Position Description

The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of the Humanities Division at the University of Chicago seeks to add to the University’s existing program in Northwest Semitics. We invite applications for appointment as Instructional Professor (open rank) in Northwest Semitics, particularly Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, Syriac, and related dialects/languages. The start date of the appointment will be September 1, 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The appointment will be made at the rank of Assistant Instructional Professor, Associate Instructional Professor, or Instructional Professor, depending on qualifications and educational background. The position is renewable, with an initial minimum appointment term of two years, which may be longer depending on experience and rank, with reappointment possible following a successful review.

Responsibilities include both teaching and service duties. Teaching consists of six courses in Northwest Semitic languages across three quarters, as well as a seventh topical course at the undergraduate level. Service duties may include assistance with student placement, programmatic assessment, independent studies, advising BA or MA theses, or other program-specific duties. Instructional Professors of all ranks are required to engage in regular professional development.

Qualifications

The successful candidate must hold an MA in a field related to the language or literature of Northwest Semitics, and ideally have successfully completed all requirements for receipt of a Ph.D. in a related field by the effective date of the appointment. Evidence of successful teaching experience or the potential to be an excellent teacher is required.

Application Instructions

To apply for this position, candidates must submit the following materials through the University of Chicago’s Academic recruitment site (Interfolio) at http://apply.interfolio.com/131663.

The terms and conditions of employment for this position are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Service Employees International Union. This position is contingent on final budgetary approval.

For information on the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, please visit https://nelc.uchicago.edu. For further questions about this position, please contact Annie Diamond, the Academic Affairs Coordinator for the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, at anniediamond@uchicago.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All University departments and institutes are charged with building a faculty from a diversity of backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints; with cultivating an inclusive community that values freedom of expression; and with welcoming and supporting all their members.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.

The application must include:

• a cover letter,
• CV
• a teaching statement,
• a sample syllabus for an introductory-level course in any Northwest Semitic language
• a sample syllabus for a topical undergraduate course
• a writing sample demonstrating command of one or more Northwest Semitic languages
• the names and contact information of three recommenders.

All materials from each applicant must be received by 11:00 PM Central Time/Midnight Eastern Time on November 1, 2023. Only complete applications will be considered. Applicants may be asked to provide additional materials following initial review.

About University of Chicago

Founded in 1892, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, with over forty faculty and lecturers, is one of the largest such departments in the country. The department’s distinguished faculty offer cutting-edge interdisciplinary perspectives on the lands of the Near and Middle East. We teach more than twenty ancient and modern languages, as well as topics in archaeology, history, and literature. The research and teaching interests of scholars in NELC range over this historically central and geopolitically significant region from the Chalcolithic era to the present day.

Connections working at University of Chicago