Preceptor in Japanese, Harvard University

The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University seeks applications for a full-time Preceptor in Japanese. The appointment is expected to begin on July 1, 2025. The preceptor will be responsible for acting as instructor in charge of one of the levels of Japanese taught at Harvard, between elementary and advanced (fifth year level), and for training and supervising instructors in the Japanese program.

This is a term appointment of three years, renewable for a term of up to five years (eight years in total), contingent on performance, enrollments, curricular need, position availability, and divisional dean authorization.

The successful applicant should have native or near-native command of modern standard Japanese, both written and spoken, be able to teach modern Japanese at any level, elementary through advanced, to learners whose native language is English, and be well trained in the issues of teaching Japanese as a foreign language. 

An M.A. degree or higher in Japanese Linguistics, Japanese Pedagogy, Foreign Language Education, Second Language Acquisition, or a closely related field, and several years of experience teaching modern Japanese at the college level in the United States are preferred. Experience in computer-assisted language teaching is also desirable.

Interested candidates should submit, to the ARIeS position portal at https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/13992:

1. Cover letter, including a description of the candidate’s teaching/advising philosophy and practices as well as their approach to creating a learning environment in which every student is encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas.
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Names and contact information of three to five referees, who will be asked by a system-generated email to upload a letter of recommendation once the candidate’s application has been submitted. Three letters of recommendation are required, and the application is considered complete only when at least three letters have been received.

Candidates should also send a 20-minute video of the applicant teaching by URL through ARIeS, or send a USB drive with a file of the video to:
Chair, Preceptor Search Committee
Japanese Language Program
East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department
Harvard University
5 Bryant Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
 

All application materials should be submitted no later than February 3, 2025. Please note that your references will not be invited to upload their references until you have submitted your complete application on-line. References are due by February 7, 2025.