Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Land-based and Relational Dramaturgies in Theatre
August 31, 2021
The Faculty of Arts at The University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver campus, invites applications from existing faculty members within UBC at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate professor for a SSHRC Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Theatre with a focus on Land-based and Relational dramaturgies. Tier 2 Chairs are tenable for five years and renewable once.
The Faculty of Arts is a Faculty of distinction and excellence in both teaching and research and home to over twenty Canada Research Chairs across a wide range of humanities, creative and performing arts, and social science units. The Chair in Land-based and Relational Dramaturgies will be located in the Department of Theatre and Film. This chair will enhance the capacity of the Department of Theatre and Film at UBC to be a world leader in the evolution of new artistic practices using an Indigenous lens.
UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking Musqueam people. The Department of Theatre was founded in 1958 by Professor Dorothy Somerset to provide opportunities for students to study the theatre both practically and academically. The department taught its first film courses in 1966 and was formally renamed the Department of Theatre and Film in 1992. The department offers a comprehensive set of undergraduate (BA, BFA) and graduate degrees (MA, MFA, PhD) which include the study of acting, directing, design, production, dramaturgy, film production, Cinema and Media Studies, and Theatre and Performance Studies. For more information about the Faculty of Arts, visit www.arts.ubc.ca and for information about the Department of Theatre and Film, visit https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca.
Applicants must have a PhD. They must provide evidence of active and excellent research. The chair will pursue a program of teaching and research that focuses on Land-based and Relational Dramaturgies and infuse their pedagogy with values-based teachings and practice. The chair will also contribute to the Department of Theatre and Film’s continuing effort to understand the impact of and resistance to colonialism, imperialism and racism. We anticipate the candidate would find productive collaborations with related units at UBC such as the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, the School of Creative Writing, the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice, the Museum of Anthropology, the Department of English Language and Literatures, the Faculty of Education, and the Peter Wall Institute, among others.
The successful candidate will be a self-identifying Indigenous artist and scholar whose practice actively promotes the Indigenous theatre community, and who is recognized for these contributions. The successful candidate will be an emerging scholar who has achieved public and academic recognition for their intellectually provocative and creative research in the field of Land-based and Relational Dramaturgies and whose scholarly profile and research proposal meet the criteria of the CRC program and demonstrate an excellent fit with institutional strategic goals and the aims of the position.
In addition, the successful candidate is expected to propose an original, innovative, high quality research program; demonstrate the potential to attract, develop, and retain excellent trainees, students, and future researchers; and demonstrate the potential to achieve international recognition in their fields in the next five to ten years. The Chair will be expected to maintain an outstanding program of research, to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, to supervise undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, to contribute to service at all levels within the University and to contribute to the public role of the department through various types of artistic and critical engagement.
Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements for a Tier 2 CRC position; they must be emerging scholars who should, at a minimum, be assistant or associate professors, or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed to these levels. Tier 2 Chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars (i.e., candidates must have been an active researcher in their field for fewer than 10 years at the time of nomination). Applicants who are more than 10 years from having earned their highest degree (and where career breaks exist, such as maternity, parental or extended sick leave, clinical training, etc.) may have their eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair assessed through the program’s Tier 2 justification process. Please contact the research grants office for more information. The Canada Research Chairs Program supports outstanding researchers in areas that will further UBC’s strategic research plan. Please consult the Canada Research Chairs website www.chairs.gc.ca for full program information and further details on eligibility criteria. All Chair nominations are subject to review by the CRC Secretariat, and appointment as a CRC is conditional upon their approval.
Applications must be submitted electronically at https://ardo.air.arts.ubc.ca/?p=7039.
Please be prepared provide the following items: curriculum vitae; one sample of published research; description of your most significant research accomplishments (max. 500 words); research proposal for a Tier 2 CRC in Land-based and Relational Dramaturgies (max. 4 pages); statements (max. 200 words each): (a) research methodology; (b) potential for training undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral researchers; (c) dissemination of results and engagement with research end users; and (d) experience working with a diverse student body and your contributions or potential contributions to creating/advancing a culture of equity and inclusion. Applicants should also be prepared to provide contact information for at least four potential referees from whom confidential letters of assessment can be obtained. The closing date for applications is 11:59pm October 1, 2021. Only complete applications will be considered by the committee. Inquiries about the position may be sent to Professor Brett Eaton at artsad.rg@ubc.ca. The Chair is expected to begin October 1, 2022.
In assessing applications, UBC recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., maternity leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement. These leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. UBC welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for all candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To confidentially request accommodations, please contact Professor Janice Stewart, Associate Dean Faculty at janice.stewart@ubc.ca.
The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce, and in particular, for its employees with disabilities. An inclusive work environment for employees with disabilities presumes an environment where differences are accepted, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning and decision-making modes. For additional information regarding UBC’s accommodation and access policies and resources (for faculty and staff as well as students), please visit the Centre for Accessibility: https://facultystaff.students.ubc.ca/student-development-services/centre-accessibility/faculty-and-staff-disabilities. For support and assistance with accommodation questions, contact accessibility@ubc.ca.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.
In accordance with UBC’s CRC Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Action Plan, and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights code, the selection will be restricted to members in one or more of the following designated groups: women, visible minorities (members of groups that are racially categorized), persons with disabilities, and Indigenous Peoples.
Applicants to Canada Research Chair positions are asked to complete this equity survey (https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6WJHol7SfPxRMu9) as part of the application process, and applicants must self-identify as belonging to one or more of the designated equity groups to be considered for the position. Because the search is limited to those self-identifying as members of designated equity groups, candidates must also provide their name when completing the equity survey in order to be considered.
Personal information is collected under the authority of sections 26(a) and 26(c) of the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The information you provide will only be used to determine whether you qualify for participation in this hiring process. Equity Survey Data will be collected by the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office and only the names of those who identify as women, visible minorities (member of groups that are racially categorized) and/or Indigenous Peoples will be shared with the search committee. Currently, UBC’s CRC complement has a gap in representation of persons with disabilities. Until such time as this is remedied, the names of those self-identifying as having a disability will be provided separately to the search committee. Responses will be stored in a secure database.