at University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
DepartmentCollege Social Sciences Collegiate Division
About the Department
The Department of Comparative Human Development (CHD) is an interdisciplinary program at the critical edge of thought and research in the social sciences, examining what it means to be human during a contemporary moment marked by rapid social, technological, and ecological change; massive global movements of people and ideas; and wide-ranging forms of inequality. Faculty and students in the Department conduct interdisciplinary, holistic and comparative research and scholarship focused on individual lives within various, changing, and heterogeneous contexts. Drawing on methods and concepts from anthropology, biological and developmental psychology, educational research, sociology, and statistics, Department members are committed to examining humans as simultaneously sociocultural, biological, and psychological beings who change over developmental and historical time. Such perspectives make CHD a unique space for research addressing topics including difference, equality, and power in multicultural societies; the developmental, symbolic and embodied processes involved in learning and socialization; the social shaping of vulnerability and resilience in relation to shifting categories such as gender, race, class, age, sexuality, and ability, among others. Faculty and graduate students conduct research in both US and non-US settings using diverse methods including long-term participant observation, qualitative interviewing, analysis of survey data, experiments, classroom observation, and field research with non-human animals.
Job Summary
The Instructional Assistant assists faculty, other teaching personnel, and program administrations in their work delivering undergraduate education in the Comparative Human Development major and related programs. The Instructional Assistant's role comprises a set of responsibilities designed to address the majors's curricular needs and may differ each quarter. The role focuses on supporting instruction as a teaching assistant in specific for-credit Comparative Human Development courses or course sequences. Additional duties include assisting undergraduate students in social sciences lab or workshop settings, advising and mentoring undergraduates conducting independent research, grading assignments and exams, and supporting instructors' use of academic technologies. The Instructional Assistant has experience completing research and academic work in a related field and is equipped to support undergraduate instruction in capacities that range from substantive, pedagogical, methodological, technological, to administrative. The role will be a combination of the responsibilities listed below, and the specific allocation of duties may differ each quarter.
The annual work period is 9.5 months, from September 1 through June 15, and the salary is paid over 12 months, from September through August.
Responsibilities
- Assists the instructor of record in an undergraduate Comparative Human Development course or courses by running weekly review and discussion sections as an accompaniment to the scheduled course; holding regularly scheduled office hours; reading and comment on papers, exams, and other assignments and recommend grades for individual assignments; contributing to teaching resources and student materials; coordinating discussion sections, setting up equipment, managing reserve readings and other logistics; meeting regularly with the instructor of record; attending regularly-scheduled sessions of assigned courses and reading all assigned materials.
- Provides centralized support for undergraduate academics in the Department of Comparative Human Development.
- Leads workshops on research methods and lab sessions for undergraduate courses that focus on quantitative research in the social sciences.
- Manages academic technologies and coordinating technological support for instructor and students in undergraduate Comparative Human Development courses.
- Grades assignments, exams, and papers from a variety of undergraduate Comparative Human Development courses.
- Meets with students to discuss academics and programming related to the Comparative Human Development major.
- Supports instructors' use of academic technologies.
- Meets regularly with instructors of record and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Comparative Human Development to discuss program goals and curriculum.
- Attends relevant on-campus training sessions on pedagogy, social science research methods, and academic technology.
- Participates regularly in one or more of the University's academic workshops, colloquia, or talk series.
- Uses general understanding and experience to administer the delivery of services to program participants and/or beneficiaries.
- Interacts with faculty, researchers, and staff for committee work or information.
- Has a moderate/high level of authority to participate in staff meetings, individual planning meetings, and parent-student staffings.
- Helps staff to plan and execute events.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
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Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
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Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- Master's degree or higher in sociological, psychological, or anthropological areas of the social sciences.
Experience:
- Teaching assistant or instructor in undergraduate courses in cultural, sociological, psychological, or anthropological areas of the social sciences.
- Strong foundation in social sciences.
- Conducting research in psychological, sociological or anthropological areas of the social sciences, including medical, linguistic, and cultural factors.
Preferred Competencies
- Strong verbal and written communication skills including excellent editing/proofreading ability in English.
- Foster an inclusive environment for all students.
- Handle multiple concurrent projects in a competent and professional manner while also managing details and meeting deadlines.
- Work effectively with supervision and as a part of a team, individually, or in concert with other offices and campus partners.
- Work autonomously, taking initiative and without detailed instructions.
- Maintain confidentiality/discretion at all times.
- Handle stressful situations.
- Critical thinking skills.
- Problem solving skills.
- Decision making skills.
- Reasoning skills.
- Attention to detail.
- Creativity
Working Conditions
- 9.5 month position paid over 12 months.
- Some availability during evenings and weekends.
Application Documents
- Resume/CV (required)
- Cover Letter, which is to include your interest in this position (required)
- References Contact Information (3)(required)
When applying, the document(s) MUSTbe uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Academic Affairs
Role Impact
Individual Contributor
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Frequency
Monthly
Scheduled Weekly Hours
40
Benefits Eligible
Yes
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
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