Full-Time Faculty - Literature and Society Program
Location: Abu dis, Palestine
Internal Number: 162376
About Al-Quds Bard College Now in its sixteenth year of operation, Al-Quds Bard College for Arts and Sciences (AQB) is an innovative dual degree liberal arts college located in Palestine, with an enrollment of approximately 330 undergraduate and graduate students across its eight bachelor?s degree programs (Biology; Molecular Genetics; Computer Science; Digital Communication, Media and the Arts; Human Rights and International Law; Social Thought, Economy and Policy (STEP); Urban Studies and Spatial Practices; and Literature and Society;) and three graduate programs (American Studies; European Studies; Masters of Arts in Teaching). AQB?s undergraduate program, taught in English, is rigorous, culminating in a two-semester independent senior project. Graduates of AQB receive two degrees from its host institutions: a BA or MA/MAT from Al-Quds University and a BA or MA from Bard College (New York).
The college has a small, but dynamic faculty from Palestine, Europe, the United States, and around the world with research interests spanning many disciplines. The student body is made up of students from all over Palestine and the Palestinian diaspora. AQB is committed to offering a high-quality education to students from underrepresented communities in Palestine. Approximately 75% of students receive either a full or partial scholarship, and AQB also offers a robust pre-entry English-Language enhancement program for students who need extra support to excel in the English-language curriculum.
About the Position Al-Quds Bard College seeks a full-time faculty member and program head in its program in Literature and Society. The program places the study of literature and creative writing in social, political, and cultural contexts, covering a wide range of time periods and locales, with an increasing focus on the Global South. The program cultivates an openness to creative as well as critical projects and, given the College's critical role in the Bard international and OSUN networks, there are numerous opportunities for global collaborations. The selected candidate should be prepared to teach both students who have a dedicated interest in literature and are majoring in the program, as well as students majoring in other fields who are required to enroll in Literature and Society courses as a distribution requirement.
Our teaching methods are student-centered, involving students in active discussion and group tasks to develop their reading, writing, speaking, production, and critical thinking skills. Successful candidates will be flexible problem solvers capable of engaging texts and fields in which they are not necessarily specialists. The chosen candidate must be prepared to teach students close reading, analytical, and writing skills and the ability to speak intelligently about texts. The selected candidate must also be willing to be engaged in curriculum design as well as collaboration with other faculty members in the Humanities & Practicing Arts Division. The ability to teach creative writing is especially welcome.
Full-time faculty teach a load of three courses per semester. The Literature and Society faculty and program head will teach four courses within the Literature and Society program (two courses per semester) and two courses in the Master of Arts in Teaching program (one Literature course per semester). Depending on interest, the faculty member may also contribute to other programs within the College such as the Digital Communications, Media and the Arts program, the Core division (Critical Thinking and English Composition), and the M.A. Programs in European Studies and American Studies. Faculty supervise a minimum of two senior thesis projects per year and are assigned a group of advisers to whom they provide academic guidance throughout the year. Faculty are also expected to contribute to the development of AQB through service. This includes, but is not limited to, participation in academic committees, admissions interviews, moderation and senior project boards, faculty development workshops, faculty meetings, and additional administrative tasks, as needed.
This position also assumes the responsibilities of Program Head of Literature & Society, which includes additional program management, such as convening and communicating with program faculty to maintain clear communication about AQB practices and progress toward program goals, monitoring student progress toward completion of degrees, managing course schedules for the program, overseeing organization of major AQB academic milestones within the program, coordinating extracurricular events of interest to students in the program, contributing to program recruitment efforts, collaborating with the Division Head on program initiatives, and providing reports on program development.
Successful candidates will be experienced and invested in interdisciplinary pedagogy, especially the relationship between a liberal arts college?s foundational coursework and its major programs. To that end, we seek faculty members capable of revising and facilitating a flexible, global, and academically rigorous curriculum, one that emphasizes historical context, information literacy, and transferable analytical, interpretive, and discursive skills.
The Literature and Society program is housed in the Division of Humanities and Practicing Arts. Division faculty are committed to a collective mission of teaching, creative practice and/or research to support student growth in critical thinking and critical arts practice within a liberal arts context. Students are encouraged to engage in critical, interdisciplinary approaches to literature, media and arts practice, and we emphasize the ethical dimension of scholarship and artistic practice within a global context and in relationship to the dynamics of power?including those of class, gender, race, and geopolitics.
PhD or MFA preferred, MA required
Successful teaching experience
Enthusiasm for the mission of the College to provide student-centered teaching, foster critical thinking, and incorporate writing throughout the curriculum
Fluent in English; ability to speak Arabic is a plus
Experience teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups
Creative writing background (any genre)
Experience teaching in classrooms with English language learners
Successful experience teaching in a liberal arts context
Ability to teach a wide range of topics
To apply, submit a CV; a cover letter that addresses your interest and background as it relates to this position; evidence of teaching effectiveness, student evaluations and syllabi; and three letters of reference through Interfolio. Review of applications will commence on March 1st, 2025.
Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental, or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information.
Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.
Building on a 150-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College's mission has expanded across the country, around the world, and to meet broader student needs.Now, approximately 2,000 undergraduates study in Annandale and more than 200 graduate students study in Bard programs, plus nearly 1,000 students in our early colleges. Total enrollment for Bard College and its global affiliates is approximately 5,000 students. The undergraduate program at our main campus in the Hudson River Valley of upstate New York retains a reputation for scholarly excellence and civic engagement. We are committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow's thought leaders.