The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications from nationally prominent scholars to fill the A. W. Mellon Endowed Chair at the tenured Associate Professor or Professor level in Korean Studies, with the appointment to begin in the 2024-2025 academic year, pending budgetary approval. In filling this chair, the Department seeks candidates with extraordinary credentials in research, teaching, and program development.
We welcome candidates from any subfield and are particularly interested in scholars who will contribute to expanding our research and teaching in Korean Studies. The new colleague will be instrumental in building our new Korean major within the context of our established strengths in East Asian Literature, Performing Arts, and Film and Media Studies. We are looking for a dynamic colleague with expertise in one or more of the following areas: traditional Korean literature and performing arts and their significance in contemporary culture; Korean culture in East Asian contexts; gender and sexuality studies in traditional through contemporary Korean humanities; Korean music and global culture; Korean identities and diasporic communities; pop culture and intercultural communication; and visual studies, particularly in connection to traditional arts or new media. The successful candidate will develop long-term cross-disciplinary research and teaching initiatives with colleagues at the University and other institutions and will have native or near-native ability in Korean and English in all skill areas.
The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures benefits from strong collaboration with other campus units, including our Asian Studies Center (a US Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center in East Asian Studies), our East Asian Library, the Humanities Center, and other academic departments including History, Anthropology, History of Art and Architecture, Theatre, Music, and Religious Studies. Internal grants and other support for research, conferences, and other projects are available through the School of Arts and Sciences, the Asian Studies Center, and other campus units. We expect the successful candidate to actively leverage these resources as they help develop one or more of the following programmatic agendas:
Build degree programs in Asian American and/or diasporic Asian studies based in East Asian Languages and Literatures in collaboration with colleagues in Hispanic, English, History, Sociology, Anthropology, and other units.
Build cross-disciplinary credentialing in one or more of the following: Asian media studies; global popular culture; Asian performing arts; literatures of diasporas; and genders in global/historical perspectives.
The successful candidate will also work with colleagues in East Asian Languages and Literatures and other units to create innovative, collaborative projects that engage both the university and local communities. They will take a leadership role in East Asian Languages and Literatures undergraduate and interdisciplinary MA programs. Applications should include 1. a letter of application describing research and teaching interests, including experience with creating welcoming classroom environments for a diverse student body; 2. a current curriculum vitae; 3. A document with names and contact information for three professional references; 4. a scholarly writing sample and list of publications; 5. a teaching statement highlighting innovative classroom assignments.
Minimum qualifications: applicants must have a Ph.D. in Korean language and literature or a related field, at least 6 years of experience, a significant publication record, and demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality instruction, contribute to an inclusive climate, and attract and retain a diverse study body.
To receive full consideration applications should be submitted on October 31, 2023.