Teaching Fellow, 2023-2025

The Divinity School’s Teaching Fellows (TF) Program for current students and recent alumni is a dynamic two-year teaching experience. The program is designed to enhance pedagogical skills and explore career development opportunities while developing the research agenda.

Candidates should have demonstrated excellence in their original scholarship, as well as a commitment to undergraduate teaching. Successful candidates will be appointed as full-time Lecturers to teach four courses per year at the undergraduate level (a combination of general education “Core” courses and teaching within disciplinary majors that will make a significant contribution to the undergraduate curriculum in their field of study).

Fellows must also participate in a structured program of professional development under the joint supervision of the Chicago Center for Teaching (CCT) and their faculty mentor in the Divinity School. Each Fellow will be provided with library privileges and access to a workspace and placement services. Fellows may also participate in monthly discussions with the Director of Teaching Fellows, Professor Sarah Fredericks.

Teaching Fellow positions are full-time and allow Teaching Fellows time to pursue their research agendas and opportunities for career advancement. Teaching Fellows must be in-residence on campus during the autumn, winter, and spring quarters of the academic year. Further, Teaching Fellows are prohibited from accepting any other on-campus employment and from receiving additional compensation from the University during their two-year term of appointment, with the exception of summer work, which must be pre-approved by the Provost’s Office before its official start and offered to the Teaching Fellow in the form of an addendum to their letter of appointment. Teaching Fellows are also subject to the University’s Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Policy , which requires approval prior to accepting any outside employment and prohibits academic appointees from accepting appointments at other institutions.

The salary, terms, and conditions of employment for this position are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the University. The salary for 2023-2024 has been set at $49,536.

Selection Process: The Teaching Fellows Selection Committee (Professors Doostdar, Fredericks, Rosengarten, and Walsh) serves as the selection committee and will assess the application materials as well as the likelihood of completing the dissertation within the required timeline. In February, selected candidates will be invited for an interview (20-25 minutes) with available members of the selection committee. The selection committee is advisory to the Dean. Notifications of the intent to hire will be made in mid-March 2023. International students who receive notification of intent to hire should begin the visa process with the Office of International Affairs. 

Please note: The notification of the intent to hire is *not* an offer of employment. All Teaching Fellows appointments require approval by the University’s Provost. Candidates will be informed if Provostial approval is secured. After said approval, the Divinity School will extend offers of employment.

Notification and Start of Program: Successful Teaching Fellows and alternates will receive offers in May 2023. The Fellow’s appointment will be for a two-year period, beginning September 1, 2023, and ending August 31, 2025.

Appointment as a Teaching Fellow is contingent upon successful completion of the doctoral degree. Applicants must have been awarded the Ph.D. within two years before the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, in any quarter from Summer 2021 through Summer 2023. Applicants completing the Ph.D. in Summer 2023 must submit the final dissertation to the Dissertation Office no later than 4:30PM CST on July 26, 2023. It is highly recommended that applicants complete their Midpoint Reviews by the end of Winter 2023 to provide appropriate time for revisions for summer dissertation deposit deadline. Applicants who do not have the degree awarded by Summer 2023 will not be eligible for appointment as Divinity Teaching Fellows.

Program Eligibility: To be eligible for the Divinity School Teaching Fellows program, applicants must have received or be on track to complete and receive the Ph.D from the University of Chicago Divinity School[1] in any quarter from Summer 2021 through Summer 2023, as confirmed by the Dean of Students.

N.B. In previous years, application to the Teaching Fellows Program was open only to students who completed the PhD in 8 years. Due to the ongoing circumstances created by the pandemic, we are accepting applications from any enrolled students and recent graduates, regardless of matriculation date. Preference will be given to students that completed the PhD in 8 years.

[1] Students and recent alumni of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East program in NELC are eligible to apply if all other eligibility requirements are met.

Applications must be submitted through Interfolio at

apply.interfolio.com/118666 . The application deadline is January 13, 2023. Each application must include:

1. Cover letter (two pages maximum): should outline how this Fellowship fits into your long-term career goals and include an explanation of which Core Sequences are best suited to your training. Current doctoral students should include a brief timeline of dissertation completion. Descriptions of the Core Sequences for Social Sciences and Humanities may be found here:

• Social Sciences: https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/social-sciences-core
• Humanities: https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/humanities-core

2. Statement of Teaching Philosophy (one page maximum)

3. A sample syllabus for a proposed RLST course. The course should complement existing courses within the undergraduate curriculum.

• More information may be found here: http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/religiousstudies

4. Current CV

5. Current UChicago transcript (unofficial transcript acceptable)

6. Letter of support. (Note: If applicant is a current student, letter must be from the dissertation advisor, confirming timeline of dissertation completion occurring no later than Summer 2023.)

7. Timeline of the applicant’s dissertation completion, including: 1) detailed description of work that has been completed; 2) detailed description of remaining research and writing; 3) anticipated timeline of Midpoint Review, Defense, and graduation. (Note: This requirement is waived if the PhD has been awarded at the time of application.)

All University departments and institutes are charged with building a faculty from a diversity of backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints; with cultivating an inclusive community that values freedom of expression; and with welcoming and supporting all their members.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity .

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination .

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email [email protected] with their request.