Job Opportunities

Full Time Tenure Stream – Assistant Professor in Media, Information, and Black Experience

Position Rank: Full Time Tenure Stream – Assistant Professor

Discipline/Field: Media, Information, and Black Experience

Home Faculty: Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Home Department/Area/Division: Department of Communication Studies

Affiliation/Union: YUFA

Position Start Date: July 1, 2021

Department of Communication Studies

The Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University invites highly qualified candidates to apply for a professorial stream tenure-track appointment in Media, Information, and Black Experience at the Assistant Professor level, to commence July 1, 2021.  Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. All York University positions are subject to budgetary approval.

This opportunity is open to qualified individuals who self-identify as Black peoples of African Descent (for example Africans and African heritage people from the Caribbean, Americas, Europe). Recognizing the underrepresentation of Black faculty, this opportunity is to support the University’s Affirmative Action program and has been developed based on the special program provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code. The position is part of a cohort hire of fourteen new colleagues at York University, including hires across a number of faculties and a wide range of areas and fields. The successful candidate will be joining a vibrant scholarly community at York, where we aspire to achieve equity and diversity in all areas, including race equity.

A PhD (or near completion by the start of the appointment) in Communication Studies or related discipline is required, with a demonstrated record of excellence or promise of excellence in teaching, scholarly research and publication, and service. Applicants should have a clearly articulated program of research (which can include research creation, professional practice, or community-based research) that engages with anti-Black racism, and/or Black imaginaries, in relation to media and/or information society. Specialization in one or more of the following areas is especially welcome: media policy; community, activist, and/or anti-racist media; anti-oppression and decolonial media theory; automation, surveillance, and data studies; news media; policy and the political economy of media; social media; media, labour, and cultural/creative industries; audiences and publics.

The successful candidate will be expected to engage in outstanding, innovative, and, as appropriate, externally funded research (including research creation and community-based research) at the highest level.

Candidates must provide evidence of research excellence or promise of research excellence of a recognized international calibre as demonstrated in: the research statement; a record of publications (or forthcoming publications) with significant journals in the field; presentations at major conferences; creative, community-based, policy, or other relevant research outcomes and interventions; awards and accolades; and strong recommendations from field-specific referees.

Evidence of excellence or promise of excellence in teaching will be provided through: the teaching statement; teaching accomplishments and pedagogical innovations including in high priority areas such as experiential education and technology enhanced learning; teaching evaluations; and strong letters of reference.

The position will involve graduate teaching and supervision in the Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture as well as undergraduate teaching, and the successful candidate must be suitable for prompt appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Applicants who are shortlisted for an interview should anticipate the interview process being held online.

York University champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Through cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design, diverse experiential learning and a supportive community environment, our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

York University has a policy on Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities and is committed to working towards a barrier-free workplace and to expanding the accessibility of the workplace to persons with disabilities.  Candidates who require accommodation during the selection process are invited to contact Chair of the Search Committee at comnsrch@yorku.ca.

This selection will be limited to individuals who self-identify as Black. York University is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, within its community. York University encourages Black peoples to self-identify as a member of one or more of the four designated groups: women, members of visible minorities (racialized groups), Aboriginal (Indigenous) people and persons with disabilities.  The Affirmative Action program can be found at www.yorku.ca/acadjobs  or by calling the AA line at 416-736-5713.  Applicants wishing to self-identify as part of York University’s Affirmative Action program can do so as part of the application process (https://apply.laps.yorku.ca). The form can also be found at: http://acadjobs.info.yorku.ca/affirmative-action/self-identification-form.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadian citizens, permanent residents and Indigenous peoples in Canada will be given priority. No application will be considered without a completed mandatory Work Status Declaration form which is available through the application process and can also be found at http://acadjobs.info.yorku.ca/affirmative-action/work-authorization-form.

The deadline for receipt of completed applications is November 30, 2020.

Applications, including a signed cover letter, an up-to-date curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests, a statement of teaching interests, teaching evaluations, and three confidential letters of reference, must be uploaded to https://apply.laps.yorku.ca beginning on September 23, 2020.

Questions may be directed to Professor Robert Heynen, Chair of the Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. Email: comnsrch@yorku.ca.

Posting End Date: November 30, 2020