Assistant Professor - Japanese Popular Culture & Globalization

23339BR

East Asian Languages&Cultures

Position Overview

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) at the University of Kansas (KU) invites applications for a tenure-track, Assistant Professor position in Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization, beginning August 2023. The successful candidate must have research and teaching expertise in Japanese popular culture and globalization. They will be expected to teach two Japanese language classes and two content classes per year. Applications are invited from Japan specialists across different disciplinary backgrounds with a particular interest in areas of literary, visual, and media cultures and in cultural phenomena that are situated in the global context and/or analyzed through a transnational lens. A Ph.D. in Japanese studies or equivalent is highly preferred. A Ph.D. in a related field plus graduate work in Japanese studies or similar will also be considered. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the U.S. by the effective date of the appointment.

The University of Kansas is located in the city of Lawrence, a vibrant and culturally rich community 45 minutes from the Kansas City metropolitan area and 30 minutes from the state capital, Topeka. Lawrence, a quintessential college town of 95,000, boasts a thriving downtown, diverse local and regional events, area lakes, vibrant arts and music scenes, award-winning restaurants, and a nationally celebrated independent bookstore among its many independently owned small businesses.  Along with the music, arts, culture, and sports experiences offered at KU and in Lawrence, the short drive to Kansas City provides quick access to historic jazz clubs, museums, world-class music and theatre venues and professional sports teams.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the largest school within the campus and plays a central role within the University. Founded in 1865, KU is a designated Carnegie comprehensive doctoral and research university and is one of only 34 public members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). The University enrolls more than 28,000 students and offers students and faculty opportunities to collaborate in its graduate and professional programs, which include education, public health, medicine, law, and a number of allied social science and humanities disciplines.

The College emphasizes interdisciplinary, experiential learning and global awareness, houses a vibrant university wide Honors Program that highlights undergraduate research and service activities, and has created strong affiliations with outstanding cross-disciplinary research centers. Faculty and academic staff have emphasized the importance of continuing and expanding on relationships with centers and entities including the Biodiversity Institute, Kansas Biological Survey, Kansas Geological Survey, the Hall Center for the Humanities , the Life Span Institute , the Institute for Policy and Social Research , the Spencer Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum. These relationships have brought a broad range of disciplines together to pursue and conduct sponsored research and education at the international, national, state, regional and local levels, and have created employment structures in which faculty and academic staff share appointments to emphasize collaboration. College faculty and research staff are welcomed as members in all KU’s designated research centers and institutes . The College is home to internationally recognized scholars and scientists who brought in $44M in research funding in FY 2021, nearly 30% of the total funded research at KU Lawrence.

At the University of Kansas, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are an important part of our culture and university strategic plan. Applications from members of underrepresented groups are encouraged, noting the value that differences bring to our organization, students, staff, faculty, and community.

Job Description

Information about East Asian Studies at the University of Kansas:

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures was established in 1964 and offers East Asian languages, including Chinese, Korean, and Japanese (5 levels), as well as Uyghur (3 levels) and Tibetan (2 levels). Language instruction complements a wide variety of East-Asia focused courses in EALC and many other departments. These cover a wide range of traditional to contemporary topics, ranging from literature and philosophy to anthropology, art history, history, political science, religious studies, sociology, and business and economics. The department has a Master’s Program that serves the region of the Central Plains and produces excellent graduates who pursue Ph.D.s elsewhere or find non-academic careers.

In addition, the Center for East Asian Studies at KU is a Department of Education Title VI funded national resource center, which supports languages and other curriculum programs, offering FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) fellowships to undergraduate and graduate students and providing research support for faculty. The East Asian Library collection at KU is the 11th largest among U.S. public universities. A designated Japanese librarian supports Japanese references and resources for faculty research and classroom teaching. The university has a robust corps of East Asian scholars in EALC and multiple other departments.

Job duties:

Candidates are expected to have broad interdisciplinary interests in studying modern and contemporary Japanese popular literature and culture in the context of globalization. For teaching two language and two content courses every year, the work distribution will be 40/40/20 Teaching/Research/Service. 

• Teaching/Advising (40%):  Teach two courses per semester (2:2 teaching load) potentially including introductory surveys, upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses. Advise undergraduate and graduate students (including graduate students in EALC and other departments who are working on modern Japan studies). Guide research of undergraduate and graduate students and supervise Master’s theses.
• Research (40%):  Maintain and sustain an active and productive program of research in area of specialization.  This includes publishing and disseminating research through scholarly, peer reviewed publications as well as other venues that reflect scholarly effort and achievement.
• Service (20%):  Provide service to the department, College, and University through committee work and campus initiatives.  Provide service to the profession. 

Faculty Code:

Faculty members are expected to meet satisfactory standards of performance in all three areas of responsibility and to carry out those responsibilities in accordance with the 

Faculty Code of Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct

.

Required Qualifications

PhD in Japanese studies or equivalent by start day of appointment;

Native-like fluency in Japanese and English;

Demonstrated an excellent track record of innovative scholarship and teaching experience; and

Demonstrated ability to contribute to a diverse and inclusive learning and working environments.  

Contact Information to Applicants

Please contact [email protected]  with any questions about the position.

Additional Candidate Instruction

For complete information and to apply for this position, go to https://employment.ku.edu/academic/23339BR .  Applicants should provide the following information:

• a letter of interest (including explanations of academic training, research statement, and teaching statement),
• a full curriculum vitae,
• graduate transcripts,
• selected publications/papers,
• teaching portfolio (with sample syllabi, evaluations, or summaries), and
• diversity statement (please see below for the requirement)
• list of 3 references, including name and email address (Please send letters of reference to [email protected]).

In addition to the materials above, learning about each applicant’s contribution and engagement in areas of diversity and inclusion is an important part of KU’s mission. As a result, applicants are asked to complete a diversity statement in response to the following question.

• Describe your experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds and explain how those experiences reflect your commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).  

Initial review of applications begins October 15, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled.

Application Review Begins

15-Oct-2022

Anticipated Start Date

18-Aug-2023

Primary Campus

University of Kansas Lawrence Campus

Advertised Salary Range

commensurate with experience

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, [email protected], Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).