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Assistant Professor, Digital Filmmaking (Fiction)

Employer
Portland State University
Location
Oregon, United States
Salary
Salary Commensurate with experience
Date posted
Nov 29, 2021

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Link to position and application: https://jobs.hrc.pdx.edu/postings/36395

PSU seeks talented individuals who understand our values and strategic goals and enjoy sharing ideas and collaborating in an environment of mutual respect to achieve those values and goals. We are an access institution committed to leading through engagement and seeking individuals who support this strategy for the mutual benefit of students, faculty, and the community. The School of Film has a strong commitment to the recruitment, retention, and job placement of underrepresented groups in the film industry and related fields. Faculty work to create opportunities for students via workshops, mentoring and advising, and professional and scholarly events. 

PSU has a competitive benefits package—see our total compensation calculator (https://www.pdx.edu/human-resources/psu-total-compensation-calculator)—that includes health insurance and a generous retirement contribution structure. PSU currently pays 95% of healthcare premiums. Faculty are strongly unionized and represented by the AAUP. Full-time faculty in the School of Film are assigned senior faculty mentors at the beginning of their contract.

Position Summary 

The PSU School of Film seeks a dynamic faculty member and narrative filmmaker for a tenure-track line in digital filmmaking with a specialization in fiction and small crew direction. A successful candidate will have experience teaching undergraduate film production and understand how to design and teach foundational lower-division as well specialized, advanced seminars and workshops in a combination of any of the following cinematic arts subspecialties: directing actors, sound editing and production, cinematography, picture editing, and producing for motion pictures. The ideal candidate will take a leadership role in the management and development of the narrative fiction production aspects of the school's curriculum. As a production faculty member within a school with an expansive film history and theory curriculum, candidates are expected to be able to connect their creative practice to larger movements and traditions in various film cultures.

Candidates should have experience teaching foundational, conceptual, and practical elements of digital filmmaking within a college/university setting. Candidates should have a strong background in student-centered approaches to teaching including experience in and/or commitment to working with students of diverse backgrounds and learning styles, and/or first-generation, BIPOC, queer-identifying and/or disabled university/college students. Those candidates presenting samples of  creative work featuring stories about historically underrepresented people, queer, and/or disabled communities are of particular interest.

Faculty members engage in school, college, university and community collaborations, and conduct significant external scholarly/creative activity. The candidate will also play an important role in school advising and serve as a faculty advisor for the major and the minor. The course load is 6 courses on a quarter system (3 terms, 11 weeks each) balanced between introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses. Evidence of a proven record of pedagogic innovation, topics course design, and teaching success will be carefully considered in the selection process. 

The contract start date is September 16, 2022. Fall term begins Monday, September 26, 2022. 

Applications should be submitted by 5PM, Thursday, December 20, 2021. Review begins December 20, 2021.

Minimum Qualifications 

  • ● MFA or PhD in film or related field. In exceptional circumstances, significant professional credits in film/media production and/or post-production will be considered.
  • ● A minimum of three years of university/college teaching experience.
  • ● Evidence of a proven record of teaching success in a college/university setting. 
  • ● Successful completion of a background check. 

Preferred Qualifications 

  • ● MFA in an area associated with fiction film production.
  • ● Professional credits in film/media production and/or post-production.
  • ● Significant record of exhibition of creative works in internationally recognized outlets including but not limited to film festivals, streaming platforms, film distribution catalogs, or theatrical release.
  • ● Record of creative work that supports the curricular goals of mentoring students making professional-quality short fiction films.

Key Cultural Competencies 

  • ● Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages and celebrates differences. 
  • ● Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities and cultural backgrounds. 
  • ● Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and providing mentorship in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement.
  • ● Adheres to all PSU's policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct. 

Environmental Stewardship 

  • ● Contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long-term sustainability goals. 

Professional Standards of Conduct 

At Portland State University, all employees are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner which maintains a safe, respectful, and productive environment for faculty, students, administrators, and staff. It is the responsibility of every member of the Portland State University community to conduct themselves in accordance with our PSU Professional Standards of Conduct which are available at: www.pdx.edu/hr/professional-standards-conduct

Total Compensation 

Range & Benefits Statement 

The starting 9 month annual salary rate for this position is commensurate with qualifications and experience with an excellent benefits package including 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.

Additional Information 

University Service Activities
The position includes participation in the continuing pedagogic development of the program, student advising, student recruitment, and service on administrative committees each year.

Professional Service Activities
Candidates should develop strategic connections with film industry professionals and scholars to further strengthen the program; work with industry and/or scholarly advisory boards.

Additional Application Instructions (deadlines, etc.) 

Complete the online application including all required documents as described under “Applicant Documents.”

Review of applications will begin November 15, 2021 and continue until finalists are identified.

Does this position require the employee to drive a motor vehicle? 

No 

Background Check Required 

Yes 

If you have questions, please contact our office manager Katie Sinback: sinback@pdx.edu

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

  1. 1. * Do you have a terminal degree (M.F.A.) in your discipline? 
    • o Yes
    • o No
  • 2. * Please state the field or discipline in which you received your terminal degree. 

(Open Ended Question)

 

  • 3. * Do you have at least three years university/college teaching experience? 
  • o Yes
  • o No

 

  • 4. * Please describe your teaching experience in higher education that prompts your interest in this position. 

(Open Ended Question)

  • 5. * What does it mean to have a commitment and background in student-centered pedagogy and engaged learning? How have you demonstrated that commitment, and how would you develop and apply your commitment to create the learning environment that is welcoming, inclusive and responsive to diverse points of view and learning styles? Please limit your answer to 500 words. 

(Open Ended Question)

  • 6. * How did you first find out about this position? 
  • o PSU website
  • o Indeed
  • o Chronicle of Higher Education
  • o Higher Ed Jobs
  • o HERCJobs
  • o Referral
  • o Professional Listserv- please specify in comment box in the next question
  • o Professional Journal- please specify in comment box in the next question
  • o Other- please specify in comment box in the next question

 

  • 7. If you selected Other, please describe. 

(Open Ended Question)

Applicant Documents

Required Documents 

  1. 1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. 2. Letter of intent (relating your experience to the required qualifications)
  3. 3. Statement of Teaching Philosophy
  4. 4. Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness
  5. 5. Samples of creative work and/or portfolio website demonstrating your work as a fiction filmmaker. Streaming links required.
  6. 6. Names and email addresses of individuals (minimum of 3 – maximum of 5) who have agreed to serve as references. References will be requested for candidates who advance past the initial pool of applicants.

 

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