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Full Time Position, Critical Studies, Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track)

Apply via the link CLICK HERE.

Inquiries should be directed to the search committee chair, Professor Amelia Jones (ameliaj@usc.edu.)

The Roski School of Art and Design at the University of Southern California invites nominations and applications for a full-time tenure-track appointment in Critical Studies at the assistant professor level. The ideal candidate will hold a PhD in Art History, Visual Culture Studies, Performance Studies, or a related field, with at least two years teaching experience at the college/university level and a strong, emerging scholarly profile as evidenced by a growing track record of peer-reviewed publications, invited presentations, and more. Candidates with curatorial experience and/or some knowledge of curatorial studies preferred.

The Roski School is particularly interested in candidates with a deep understanding of the intellectual history of theories of art, visual culture, and/or related fields such as architecture and design, a strong awareness of contemporary debates in the visual arts (broadly construed to include all art practices including photographic media, performance, painting, installation, sculpture, etc.), and an attention to global trends in art exhibitions, practices, and debates about art, aesthetics, exhibition practices, and the relationships between these and the public sphere. Knowledge of at least one culture outside of the Euro-American traditions is desirable. Interest in participating in the USC Hybrid Performance Initiative, a research, teaching, and programming initiative foregrounding interdisciplinary performance, is also a plus (the HPI’s home base is the Roski School).

The Roski School is at the forefront of art pedagogy, with evolving programs in which teachers rethink the interface between art and its publics from a making and interpretive or curatorial point of view. Roski professors work in a range of media from photography to printmaking and ceramics; from painting, sculpture, and drawing to digital media, installation, performance, and 3-D design; as well as in a broad curriculum of critical studies in art history and theory, and curatorial practice. Our faculty ask not only what art means and what it is for, they continually explore links among art, aesthetics, and politics, viewing art in relation to other modes of creative engagement and innovation. Accordingly, candidates must be interested in challenging existing ideas and in developing new models for studio or scholarly practice and education on the undergraduate and graduate levels, reflecting a deep understanding of current modes of contemporary art and design practices and global perspectives.

Founded in 1887, the USC Roski School of Art and Design is noted for its richly varied and innovative programs that emphasize studio art, design and critical and curatorial studies. The school provides a distinctive environment that allows undergraduate and graduate students to move fluidly across media and disciplines.

The Roski School, ranked #8 nationally in Multimedia/Visual Communication, offers BFA and BA undergraduate degrees in Art and Design, and is the home of the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation. Roski graduate programs include the MFA, the MA in Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere, and a joint Master of Arts/Master of Planning degree with the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Our programs are constructed with powerful areas of overlap, and offer students a unique ability to explore broader definitions of making, curating, research and teaching.

The University of Southern California is one of the nation’s leading research universities, boasting a world-class faculty of artists, scholars and researchers. The vibrant downtown campus is host to hundreds of events each year in the visual, performing, and other creative arts. Additionally, through its Visions and Voices series, USC brings dozens of world renowned artists, scholars, ensembles, and collectives from around the globe each academic year to present their work to USC faculty and students, and the broader Los Angeles arts community. USC is the only major research university whose commitment to the arts is expressed in a wide spectrum of six arts schools, as well as two art museums and two classical radio stations. USC includes the world-renowned School of Cinematic Arts, and other top-ranked professional schools and liberal arts departments. Situated adjacent to downtown Los Angeles, the Roski School makes full use of the riches of the Los Angeles art world, its artists, curators, scholars, and institutions.

All USC students are admitted on a need-blind basis: ability to pay, or a student’s interest in financial aid, has no bearing on admissions decisions. Roski School graduate students benefit from a very generous program of financial aid appropriate for the individual, including eligibility for teaching assistantships for those intending academic careers, research assistantships, or grants, that meet all or almost all the cost of tuition for every student with financial need. USC undergraduate students benefit from one of the largest financial aid programs in the nation. Grants and scholarships from USC’s own funds total over $275 million annually. USC works with families of undergraduates to meet the full demonstrated financial need for students who satisfy all deadlines and eligibility requirements: more than two-thirds of the USC entering first-year class receives some form of financial assistance.

Instructions to the applicant:

This posting has special routing. To apply for the position, you will be directed to another secure site. To make the application process as easy as possible, no user account or password is needed. However, that also means that it is not possible to save and return to an application. Applications must be completed in one sitting.

Applicants should submit (as a single pdf) the following: a cover letter discussing their professional profile, teaching and pedagogical (and, if relevant, curatorial) philosophy; a curriculum vitae; and names and contact information of three references. We reserve the right to request additional materials at a later time. Please apply via the link CLICK HERE.

Inquiries should be directed to the search committee chair, Professor Amelia Jones (ameliaj@usc.edu.)

USC is an equal-opportunity educator and employer, proudly pluralistic and firmly committed to providing equal opportunity for outstanding persons of every race, gender, creed and background. The University particularly encourages women, members of underrepresented groups, veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply. USC will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship. Further information is available by contacting uschr@usc.edu.

To insure consideration, applications should be submitted by January 4, 2016.