Instructional Support Professional, Social Sciences Core Writing

About the Position:

The Instructional Support Professional assists faculty, other teaching personnel, and program administrations in their work delivering undergraduate education in the social sciences. The Instructional Support Professional’s role comprises a set of responsibilities designed to address the SSCD’s curricular needs and may differ each quarter. Duties include supporting instruction in specific for-credit SSCD courses or course sequences, assisting undergraduate students in social sciences lab or workshop settings, advising and mentoring undergraduates conducting independent research, grading assignments and exams, and supporting instructors’ use of academic technologies. The Instructional Support Professional has experience completing research and academic work in one or more social science discipline and is equipped to support undergraduate instruction in capacities that range from substantive, pedagogical, methodological, technological, to administrative. This position supports the Social Sciences Core. The role will be a combination of the responsibilities listed below, and the specific allocation of duties may differ each quarter.

This is a 9.5-month position paid over 12 months.

About the Unit:

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division (SSCD) is home to the undergraduate curriculum in the social sciences, and its programs immerse students in the full range of social science inquiry. Through coursework, research, and other co-curricular activities, students explore the conceptual framework, theories, and methods essential to understanding the social, economic, political, cultural and psychological phenomena that organize human communities. This encounter with foundational ideas is defined by an open and critical exchange of ideas, the practice of careful reading, precise writing, and engaging debate. The SSCD is one of the largest undergraduate divisions within the University of Chicago’s undergraduate college. It comprises 20 different majors and minors, and it is home to the Social Sciences Core and Civilization Studies general education programs.

The Social Sciences Core is one of the general education programs all undergraduate students at the University of Chicago must complete. The SSCD mounts eight different SOSC Core sequences that vary in focus but all aim to introduce students to foundational works in the social sciences through close reading and discussion in a seminar format. Students complete a full year of coursework in a sequence they choose. More information about the program and its curriculum can be found in the College Catalog: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/socialsciences/ Courses are small—with 19 or fewer students—and taught by a range of faculty and teaching personnel from across the University. The SSCD offers a program of writing support designed to supplement classroom instruction by providing resources, such as workshops, tutorials, teaching materials, and instructional consultations, to students and instructors across selected Core sequences.  

Unit-Specific Responsibilities:

• As directed by the instructor of record, contribute to teaching resources and student materials. .
• Attend regularly-scheduled class sessions and read all assigned materials.
• Run weekly review and discussion sections as an accompaniment to the scheduled course.
• Meet with students in regularly scheduled office hours.
• Read and comment on papers, exams, and other assignments and recommend grades for individual assignments.
• Coordinate discussion sections, set up equipment, manage reserve readings and other logistics.
• Manage the course’s academic technologies and coordinate technological support for the instructor and students.
• Meet regularly with the Instructor of Record.
• Under the direction of Social Sciences Core writing program directors, lead at least two sets of writing workshops per quarter for students in all assigned sections.
• Advise students individually on Social Sciences Core writing assignments.
• Hold weekly office hours.
• Participate in the development of the Social Sciences Core writing program’s curriculum.
• Attend regular staff meetings.
• Meet regularly with the assigned Core sections’ instructors of record.
• Participate in training sessions.
• Lead workshops on research methods and lab sessions for undergraduate courses that focus on quantitative research in the social sciences.
• Grade assignments, exams, and papers from a variety of courses.
• Hold weekly office hours to guide students on coursework.
• Support program instructors’ use of academic technologies.
• Meet with regularly with program directors and instructors to discuss program goals and curriculum.
• Under the direction of program directors, develop and deliver pedagogical materials designed for a range of audiences
• Assist program directors with program operations and administration.
• Attend relevant on-campus training sessions on pedagogy, social science research methods, and academic technology.
• Participate regularly in one or more of the University’s academic workshops.
• Uses general understanding and experience to administer the delivery of services to program participants and/or beneficiaries;
• Interacts with faculty, researchers, and staff for committee work or information;
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, or higher.

Experience: Background as a teaching assistant or instructor in the social sciences, working knowledge conducting research in the social sciences, familiarity with the University of Chicago’s undergraduate Core or similar general education programs.

Preferred Competencies:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills including excellent editing/proofreading in English.
• Handle multiple concurrent projects in a competent and professional manner while also managing details and meeting deadlines.
• Work effectively with supervision and as a part of a team, individually, or in concert with other offices and campus partners.
• Work autonomously, taking initiative and without detailed instructions.
• Maintain confidentiality/discretion at all times.
• Handle stressful situations.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Problem solving skills.
• Decision making skills.
• Reasoning skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Creativity.

Working Conditions

• 9.5 month position paid over 12 months.
• Some evening and weekend work.
• Office environment; minimal physical effort: keyboarding, bending, stooping, light lifting, sitting, standing.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover letter, which includes your interest in this position (required)
• References Contact Information(3)(required)

Apply Here:

https://uchicago.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/No-Fixed-Permanent-Location/Instructional-Support-Professional--Social-Sciences-Core-Writing_JR11517

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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