Call for New Faculty Applications

The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, a non-profit critical education and research institute which integrates rigorous but accessible scholarly study with the everyday lives of working adults and re-imagines scholarship for the 21st century, seeks scholars who are interested in joining our faculty to teach and design rigorous seminar-style courses for adult students in various locations throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan. We are currently seeking new faculty members with specialized expertise in one of the following collected areas:

• Feminist theory and gender studies: Expertise in feminist thought ranging from early theorists to second wave, third wave and contemporary thinkers; strong preference for candidates who can connect foundational works to contemporary issues in a range of disciplines from political economy to critical race studies to queer studies. Familiarity with feminist work in the Global South and/or concerning colonial relationships is a plus.
• Feminist philosophy: Expertise in feminist philosophy from canonical figures to contemporary work with a strong preference for familiarity with both continental and anglo-American approaches. Fluency with the history of philosophy outside of the subdiscipline is necessary.
• Art history: Expertise in modern art movements and aesthetics; strong grounding in critical and visual theory required. Fluency with Frankfurt School critical theory in strongly preferred. Ability to teach pre-modern subjects is a plus but not required. Seeking candidates to teach on subjects including European avant-gardes of the pre-, inter-, and post-war periods, contemporary art from digital work to new experiments, and a wide-array of related subjects.
• Political Science: Expertise in empirical political science with a preference for familiarity with political economy and fluency in critical theory and contemporary political theory. Candidates must have deep familiarity with contemporary American political and cultural landscape so as to be able to work in BISR Praxis programs–classes, workshops and materials designed to provide research and analytic frameworks to non-profits, labor, political, and other public-interest organizations. Candidates who also believe themselves qualified for the Sociology and/or Political Economy (AOS: Race and Society) position  (below) should please state so.
• Sociology and/or Political Economy (AOS: Race and Society): Expertise in contemporary sociology and/or political economy, particularly as it connects to issues of race and socioeconomic conditions in the United States. Candidates must possess a deep familiarity with North American race history in its multiple dimensions (cultural, political, economic), and strong preference will be given to those who can connect their particular area of expertise to contemporary issues and methods in other social scientific and humanistic disciplines. Candidate who also believe themselves qualified for the Political Science position (above) should please state so.
• Area Studies – East Asia: Expertise in humanistic and social scientific disciplines as focused on East Asia, including literature, history, philosophy, political science, economics, and sociology. Familiarity with critical theory, Marxism, and contemporary feminist and post-colonial thought and methods is preferred.
• Call for Second Faculty: A unique feature of BISR pedagogy, second faculty provide, on a course by course basis, logistical support to primary faculty and, as a spur to discussion, in-classroom input, often from an alternative disciplinary point of view. For the first time BISR is soliciting applications specifically for a “second faculty” cohort (BISR core and associate faculty will also continue to perform second faculty duties). Candidates for the second faculty cohort should be PhD candidates at or around the point of completion of their exams, though individuals with PhDs will also be considered. The position is compensated with a small stipend. Positions are open for all courses beginning February 26th.

Successful candidates for all faculty positions will have or be working toward a terminal degree in their field, be located in the New York City metropolitan-area (broadly construed), have teaching experience at the undergraduate and/or graduate level, a strong commitment to pedagogy, and interdisciplinary research interests that complement those of other BISR faculty.

We are particularly interested in applicants who also wish to take an active part in other Institute programming beyond the classroom, including digital projects, an ongoing podcast series, forthcoming publications, development, and other programming. Candidates will be teaching multiple seminars on the BISR model annually.

BISR is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other legally protected status. We strongly encourage applications from women and historically underrepresented minority groups.

Interested candidates should submit a CV and three short course proposals/ideas to BISR’s Executive Director (ajay@thebrooklyninstitute.com) and Program Coordinator (mark@thebrooklyninstitute.com) with the subject line “BISR Faculty Application 2018.” (For a sense of the kinds of courses, formats, and styles BISR employs, please visit the course archive.) The deadline to apply is Friday, February 23rd.