DePreist Visiting Professor in Art History / Assistant Professor of Practice

Position Summary

Portland State University College of the Arts and the School of Art + Design invite applications for the James DePreist Visiting Professorship. One of the first African-American conductors on the world stage, James DePreist helmed orchestras from Amsterdam to Tokyo and is credited with building the Oregon Symphony into one worthy of international acclaim. A National Medal of Arts winner, poet and educator, Mr. DePreist demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the power of arts education and the importance of equal access. This Professorship seeks to perpetuate his exemplary spirit by supporting inclusive experiences and diverse, non-western perspectives in art and design education.

The teaching focus of each new Professorship is determined by the current needs of the School of Art + Design in concert with the interests and expertise of the successful candidate. For the 2021-2023 position we seek a scholar with an active record and expertise in African Diaspora or Native American/Indigenous art history of any time period, including contemporary.

This is a 1.0 FTE, two-year position, renewable for a maximum total of four years. The position begins September 16, 2021.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Full-time Fixed Term position teaches 9 classes (36 credits) during the three-quarter academic year. Instructional workload reduction may be made to accommodate recruitment and outreach activities, advising and mentoring students, committee work, curriculum or special program development.
• The successful candidate will have an active scholarly research agenda; a commitment to teaching the introductory art history survey as well as upper-division courses in the area of his/her/their expertise; and an interest in the possibility of engaging local collections of pertinent material, for example the Native American holdings of the Portland Art Museum.
• Create an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates differences.
• Function and communicate effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities, and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive setting with a willingness to change for continual improvement.
• Adhere to all of PSU’s policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct.

Required / Minimum Qualifications

• D. in art history or related field strongly preferred; ABDcandidates and/or candidates with an MA in art history and extensive experience will also be considered.
• Applicants must possess knowledge of current technologies relative to instructional tasks and an interest in their creative use.
• A record of accomplishment, such as art historical publications and/or curatorial achievements.
• College-level teaching experience.
• Demonstrated interest in contributing to a contemporary interdisciplinary setting in an atmosphere of close faculty-student mentoring.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two years of teaching experience at the college/university level beyond a teaching assistantship.
• Experience teaching one or more of the following: Critical Race theory, Diaspora studies, indigenous studies, post-colonial theory, decolonization theory, Ethnic studies, feminist theory, African Diaspora arts, Indigenous arts/Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas, and/or theory from a non-eurocentric perspective.
• An interest in developing community-based courses.
• A record of community outreach activities.
• Experience in curriculum development.

Compensation

The starting annual salary rate for this position will be dependent upon the knowledge, experience, skills and abilities of the chosen candidate, the budget of the hiring department, and approval from HR.

PSU’s excellent benefits package includes 95% premium paid healthcare; a generous retirement and vacation package; and reduced tuition rates for employee, spouse or dependent at any of the Oregon Public Universities.

To Apply

Please submit:

• A letter of interest.
• A CV.
• A statement of teaching philosophy.
• A statement of research interests.
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness.
• Writing sample(s).
• Full contact information for three references (including phone numbers and email addresses).

Review of applications will begin April 12th, 2021 and will continue until the finalists are identified. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For further information, please contact Professor Alberto McKelligan Hernández at alberto6@pdx.edu or (503) 725-3366.

For additional information about this position please view the job posting at: https://jobs.hrc.pdx.edu/hr/postings/34364