MAPS Teaching Assistantship (TA)

Job Title:

MAPS Teaching Assistantship (TA)

Job Summary:

Please note: these positions are open to Master’s in Asia Pacific Studies (MAPS) students only.
The Master’s in Asia Pacific Studies (MAPS) program is offering three paid Teaching Assistantship (TA) positions for three undergraduate Spring 2024 courses: Chinese 330, History 383, Philosophy 220 (see full course descriptions below). Applications for MAPS TAships are due Monday, January 8, 2024 or before.

Full Job Description:

TA RESPONSIBILITIES

Each course TA will be expected to provide feedback on drafts of student essays, help students further understand course reading materials, and offer assistance on oral presentations. In addition, each TA will be available to hold office hours and meet with students, and hold individual or group meetings to discuss the readings or questions about lectures. Course TAs will help with administrative matters in courses as well. Each professor will stipulate his or her expectations about course teaching assistantship duties. Course TAs should be available to attend classes regularly, and the time commitment ranges from approximately 3-7 hours per week. 

 

APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please send 1) your curriculum vitae (CV); and 2) a cover letter that outlines any relevant teaching or tutoring experience, the job position(s) and courses you are interested in, and how you see this opportunity helping you to develop academically and professionally and aligning with your future goals. Competitive applicants will be contacted soon thereafter for interviews, which can take place in-person and/or via phone or videoconference. 

 

TA POSITIONS AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 

1) Teaching Assistantship for Undergraduate Course, CHIN 330

Job responsibilities include course TA duties for CHIN 330 as defined above.

 

CHIN 330: Chinese Americans in Film 

Professor Wei Yang Menkus 

TR 9:55-11:40 a.m. 

This course aims to deepen students' understanding of the Chinese American community and its portrayal on screen. We will achieve this by analyzing specific films that explore the complexities of their representation, especially concerning factors like race, gender, generation, sexuality, and class. Throughout our study of these media texts, we will investigate the factors shaping Chinese (Asian) American identities and their historical absence from mainstream American media. This course also delves into topics such as Hollywood stereotypes, cultural appropriation, misrepresentation, and the role of media activism.

In addition to regular class assignments, students will participate in community engagement learning that focuses on the past and present of the Chinese community in San Francisco, providing support to partner organizations in their efforts to support Chinese and other underrepresented immigrant communities and to foster cross-cultural understanding, collaboration, and social justice. 

2) Teaching Assistantship for Undergraduate Course, HIST 383 

Job responsibilities include course TA duties for HIST 383 as defined above. 

HIST 383: Modern Japan 

Professor Melissa Dale 

MWF 9:15-10:20 a.m. 

History 383 (Modern Japan) is an upper-division course on modern Japan designed for students who wish to dive more deeply into the history of Japan since the early 1600s. We will begin the course with a survey of life in Japan during the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and gain an understanding of the political and social hierarchy in this society where samurai ranked on top. We will then examine the encounters between Japan and the West as it is forced open to trade. Next, we will follow the rise of modern Japan through the restoration of the Meiji emperor and track Japan’s record as it strives to become one of the world’s great powers. Examining Japan’s rise of militarism, we will consider questions such as: How and why did its government take the path of colonialism and imperialism that eventually led to World War II and a catastrophic defeat? As we examine Japan’s postwar reconstruction, we will explore the transformations in its economy, society, culture, and politics. We will conclude the course by examining issues of importance for understanding Japan in the early 2000s such as the environment, gender, international relations, soft power, and pop culture. 

Throughout the course, students will engage with key issues in the formation of modern Japan including class and status, modernization and modernity, urbanization, imperialism/colonialism, militarism, nationalism, protests and social unrest, democracy, intellectual trends, and more. We will study this period through original texts and documents, assigned readings from leading scholars, literature, film, and manga, as well as lecture and discussion. This course is designed to hone your critical reading, analytical thinking, writing, and presentation skills while informing you about how Japan became one of the United States’ most important trading partners and allies in the Asia Pacific since 1952.

 

3) Teaching Assistantship for Undergraduate Course, PHIL 220 

Job responsibilities include course TA duties for PHIL 220 as defined above.

 

PHIL 220: Asian Philosophy 

Professor Geoff Ashton 

MWF 2:15-3:20 p.m. 

This course surveys many of the major philosophical traditions of Asia. With emphasis on South and East Asian traditions, we explore topics including the nature of existence, the relation of the individual to society, the goal of self-cultivation, and what it means to pursue wisdom. After considering the history of comparative philosophical methodologies and their connections to Orientalism, the course investigates the origins of Hindu philosophies in India. It then takes up the philosophical traditions of China, focusing upon Confucian and Daoist thought. Finally, we return to ancient India in order to explore the roots of Buddhist philosophy. Throughout the course references will be made to the larger cultural, socio-political, and environmental issues that are relevant to these traditions today. Students will also explore these traditions through experiential learning activities.

Full-Time/Part-Time:

Part time

Pay Rate:

Hourly

Salary Range :

$19.07 per hour