Job Title:                                Instructor, History + Theory (open-rank equivalent)

Department:                         History + Theory

Reports to:                             Academic Chairs

Position Status:                   Full-Time, Multi-Year Appointment

Pay Scale:                               $90,000 – $95,000, DOE

Summary:

The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) is searching for a full-time instructor of history and theory. The successful candidate must be able to teach across a wide range of periods and subjects in and around the history of architecture, collaborate on an ongoing revision of what constitutes meaningful knowledge for the formation of designers and how to teach it, and contribute specialized expertise relevant to a socially-engaged, technologically-proficient student body at an institution that is committed to creatively expanding the techniques and purview of architectural practice. Specializations could include cross-cultural perspectives, work across multiple disciplines or practices, or theoretical engagements with contemporary economic, social, or technical conditions. The position could include collaboration with design faculty working in areas such as machine learning, extended reality, robotic fabrication, filmmaking, and urban interventions, among other areas.

Information and Responsibilities:

SCI-Arc is seeking candidates for a Full-Time Faculty position with a 2/3 teaching load, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year. Teaching responsibilities include core global architectural history and contemporary architectural theory lecture/seminar classes, thesis advising, and additional courses in the candidate’s specialization. The candidate will contribute to the experimental research culture of the Institute and play a role in extending and diversifying its network of visiting instructors in architecture and allied fields. Service work to the school is also included in the position. SCI-Arc faculty have ample opportunity to expand their teaching and administrative responsibilities once established at the Institute. Our HT faculty are regularly invited to serve as jurors on design reviews, and often speak at events at the school, in video features on the SCI-Arc channel, or to the public media.

SCI-Arc is a dynamic, urban, non-profit institution dedicated to educating architects to engage, speculate, innovate, and to take the lead in reimagining the limits of architecture. SCI-Arc’s pedagogy is focused on preparing students to meet unique challenges in a fluid world, and to excel. Interested candidates for this position should be prepared to advise and lead in this endeavour. More than half of SCI-Arc’s 500 students are international, hailing from around 60 different countries at any given time. SCI-Arc’s HT faculty includes four full-time and several part-time instructors, and though small this group has historically included some of the most influential voices in architecture and its related fields.

The undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs at the Institute range from intensive professional architecture programs to deep engagements with adjacent fields. SCI-Arc graduates work in many of the most prominent architecture firms in the world, but also in other design fields, startups, consultancies, corporate innovation centers, and the media industry. The work produced at SCI-Arc is distinctive in comparison to other schools of architecture, and candidates for this position should be familiar with the character of this work.

SCI-Arc has no formal faculty ranks and no tenure system. The process of faculty review and reappointment comes after every multi-year contract. Faculty members at SCI-Arc are evaluated for teaching, service, and a highly individual definition of their work, which could be a combination of scholarly, professional, and public-oriented projects.

Qualifications:

Candidates must possess an advanced degree in the field, with Ph.D preferred. ABD doctoral candidates will be considered. Candidates should have significant published material on architecture, and experience teaching in higher education. SCI-Arc is building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. Individuals who come from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in architecture (e.g. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ individuals, women, veterans, and people with disabilities) are strongly encouraged to apply.

Submission Information:

To apply candidates are to:

• Complete an application via https://www.sciarc.edu/institution/resources/careers and attach:
• a Curriculum Vitae
• a letter of interest which states professional and disciplinary research interests as well as areas of teaching expertise
• Provide a website or drive link to portfolio of creative work (such as work samples, publication samples, sample syllabi, or examples of student work) to hr@sciarc.edu. If website is not an option, digital portfolios (no larger than 20 MB) may be submitted.

Candidates should apply no later than March 31, 2023.

SCI-Arc is committed to affirmative action and equal opportunity in education and employment. SCI-Arc does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, disability or veteran status in admissions, educational programs, or employment.

COVID-19 Campus Exposure Prevention Policy:

SCI-Arc is committed to providing a comprehensive education to new and returning students in a safe environment. The SCI-Arc campus requires that students, staff, and faculty are either fully vaccinated or required to wear a mask while indoors. Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after the second dose in a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after one dose in a single dose vaccine.

We offer a great benefits package with medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

Contact / Inquiries:

Please direct all inquiries via email to Liliana Clough, SCI-Arc Human Resources Director: Liliana_clough@sciarc.edu