Visiting Assistant Professor - Russian

Job Title

Visiting Assistant Professor - Russian

Department

Slavic, German, Eurasian Stdie

Primary Campus

University of Kansas Lawrence Campus

Job Description

75% Teaching and Coordination Responsibilities:

• Teach undergraduate courses as needed by the department. The course load will be two courses per semester (2:2).
• Coordination of instruction and curriculum development of first- and second-year language sequence and advanced Russian
• Course design (including textbook selection and establishing a curriculum for GTAs) aimed at implementing learning objectives through specific course components, teaching practices, and organization.
• Ongoing pedagogical training and supervision of GTAs through orientation at the beginning of the year, coordination meetings, class observations, annual evaluations.
• Coordination and revision of all course-wide major assignments, including examinations, midterms, and final examinations for all first- and second-year Russian language courses.

15% Service Responsibilities:

• Faculty members must share in the work of the department, including attending faculty meetings and participating in departmental committees, executive session, and/or administrative functions.
• Creation, administration, and evaluation of placement and proficiency tests.
• Supervise lecturers teaching Russian off campus, unless they have another explicit supervisor.
• Serve as advisor for Russian business minors.

10% Research Responsibilities:

• Faculty members are expected to remain current in the research and scholarly literature in their field, as evidenced in an active and productive research program but also in the development of pedagogical projects, curriculum development, up-to-date course syllabi and in the participation in research conferences. The Visiting Assistant Professor is also expected to remain current in the research and scholarly literature on second language acquisition, foreign language pedagogy, and applications of technology to foreign language learning.

Req ID(Ex: 10567BR)

22380BR

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

Conditions of Employment

Limited Term

Contact Information to Applicants

Ani Kokobobo
Chairperson-Associate Professor
Slavic, German, and Eurasian Languages and Literatures

Limited Term End Date

16-May-2023

Position Number

00002066

Required Qualifications

• PhD in any subfield of Russian studies, such as language, literature, linguistics, and/or culture. ABD will be considered.
• Native or near-native Russian language proficiency.
• Experience of teaching Russian at a U.S. college and familiarity with current language teaching pedagogy.
• Demonstrated commitment to teaching excellence.
• Ability to organize and supervise high-quality language instruction and co-curricular initiatives.

Employee Class

F-Faculty

FTE

1.0

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with high school students.
• Demonstrable working with high school students.
• Demonstrable experience of managing graduate student assistants.

Position Overview

The Department of Slavic, German and Eurasian Languages & Literatures at the University of Kansas invites applications for a full-time non-tenure-track position of a Visiting Assistant Professor - Russian Program Director, effective August 2022. This is a one-year limited-term appointment. The successful candidate will carry a full-time, 2/2 teaching load and perform service for the department. We are seeking an experienced and innovative instructor to teach advanced-level courses of the Russian language and culture as well as to coordinate and supervise the teaching of Russian by the department’s graduate teaching assistants. KU actively encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups in higher education. We invite candidates with a clear commitment to multiple ways of knowledge production, as well as a commitment to the stewardship of equity and inclusion.

The University of Kansas is located in the city of Lawrence, a thriving community 40 minutes from the Kansas City metropolitan area and 30 minutes from the state capital, Topeka. Lawrence, a progressive college town of 95,000, boasts a lively downtown with many music venues, award-winning restaurants, and a nationally celebrated independent bookstore among its many independently owned small businesses. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the largest school within the campus and plays a central role within the University. Founded in 1865, KU is a designated Carnegie comprehensive doctoral and research university and is one of only 34 public members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). The University enrolls more than 28,000 students and offers students and faculty opportunities to collaborate in its graduate and professional programs, which include education, public health, medicine, law, and a number of allied social science and humanities disciplines. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the time of appointment.

Reg/Temp

Regular

Application Review Begins

30-Jun-2022

Anticipated Start Date

18-Aug-2022

Additional Candidate Instruction

Applicants should submit all materials online at https://employment.ku.edu/academic/22380BR . Applicants should provide the following items:

1. Letter of application;
2. Curriculum Vitae;
3. Statement of teaching philosophy;
4. Sample teaching evaluations; and
5. Name and email address for 3 professional references (two of them must be able to discuss the applicant's teaching of Russian).

In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant's contribution and engagement in areas of diversity is an important part of KU's mission. As a result, applicants will be presented the following question at the time of application:

• Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Initial review of applications will begin June 30 and will continue until a pool of qualified applicants has been obtained.