Part-time Faculty, Experimental and Foundation Studies

Posting Details

Position Information

Title

Part-time Faculty, Experimental and Foundation Studies

Department

Division of Experimental + Foundation Studies

Division

Experimental + Found Studies

Employment Type

Part-Time

Critical Review Track (similar to tenure track)

No

Position Description

The Division of Experimental and Foundation Studies, Rhode Island School of Design ( RISD ) seeks adjunct faculty to teach Drawing, Design or Spatial Dynamics, with appointments to begin fall 2021 or spring 2022.

RISD recognizes diversity and inclusion as fundamental to its learning community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience in teaching, scholarship, professional practice, and/or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Division of Experimental and Foundation Studies invites applications from artists, architects, and designers who are enthusiastic about teaching first-year students, and with experience in in-person course modalities. We seek candidates whose creative practice and/or teaching centers on one or more of the following: 1.) works and bodies of knowledge from underrepresented communities, 2.) addressing issues of sustainability through art and design, 3.) deep knowledge of computation and technology within a cultural context. We are also open to other areas of focus in art and design.

Three programs – Spatial Dynamics, Drawing, and Design – comprise the studio curriculum for all first-year undergraduate students at RISD . For AY 2021-2022, our studio classes will be in-person meeting either one day per week for 12 weeks, or two days per week for 6 weeks. Our class size is approximately 20 students. Instructors introduce Drawing as a dynamic two-­dimensional record of sensory search, conceptual thought, or physical action. The Design Program promotes multidisciplinary studio experimentation across an array of media and processes where students explore the organization of visual and other sensory elements in order to understand perceptual attributes and the production of meaning. In Spatial Dynamics studio courses, students investigate spatial phenomena by exploring and expressing relationships between space, time, and objects.

Faculty do not teach from a fixed curriculum, but rather towards a collective inquiry from individual perspectives. Through designed sets of assignments, with faculty and peer critique, students are encouraged to think deductively and intuitively. Studio approaches encompass a diverse scope of technological, material, intellectual, cultural, social, and political forms. After their Foundation year, students go on to major in one of sixteen art, architecture, and design programs at RISD .

The Division welcomes applications from artists and designers from various disciplines and interdisciplinary practices, including but not limited to time-based media, performance, social practice, artistic research, traditional approaches, emerging media, experimental materials, and new technologies.

Ideal candidates should have a distinctive vision and pedagogical approach, and be prepared to teach Drawing, Design, or Spatial Dynamics as a vital experience for a range of disciplines and a diverse student body. In addition, successful candidates will be able to approach their courses from multiple directions: as a specific method of investigating visual and spatial phenomena, as a mode of speculation and inquiry, and as an essential activity intrinsic to all artists and designers.

Good interpersonal skills, clarity, generosity, ability to engage across various cultures and creativity in both personal work and teaching are essential. Faculty are expected to be able to integrate new technologies into their courses. Applicants should be prepared to develop syllabi and lead classes and critiques that model constructive, inclusive discussions, and that encourage students to grow creatively and intellectually.

Required Qualifications

• A terminal degree in a relevant field. In some cases, an undergraduate degree with commensurate experience may be considered.
• Evidence of teaching at the college level.
• A strong record of creative work and evidence of ongoing professional achievement.

Preferred Qualifications

Department /RISD Description

Rhode Island School of Design ( RISD ) is a college of art and design in Providence, Rhode Island with approximately 2,400 graduate and undergraduate students.

RISD’s Division of Experimental and Foundation Studies ( EFS ) administers the studio programs for all 480 first-year undergraduate students, the graduate Department of Digital + Media, and two interdisciplinary undergraduate concentrations in Drawing and Computation, Technology, and Culture. The Division has 26 full-time and 40 part-time faculty teaching in these programs. RISD supports faculty professional practice with sabbaticals, pre-critical review leave, conference funds, and professional development grants. RISD has a critical review process, which is very similar to the tenure process. For more information about RISD and to apply online, please visit www.risd.edu.

Faculty Responsibilities

Union

Yes

Pre-employment Requirement

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please attach the following to the appropriate links in the section labeled “Documents Needed to Apply”:

1.) Letter of intent that includes the course or courses you are most interested in teaching: Drawing, Design and/or Spatial Dynamics
2.) Curriculum vitae
3.) A statement of teaching philosophy including how the candidate addresses diversity and inclusion as fundamental to a learning community
4.) Portfolio of recent professional work (20 images maximum, preferably in one PDF )
5.) Examples of student work (20 images maximum, preferably in one PDF )

Names and contact information for references are requested as part of the application process. Requests for reference letters are sent directly to the reference providers when candidates become finalists.

Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the positions are filled. This pool will remain open until March 18, 2022, unless positions are no longer needed.

EEO Statement

RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number

F00061P

Open Date

Close Date

Open Until Filled

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. Do you have any college-level teaching experience?
   • Yes
   • No
2. Are you available to work:
   • Fall 2021
   • Spring 2022
   • Fall 2021 & Spring 2022

Documents Needed To Apply
Required Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Portfolio of Professional Work
4. Portfolio of Student Work
5. Teaching Philosophy

Optional Documents