Instructional Assistant- Center for Latin American Studies
- Employer
- The University of Chicago
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Salary
- Competitive Salary
- Date posted
- May 11, 2022
View more
- Position Type
- Faculty Positions, Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, Other Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Employment Level
- Administrative
- Employment Type
- Full Time
About the Department
The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) plays a strong role in administering, stimulating, and coordinating Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) courses. CLAS coordinates the three-quarter Introduction to Latin American Civilization, one of the civilization studies sequences that form part of the College’s Core curriculum requirements. In addition to serving an essential function within the College, Introduction to Latin American Civilization feeds the LACS major and minor programs. The LACS major is an interdisciplinary program for students who want to engage critical issues in the social sciences and humanities through deep immersion in the histories, cultures, economies, politics, and natural environments of Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to gaining deep knowledge of a region closely tied to Chicago and the United States, LACS students will develop strong linguistic, research, and analytical skills; most also spend significant time studying or conducting fieldwork in a Latin American country. CLAS supplements our academic offerings with dozens of public events each year, which help to build a strong Latin American Studies community.
Job Summary
The Instructional Assistant assists faculty, other teaching
personnel, and program administrators in their work delivering
undergraduate education in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies
(LACS) major and related programs. The position comprises a set of
responsibilities designed to address the major’s curricular needs
and may differ each quarter. The role focuses on supporting
instruction as a teaching assistant in specific for-credit LACS
courses, primarily Introduction to Latin America Civilization, a
three-quarter sequence that introduces undergraduate students to
the history and cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean through
engagement with primary sources, in addition to supporting other
LACS courses as needed. Additional duties include assisting
undergraduate students in social sciences/humanities training or
workshop settings, advising and mentoring undergraduates conducting
independent research, grading assignments and exams, and supporting
instructors’ use of academic technologies. The Instructional
Assistant has experience completing research and academic work
focused on Latin America and/or the Caribbean and is equipped to
support undergraduate instruction in capacities that range from
substantive, pedagogical, methodological, technological, to
administrative. The role will be a combination of the
responsibilities and the specific allocation of duties may differ
each quarter.
This position is for a limited, two-year term. The annual work
period is 9.5 months, from September 1 through June 15, and the
salary is paid over 12 months, from September through August.
Responsibilities
- Assists the instructor of record in an undergraduate Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) course or courses by running weekly review and discussion sections as an accompaniment to the scheduled course; holds regularly scheduled office hours; reads and comments on papers, exams, and other assignments and recommends grades for individual assignments; contributes to teaching resources and student materials; coordinates discussion sections, setting up equipment, managing reserve readings, and other logistics; meets regularly with the instructor of record; attends regularly-scheduled sessions of assigned courses and reads all assigned materials; leads Language across the Curriculum discussion sections as needed.
- Provides centralized support for undergraduate academics in the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS).
- Leads workshops on research methods and lab sessions for undergraduate courses that focus on quantitative research in the social sciences and/or humanities.
- Manages academic technologies and coordinates technological support for instructor and students in undergraduate LACS courses.
- Grades assignments, exams, and papers from a variety of undergraduate LACS courses.
- Meets with students to discuss academics and programming related to the LACS major.
- Supports instructors’ use of academic technologies.
- Meets regularly with instructors of record and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in LACS to discuss program goals and curriculum.
- Attends relevant on-campus training sessions on pedagogy, social science research methods, and academic technology.
- Participates regularly in one or more of the University’s academic workshops, colloquia, or talk series.
- Using 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.
- Work with small groups of students to help them improve in the subject area and hold office hours to speak individually with students.
- Helps staff to plan and execute events.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
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Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
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Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- PhD in the social sciences, humanities, or Latin American Studies.
Experience:
- Experience as a teaching assistant or instructor in broad introductory courses related to Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Language competency to lead discussion sections in Spanish.
Preferred Competencies
- Strong verbal and written communication skills including excellent editing/proofreading ability in English.
- Foster an inclusive environment for all students.
- 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 availability during evenings and weekends.
Application Documents
- Resume/CV (required)
- Cover Letter, which is to include your interest in this position (required)
- References Contact Information (3)(required)
When applying, the document(s) MUST be
uploaded via the My Experience page, in the
section titled Application Documents of the
application.
Job Family
Academic Affairs
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Frequency
Monthly
Scheduled Weekly
Hours
40
Benefits Eligible
Yes
Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination
Requirement
Yes
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Posting Statement
Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination
requirements. More information about the requirements can be found
on the University of Chicago
Vaccination GoForward.
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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