERACY EDUCATION:

The Department of Language and Literacy Education (LLED, www.lled.educ.ubc.ca) is a community of educators committed to social justice in our work with students, colleagues, partners, and community members. We recognize that language and literacy education perpetuate systems of privilege and oppression, but it can also transform these conditions. As leaders in the field, we aim to establish antiracist, decolonial, and sustainable communities that affirm human, linguistic, and epistemological diversity and equity. We acknowledge our privilege and strive to overcome effects of power that adversely influence the lives of people who are marginalized due to Indigeneity, race, gender, class, sexuality, language, culture, religion, or ability. In our scholarship, teaching, service, and leadership, we are committed to fostering relational and respectful environments, legitimizing diverse Indigenous and non- dominant knowledges, and transforming systems to enable us to advance social justice in language and literacy education.

LLED offers Master of Education, Master of Arts, and PhD degrees in the areas of Literacy Education, Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), and Modern Language Education. We also offer undergraduate courses for the Teacher Education Program, Literacy Education Diploma, Teacher Librarian Certificate and Diploma, TESL Certificate, and other programs. LLED is home to the Digital Literacy Centre.

THE UNIVERSITY AND THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION:

UBC is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. The UBC Faculty of Education is one of the leading Faculties of its kind in the world, tied 1st in Canadian rankings and ranked 10th globally. Our work advances educational research and understanding of teaching and learning in a way that affirms diversity, equity, and innovation, and takes part in international collaboration in an interdependent globe. We provide a comprehensive set of programmatic offerings at the baccalaureate, magisterial, and doctoral levels. For more information on the Faculty of Education, please visit this website.

COMMITMENT TO EQUITY & DIVERSITY:

LLED, the Faculty of Education, and UBC are dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive academic community. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate a commitment to and expertise in decolonizing, reconciliation, anti-racist, and social justice approaches to research, teaching, and service, and have a strong commitment to fostering inclusivity and teaching effectively in a welcoming environment.

APPLICATION MATERIALS:

Interested candidates are invited to submit an application package that includes:

1. 1. 1. a cover letter, maximum two single-spaced pages (please indicate if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident);
      2. curriculum vitae;
      3. a statement of current and projected research interests (maximum one single-space page);
      4. a statement of teaching/mentoring experience and philosophy (maximum one single- space page);
      5. evidence of effectiveness as an educator in community, school or other settings, which could include course outlines, student evaluations, and/or a narrative of teaching roles in other settings;
      6. one or two samples of recent peer-reviewed publications and/or alternative forms of knowledge dissemination;
      7. an EDID statement that describes and documents your contributions to equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) through your teaching, research, service, and community engagement, addressing the following three areas: (1) understanding of and knowledge about EDID, (2) track record in advancing EDID, and (3) future plans for EDID; and
      8. names and contact details of two references from academic scholars and one from an Indigenous community, member, organization and/or Nation. Letters of reference will only be requested from candidates who are advancing to the next stage in the search process.

Complete applications must be submitted electronically, in the format of a single, bookmarked PDF file to: [email protected]. While the search remains open until the position is filled, interested applicants are asked to submit their complete application package by September 15, 2024. Questions regarding the position and the application deadline should be directed to the search committee Chair, Dr. Candace Galla, at [email protected]. Accommodations are available on request for all applicants with disabilities at all stages of the search process. To confidentially request accommodations, please contact [email protected].

Following the submission of the application, the applicant will receive an Equity Survey link via email. Completion of the Equity Survey is required as part of the application process. Because this competition is restricted to Indigenous candidates as permitted by Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, applicants must self-identify as such in the Equity Survey and provide their name in the Survey in order to be considered. Personal information is collected under the authority of sections 26(a) and 26(c) of the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). The information provided will only be used to determine whether the applicant qualifies for participation in this hiring process. Data will be collected by the UBC Faculty of Education Dean’s Office and only the names of those who identify as Indigenous will be shared with the search committee. Responses will be stored in a secure database.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the British Columbia Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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