UCLA: Assistant Professor, Latin American/Latinx Literature

Assistant Professor Latin American/Latinx Literature Comparative Literature UC Los Angeles

 

Requisition Number:JPF08845
Deadline: December 5, 2023

 

The Department of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles seeks a scholar of extraordinary promise and vision for a full-time position at the rank of Assistant Professor (tenure-track), effective July 1, 2024 in the area of Latin American/Latinx literature in comparative and interdisciplinary contexts.

 

The successful candidate must have advanced proficiency and research interest in the literary and cultural traditions of Latin America and Latinx communities, and would join a faculty eager to support UCLA's commitment to its mission as a Hispanic Serving Institution. While any relevant area of research will be considered, the search committee is particularly interested in candidates with expertise in the literatures and cultures of Central America, or in the Central American experience in the Western United States. We are also interested in candidates with scholarly interests in the areas of indigenous languages of the Americas, translation studies, migration or exilic studies, memory studies including the impact of political violence in literature and culture, and genders and sexualities. Applicants should have a PhD in Comparative Literature or a related field in hand by the time of appointment (July 1, 2024).

 

The ideal scholar would be able to create bridges and establish dialogues between cultures, disciplines, and/or theoretical perspectives. The course load will include graduate and undergraduate teaching. Candidates should submit a letter of interest, CV, evidence of teaching effectiveness, diversity statement, the names and contact information of at least three references who may be contacted for a letter of recommendation at a later stage, an authorization to release information form, and a syllabus for an upper-division course that clearly demonstrates the comparative cultural and literary approaches and preferred areas named above.

 

UCLA aims to achieve federal designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution by 2025. In preparation for this designation, the Office of the Chancellor and the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost have sponsored this search in order to recruit exceptional scholars whose teaching, scholarship and/or mentoring has strong ties to Latinx experiences in the United States. This search is conducted in partnership between the Chicano Studies Research Center and the Division of Humanities. Faculty hired through this search are expected to maintain an active affiliation to the Chicano Studies Research Center and encourage the success of Latinx and first-generation scholars.

 

We welcome candidates whose experience in teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. Individuals with a history of and commitment to mentoring students from underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply. The department is seeking outstanding candidates with the potential for exceptional research, and excellence in teaching, and also a clear commitment to enhancing the diversity of the faculty, graduate student population, and of the majors in Comparative Literature. A demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for disadvantaged students through teaching or mentoring activities is desired. The Department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for disadvantaged students. Experience in mentoring women and minorities is desired.

 

The posted UC salary scales (https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/compensation) set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 1. The salary range for this position is $74,600 - $97,200. “Off-scale salaries”, 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.

 

Please submit your materials through UC Recruit. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply, and candidates are encouraged to highlight their research or teaching activities that demonstrate a commitment to the needs of Latin American and Latinx populations. To ensure full consideration, materials must be submitted by December 5, 2023.

 

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists' current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University's Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UCLA requires all applicants for Academic Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If the applicant does not include the signed authorization to release information with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete. As with any incomplete application, the application will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists (i.e., those to whom the department or other hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer) considered for Academic Senate faculty positions will be subject to targeted employment reference checks.