Instructional Professor (Open Rank), Department of Sociology at The University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois

Job Description:

Description



The Social Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago invites applications for appointment as Instructional Professor and Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies in the Sociology Department. This is a full-time, career-track teaching position. The initial appointment will be for 1-3 years, beginning in the Academic Year 2024-25, with opportunity for reappointment and promotion. Appointment at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Instructional Professor will be considered based on the candidate's experience.


The Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago is one of the leading sociology programs in the world. Founded in 1892, it was the first sociology department to be established and the birthplace of the Chicago School of urban sociology. The department is strong in a number of areas, notably theory and both qualitative and quantitative methods, and is one of the top departments for the study of gender and sexuality, politics and democracy, globalization, knowledge, and cities. Our faculty carry on the Chicago tradition of producing paradigm shifting research addressing important real-world questions.


Responsibilities


The Instructional Professor (IP) will teach four to six courses/year, including Logic of Social Inquiry, a new course to be designed by the IP on research logic and research design meant to prepare undergraduate majors to write their BA theses (one quarter), three sections of the BA seminar (two sections for students writing theses and one section for students doing internships, each section running three quarters), and potentially another one-quarter course appropriate for the undergraduate Sociology major. Annual teaching assignments will be determined in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The IP will be responsible for all duties related to teaching courses (e.g., developing syllabi and coursework, grading, holding office hours, and writing recommendation letters as requested).


In addition to teaching, the IP will help oversee the undergraduate program through two major components: capacity development and outreach. Capacity development includes developing our nascent internship program (specifically, building up a database of internship opportunities in the greater Chicago area), creating a database of undergraduate and graduate alumni of the sociology program, and organizing the year-end symposium of BA projects. Outreach includes holding information sessions for undergraduates (once every quarter), organizing panels of faculty and alumni featuring their work (one faculty and one alumni panel every year), advising undergraduate sociology organizations (there is currently only one: the Chicago Journal of Sociology), maintaining the undergraduate pages of the sociology department website, and advertising the undergraduate program through social media.


The IP will work under the supervision of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.



Qualifications



The following qualifications are required: (1) a Ph.D. in sociology, (2) experience seeing an empirical research project through from conception to publication (in dissertation form at least), (3) experience teaching undergraduates, (4) the ability to develop and teach a course on research logic and design, and (5) substantial methods training and a general familiarity with different sociological methods. The following qualifications are desirable but not required: pedagogical training and experience in curriculum development, program management, the development and management of websites and social media accounts, and outreach.



Application Instructions



To apply for this position candidates must submit their application through the University of Chicago's Interfolio jobs board at http://apply.interfolio.com/136827, and upload the following: (1) a letter of application describing your teaching experience and general suitability for the position (please speak directly to the responsibilities listed above), (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) a syllabus on research logic and design (call it Logic of Social Inquiry), (4) a teaching statement, and (5) the names and contact information for three references who are able to speak to the candidates experience and abilities teaching undergraduates, particularly courses on sociological methods and research design, and/or managing undergraduate programs. The application system will automatically solicit recommendation letters from the references you list in the online application.


Review of applications will begin on February 5, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled or the search is closed. Only complete applications will be considered.