The Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University invites applications for the Bennett-Vallès Professorship in Art History. The Bennett-Vallès professorship was established in honor of Carol Ann Bennet-Vallès, whose life was substantially shaped by her education in and commitment to art. This is an Assistant-level, full-time, academic year, tenure-stream position for a specialist in the art, architecture, and/or visual culture of the Early Modern era. We particularly encourage applications from scholars with a strong record of publication whose work examines transcultural interconnections (e.g. Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe, and/or the Middle East), and/or whose research focuses on issues such as environment, race, gender and sexuality, religion, and politics. The successful candidate will teach two classes per semester at the introductory and advanced undergraduate levels in subjects related to their research. Additionally, an ability to teach survey courses in early modern Europe is required, and the ability to teach pre-modern art is desirable, but not required. They will have the opportunity to advise art history senior capstone projects, students in the MFA program in Studio Art, and work with students in Arts, Cultural Management, and Museum Studies.
The successful candidate will reinforce the strengths of a department committed to equity and global awareness, and be encouraged to make interdisciplinary connections across the university. MSU is home to a vibrant community of researchers in the global Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and hosts a number of interdisciplinary programs, and research centers including the African Studies Center, the Asian Studies Center, the Canadian Studies Center, the Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Center for Gender in Global Context, Muslim Studies, Global Studies in Arts and Humanities, the Center for Interdisciplinarity, and the Environmental Science and Policy Program. MSU’s Broad Art Museum and an innovative program in Digital Humanities are valuable resources for research and teaching.
Minimum Requirements
The successful applicant must have a PhD in Art History or closely related field by August 15, 2021, and should have a demonstrated record of effective research and teaching.
Required Application Materials
Qualified applicants should submit:
- a cover letter;
- current curriculum vitae;
- a writing sample (no more than 30 pages);
- a statement of teaching philosophy;
- a summary of your experience with diversity in the classroom and/or in your past or planned research endeavors, any experience mentoring diverse students or faculty, any experience mentoring diverse students or community outreach initiatives, and an explanation of how you will advance our goals of inclusive excellence; and
- the names and email addresses of 3 potential referees.
Special Instructions
Review of applications will begin December 5, 2020 and will continue until the position is filled. Applications must be submitted electronically to the Michigan State University Human Resources web site https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/job/504180/assistant-professortenure-system
For more information, contact Lily Woodruff, Chair of the Search Committee, woodru56@msu.edu.