Assistant Professor of Film and Media Production

Assistant Professor of Film and Media Production

Description

The Department of Art and Art History and the Film and Media Studies Program at St. Olaf College invite applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Film and New Media at the Assistant Professor level, to begin August 2025.

We are looking for a dynamic artist/filmmaker who can teach film production and new media studio art courses. The successful candidate will teach multiple sections of an introductory course that teaches foundational video, audio, and editing techniques as well as upper-level courses in narrative and documentary filmmaking. Candidates who are able to teach animation, photography, graphic design, sound, and other emerging and time-based media are also encouraged to apply. We are seeking applicants who can both introduce a diverse range of students to the foundations of filmmaking and new media and who can also teach upper-level courses to advanced students. We look forward to working with someone who can support our efforts to promote environmental sustainability, accessibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A full-time teaching load includes five courses a year—a combination of introductory and upper-level courses, as well as occasionally teaching the multidisciplinary studio art senior capstone course. Candidates should demonstrate a serious commitment to their own creative practice and to working within the interdisciplinary nature of a liberal arts college.

Qualifications
Completed M.F.A. in Filmmaking, Video, or related media with experience teaching film and media courses at the undergraduate or graduate level.

The department is looking for a dynamic artist and educator who is able to teach a diverse range of film and new media techniques and approaches. Candidates who can support our efforts to promote environmental sustainability, accessibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion are especially encouraged to apply.

About the Department
The Department of Art and Art History at St. Olaf College is housed in the Center for Art and Dance. We have six faculty members in studio art, three in art history, and a technical supervisor who oversees a robust student work program and safety within the department. Our generous facilities include multiple computer labs, a lighting studio, darkroom and digital photography studios, and a growing digital fabrication lab. Other studios in the department include drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture and other interdisciplinary spaces.

The department has dedicated funds to regularly host visiting artists/filmmakers for lectures and demonstrations and to facilitate class field trips to the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and other regional art venues. A newly developed BIPOC artist residency, designed to further broaden the diversity of perspectives within our program, provides an opportunity for an artist or art historian to be in community with faculty, staff, and students. Our department also has a unique Emerging Artist program, through which recent graduates have the space and time to develop their artistic practice, exhibit work, and mentor undergraduate students. Studio art graduates have had great success in admission to top MFA programs and successful careers in art related fields.

The Film and Media Studies (FMS) Program is committed to fostering visual literacy, the making of films and other media artifacts, promoting critical thinking and analysis, and encouraging students to engage meaningfully with a world in which images and screen-based media play an ever present and powerful role. The program offers both introductory and more advanced courses in film and other media production and provides resources for students interested in pursuing paths that center on film and media production. Our program also embraces the inherently interdisciplinary aspects of film, serving students from programs and departments across the college (art, theater, English, psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, music, and so on). In addition to offering an interdisciplinary education that is faithful to the spirit of the liberal arts, the program addresses the specialized concerns of the field. We define and examine film and media broadly—as a variety of modes (narrative, experimental, and documentary) and outlets or screens (cinema, television, video, social media, video games, and streaming platforms). In exploring the specificities of these media, the program attends to aesthetics, form, and textuality but always within a larger context (the historical, cultural, social, political, and so on), to address national and global audiences, economies, and histories.

St. Olaf has a strong relationship with Carleton College, a top tier school with strong Studio Art and Cinema and Media Studies programs. We are located 45 miles south of the Twin Cities, a vibrant cultural and urban center. A recent New York Times piece states that “As America's first tier cities like New York, Los Angeles and Miami have become euro-fueled luxury romper rooms, creative types with more ideas than cash are fleeing to second cities, where it's possible to paint, play, cook, build - and still eat.” Minneapolis/St. Paul was cited as one of five such cities.

For more information about our programs, visit wp.stolaf.edu/art/ and wp.stolaf.edu/film-media-studies.

Diversity
At St. Olaf, we are committed to equity and inclusion. We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply

A complete application includes the following:

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship.

Supporting Documents and URLS:

1. Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Diversity statement (500 word limit): Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. Include examples of your contributions when possible.
4. Graduate transcripts (unofficial)
5. Teaching Statement (1 page) that illustrates your conception of teaching and learning and describes how and why you teach the way you do.
6. Professional Statement:
   1. Portfolio of
      creative work: URL links to 5 work samples showcasing your creative practice in film, video, or other related media. Please provide a brief, informative description of each work sample (100 word maximum) that highlights the materials and techniques used and the conceptual or aesthetic themes explored.
   2. Portfolio of
      student work: URL links to 5 work samples showcasing student work in film, video, or other related media. Please provide a brief, informative description of each work sample (100 word maximum) that highlights the materials and techniques used and the conceptual or aesthetic themes explored.

Review of applications will begin on September 23, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in November. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Peter Nelson, Search Committee Chair, at tt2025fms@stolaf.edu.









About Us

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, St. Olaf College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a 9% retirement match, monthly contributions to a retirement healthcare account, contributions to eligible employees' health savings accounts, a significant tuition discount (up to an 80% reduction) at ACM and ELCA colleges and universities for employees' children, and generous paid time off. For a full review of the college's benefits, please see the summary of our benefits here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/benefits/

To provide a safe and secure educational environment, St. Olaf College verifies the accuracy of all credentials presented by applicants and conducts a criminal background check on every new hire.

A summary of the Flexible Work Policy for staff: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/flexible-work-policy/

A link to our DEI page: https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/

A virtual campus tour: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?p=483

An overview of Northfield: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/northfield/

An overview of the Twin Cities: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/twincities/

The college strongly recommends that incoming students and new employees complete the primary COVID vaccine series before beginning their studies or work on campus, and that all members of our campus community remain up to date with COVID vaccines, per CDC guidance.
For Staff Application Assistance:
employment@stolaf.edu
507-786-3068
For Faculty Application Assistance:
facultysearch@stolaf.edu
507-786-3356
Nondiscrimination Policy St. Olaf College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, marital status, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance. St. Olaf College prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon these and any other legally protected status in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admissions and employment.
Inquiries about this nondiscrimination policy may be referred to St. Olaf College's Director of Equal Opportunity, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights or both. St. Olaf's Director of Equal Opportunity (who serves as the College's Title IX, Title VI, and Section 504 Coordinator) is Pamela McDowell, Tomson Hall, mcdowell@stolaf.edu, (507) 786-3465.


To apply, visit https://fa-ewur-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_3/job/924/?mode=location





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