Job Information
The University of Chicago Writing Specialist, 9.5 Months - JR26325-3800 in Chicago, Illinois
This job was posted by https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov : For more information, please see: https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/11932629 Department
College Writing Program
About the Department
The Writing Program serves academic and professional constituencies across the University by providing academic and professional writing resources to all University divisions, schools, and academic and administrative programs. These resources include for-credit and non-credit courses, seminars, workshops, workshop series, training in writing pedagogy, a resource library of materials for teaching writing, individual tutoring for undergraduates and graduate students, and consultations with faculty and staff on the specific writing needs of specific programs and individuals throughout the University. The Program hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates full and part-time writing instructors for 100-150 teaching positions per year. The Program\'s pedagogical training supports graduate and undergrad students developing professional opportunities. The Program\'s writing courses and tutoring programs serve approximately 2700 undergraduates per year (all departments and divisions) and approximately 350 graduate students, professional school students, and post-doctoral students (all departments and divisions).
Job Summary
We seek experienced and committed teachers of academic and professional writing for the full-time, benefits-eligible position of Writing Specialist. Reporting to the Senior Associate Director and Associate Director, Specialists assist Humanities instructors in a first-year Humanities Core sequence introducing undergraduates to humanistic thinking and inquiry. For these courses, the Humanities curriculum is developed and taught by Humanities instructors, while Writing Specialists provide the specialized service of helping students face the challenges of college-level writing. The Specialist\'s goal is to work with students on their Humanities papers in particular, but with an eye to helping students develop transferable skills in analysis, revision, and argumentation. Successful Specialist candidates will have experience in and passion for the teaching of writing, as well as deep familiarity with the methods and argumentation of one of the Humanities disciplines introduced in the Core. These disciplines include: literary studies, comparative literature, philosophy, religious studies, classics, linguistics, cinema and media studies, and poetry.
After a period of initial training during the first month of paid employment, Specialists are assigned to particular sections of the Humanities Core (4 in Autumn, 4 in Winter, 1-2 in Spring). In each section, the Writing Specialist consults with the Instructor about the course\'s writing goals, and then furthers these goals by developing and teaching a sequence of free-standing small-group writing seminars and tutorials. Specialists reinforce their teaching with written feedback on student papers, sharing that responsibility with each Core Instructor. Writing Specialists sit in on (but do not teach) as many of the Humanities course sessions as time allows. In the Spring quarter, when the teaching load is lighter, Writing Specialists participate in professional development workshops that allow them to refine their teaching practices for the following year, fostering a collaborative teaching community with other Specialists and improving the training for future Specialists. This position is an excellent opportunity for people with degrees in a Humanities discipline to explore writing instruction in a Humanities-focused context.
The position is a 9.5-month position with an annual work period from September 1 through June 15, and the salary and benefits are paid over 12 months, from September 1 through August 31.
Responsibilities
Collaborates with the Humanities Instructor of Record to desi n writing instruction to support the HUMA Core course learning goals.
Creates teaching materials to support learning goals for the writing component of the HUMA Core course.
Reads assigned texts for the HUMA Core course.
Attends regularly scheduled class sessions of the HUMA Core course, as arranged with the Instructor.
Schedules and offers small-group writing seminars for each section of the HUMA Core course (four in Autumn, four in Winter, one-two in Spring).
Shares responsibility with the Instructor for providing written feedback on papers to students, by the deadline set by the Instructor.
Meets with the Instructor as requested to discuss grades for student writing.
Plans changes in seminar practice and teaching materials as necessary, after engaging in self-reflective formative assessment, reviewing student evaluations, and seeking feedback from the HUMA Core instructors and Writing Program supervisors.
As seminar schedules allow, participates in Writing Program professional development workshops.
Drafts teaching materials that support academic and professional writing and writing pedagogy. Implements and assists with evaluating writing program curricula, policies, and procedures.
Gathers and analyzes data for possible solutions concerning program performance. Writes reports and expands