History of Art & Visual Culture: Assistant Professor of Indigenous American Art and Visual Culture (initial review Nov15, 2023)

University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Full-time Education

Posted on April 23, 2024

Apply Now

History of Art & Visual Culture: Assistant Professor of Indigenous American Art and Visual Culture (initial review Nov.15, 2023)

Position overview
Position title: Assistant Professor of Indigenous American Art and Visual Culture
Salary range: The salary range for this position is $83,100-$110,000 academic year (nine-month basis). The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. “Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions. See salary scales titled (FACULTY--LADDER RANKS--PROFESSOR SERIES)

Percent time: Full-time (100%)

Anticipated start: July 1, 2024, with the academic year beginning in September 2024. Degree requirements must be met by June 30, 2025 for employment beyond that date.

Application Window

Open date: August 24, 2023

Most recent review date: Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.

Final date: Sunday, Jun 30, 2024 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position Description

The History of Art and Visual Culture Department (HAVC, havc.ucsc.edu) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Indigenous American Art and Visual Culture. We encourage applicants working with historical depth in any time period on visual cultures of Indigenous peoples across South, Central, and North America and the Caribbean. Applicants may be engaged in research that is archaeological, archival, theoretical, and/or decolonial in nature so long as their focus is on visual culture and/or art in any of these regions through the lens of Indigenous communities and cultural sovereignty. Ideal candidates will demonstrate a commitment to community involvement and Indigenous lived experience including working with Indigenous American, First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis communities and organizations across the Americas, Borderlands, and/or Circumpolar Indigenous Nations. This position is integral to the department’s ongoing commitment to advancing local perspectives and voices in a range of historical contexts. The successful candidate will offer courses ranging from specialized seminars to large introductory lectures, and will teach and advise graduate students in the Visual Studies Ph.D. program and major and non-major undergraduate students in the History of Art and Visual Culture B.A. program. We welcome candidates whose experiences in Indigenous communities and/or community organizations inform their approach to teaching, research/creative production, and service and to transforming the culture of higher education institutions. This hire reflects a long-term commitment to Indigenous studies both within HAVC and at UCSC more broadly. The new faculty member will be part of a cohort of recently hired and incoming faculty in this area across the campus, including recent recruitments in history, media, and critical race and ethnic studies, and a forthcoming recruitment in Indigenous literature.

The HAVC faculty affirms its commitment to recognizing, addressing, and combatting all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, and ability. The department collectively seeks to empower students, colleagues, and our campus community toward the goal of creating an inclusive, respectful, and equitable environment. We recognize that the above types of discrimination and resulting oppression are not limited to the U.S. These are global challenges that impact a broad range of constituencies. Therefore, as a department, we share an ethical obligation to create an environment that addresses the unique forms of bias that affect our diverse community. Please see HAVC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement.

We have a strong undergraduate major in History of Art and Visual Culture; an undergraduate concentration in Curation, Heritage, and Museums; and a dynamic Visual Studies Ph.D. program. HAVC faculty support the investigation of art and visual culture from a variety of historical and theoretical perspectives in the cultures of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific Islands. The HAVC Department is in the Division of the Arts, which also includes the departments of Art; Film and Digital Media; Music; Performance, Play & Design; and the M.F.A. Program in Digital Arts & New Media. There are opportunities for scholarly and teaching connections in these areas, as well as with colleagues and programs across the campus. The campus operates on a schedule of three 11- week quarters per academic year. In accordance with the department’s workload policy, faculty members are required to offer the equivalent of 5 five-unit courses per year (which normally means teaching 4 courses over three quarters and carrying out other academic and service responsibilities); effectively advise and mentor undergraduate and graduate students; actively engage in research; and undertake administrative service for the department, affiliated college, campus, and university. The ability to contribute significantly to graduate education and the mentoring of graduate students is highly desirable.

UCSC is enjoying faculty growth while prioritizing faculty diversity efforts, as reflected in myriad contributions to research and teaching that foreground gender, identity, intersectionality, race, ethnicity, disability, community engagement, and other sites of justice work, so that UCSC faculty better reflect the diversity of California and the student body and help further a feeling of belonging among students while pushing the boundaries of world-class research. The Arts Division supports faculty research, creative production, teaching, and community engagement through the Arts Research Institute and through innovative programming at the Mary Porter Sesnon Galleryand the Institute of the Arts and Sciences. The campus supports research and teaching with grants awarded by the Committee on Research, the Committee on Teaching, and other groups.

UCSC is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution with a high proportion of first-in-family undergraduate students. In addition to encouraging participation in robust departmental, divisional, and campus mentoring, the campus offers a Faculty Community Networking Program that provides support for African-American/Black/Caribbean, Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Latinx/Chicanx, and Indigenous faculty, as well as groups for women in STEM, faculty with disabilities, and academic mothers.

Our first round of review will be based solely on (1) the letter of application and (2) the statement of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome candidates who understand the barriers facing historically oppressed and underrepresented groups in higher education careers (as evidenced by life experiences and educational background), and who have experience in equity and diversity with respect to teaching, mentoring, research, and/or service towards building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment. This recruitment is supported by the UC Office of the President’s Advancing Faculty Diversity program and includes enhanced funding for faculty projects that contribute to diversity and to creating an inclusive climate.

The chosen candidate will be expected to sign a statement representing that they are not the subject of any ongoing investigation or disciplinary proceeding at their current academic institution or place of employment, nor have they in the past ten years been formally disciplined at any academic institution/place of employment. In the event the candidate cannot make this representation, they will be expected to disclose in writing to the hiring Dean the circumstances surrounding any formal discipline that they have received, as well as any current or ongoing investigation or disciplinary process of which they are the subject. (Note that discipline includes a negotiated settlement agreement to resolve a matter related to substantiated misconduct.)

The University of California, Santa Cruz is located on the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of Indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.

Qualifications

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in art history, visual studies, or a related field. It is expected that the degree requirement will be completed by June 30, 2025.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

Cover Letter** - Letter of application that briefly summarizes your qualifications for and interest in the position, current and future research plans, pedagogical approaches, and experiences in and approaches to service.
Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion** - Statement of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion: statement addressing your understanding of the barriers facing traditionally underrepresented groups and your past and/or future contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion through teaching and professional or public service. Candidates are urged to review guidelines on statements (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/diversity.html and https://senate.ucsc.edu/committees/codei-committee-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/DivStateGuidelines.pdf) before preparing their application. In our evaluation of contributions to DEI statements, the department will be using UCSC’s Rubric to Assess Candidate Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

**Initial screening of applicants will be based only on the letter of application and the statement of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
A current publication or writing sample (chapter of dissertation if no publication).
Description or syllabus for introductory undergraduate lower division course
Description or syllabus for upper division undergraduate course
Description or syllabus for graduate seminar

Reference requirements

3-5 letters of reference required

Applications must include confidential letters of recommendation** (a minimum of 3 are required and a maximum of 5 will be accepted). Please note that your references, or dossier service, will submit their confidential letters directly to the UC Recruit System.

**All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For any reference letter provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service, career center), direct the author to UCSC’s confidentiality statement at http://apo.ucsc.edu/confstm.htm.
Apply link: https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01599

Help contact: havc_recruitment@ucsc.edu

About UC Santa Cruz

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees. Inquiries regarding the University’s equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 or by phone at (831) 459-2686.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check (see https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify). The university sponsors employment-based visas for nonresidents who are offered academic appointments at UC Santa Cruz (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/policy/capm/102.530.html).

UCSC is a smoke & tobacco-free campus.

If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact Disability Management Services at roberts@ucsc.edu (831) 459-4602.

UCSC is committed to addressing the spousal and partner employment needs of our candidates and employees. As part of this commitment, our institution is a member of the Northern California Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NorCal HERC). Visit the NorCal HERC website at https://www.hercjobs.org/regions/higher-ed-careers-northern-california/ to search for open positions within a commutable distance of our institution.

The University of California offers a competitive benefits package and a number of programs to support employee work/life balance. For information about employee benefits please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

VISIT UC Santa Cruz: https://www.ucsc.edu

Job location

Santa Cruz, California

To apply, visit https://recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01599

Apply Now