Faculty position in Global Music

Conrad Grebel University College

Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo invites applications for a full-time regular faculty position in Global Music in the Department of Music, to begin July 1, 2012 at either the Assistant or Associate Professor level. Review of applications will begin February 1, 2012. Conrad Grebel University College is committed to employment equity and welcomes applications from all qualified persons. Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Discover more about the Department of Music.

Position description

The position is based at Conrad Grebel University College’s Department of Music, the Department of Music in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. This is a regular, full-time, continuing contract position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level that involves undergraduate teaching, research, service, and community education. The general teaching area is Global Music which may include introductory music courses, Popular Music and Culture, World Music, Music in Film, and other courses designed around the faculty member’s specific interests and expertise. Responsibilities may also include leadership of ensembles related to the faculty member’s areas of expertise.

Faculty position profile and qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates who meet the following qualifications:

1. A completed doctorate in ethnomusicology, musicology or another area of music (with graduate work in ethnomusicology).
    
2. An ability and willingness to teach music courses in an interdisciplinary setting and to apply insights from a variety of disciplines to the study of music.
    
3. An understanding of and commitment to the identity, mission and core values of Conrad Grebel University College - a Mennonite college at the University of Waterloo - home of the university’s Department of Music.
    
4. Demonstrated excellence in post-secondary teaching.
    
5. An active research program in Global Music that leads to regular publications and presentations.
    
6. Willingness to share administrative duties within the Department of Music, at Conrad Grebel University College and at the University of Waterloo.
    
7. Willingness to function as a resource person and to engage with arts organizations, the university community, the Mennonite community, and the general public in Global Music-related topics.
    
8. Evidence of a high level of competence in music performance or in leading global-music ensembles or groups is an asset.

Instructions and information for applicants

1. Application materials must be submitted in hard copy and digital format. Review of applications will begin February 1, 2012.  Address applications to: Dr. Jim Pankratz, Dean, Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G6.
   • Application letter indicating reasons for applying, summarizing qualifications, and describing how the candidate will contribute to the mission of the Music program and the College.
   • Proposed teaching area and research specialization
   • Curriculum vitae
   • Names and contact information of three referees who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation and respond to questions from the search committee if requested. Referees should be ready to comment on the candidate’s scholarship, teaching competence, potential contribution to global music research, capacity for public service, and collegiality.
2. All applications will be acknowledged and unsuccessful candidates will be informed as the process proceeds.
3. A short list of candidates will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation and substantial documentation of teaching, research and service. These candidates may be contacted for preliminary telephone or in-person interviews with members of the search committee, and they may also be asked to provide the names and contact information of additional referees to be contacted by the search committee. 
4. Some candidates may be invited to campus in March – April 2012 for interviews and presentations to classes and various groups.
5. During the search process Grebel reserves the right to withhold making a full-time appointment, to fill the position with a part-time or term appointment, or to extend the application process.

Appointment procedures and conditions

An initial appointment at the Assistant Professor level is normally made for a three year term, which, upon satisfactory review, is followed by a second three year term, after which the faculty member is eligible for consideration for continuing contract. An initial appointment at the Associate Professor level is normally made for a three year term, after which, upon satisfactory review, the faculty member is eligible for consideration for continuing contract.

Background information

Conrad Grebel University College’s Department of Music is the Department of Music of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo. The department has offered courses and extra-curricular programs in music at Waterloo since the 1960s and since 1974 has offered Bachelor of Arts degrees in music.

Global Music fulfills a critical mission at Waterloo. The University has identified globalization as one of its critical growth areas during the current “Sixth Decade Plan”.

Global engagement, community building and active peacemaking are core values of Grebel. The college is building a Centre for Peace Advancement to create an innovative and interdisciplinary space to study, practice and perform peace. Global Music is poised to factor significantly in the activities of the centre. 

The Department of Music espouses a strong liberal-arts orientation, exploring the role of music in human life and examining life through the lens of music. This means balancing intensive study in the traditional music disciplines of performance, theory and history with courses addressing questions at the vital intersection of disciplines, such as Popular Music and Culture, Music and Film, World Music, Music and Technology, Women, Music and Gender, and Worship and Music.

The department’s programs and courses are interdisciplinary, innovative and responsive to developments in contemporary culture. They reflect the liberal arts character of Grebel and the commitment to innovation and social engagement that is a defining feature of the University of Waterloo. The Department of Music was among the first in Canada to offer credit courses in Popular Music, Music Therapy, the Psychology of Music, Jazz, computer applications in music, traditional folk music, Canadian music, and music and gender. 

The Department of Music includes a wide range of students. Some students major or minor in music, while others take only a few music courses or perhaps participate in an ensemble during one or more terms. Music students are generally interested both in making music and in asking questions about music’s relevance to society. There is great potential for fruitful interaction among students from diverse disciplines coming together to study music. The University of Waterloo, with its tradition of collaboration and innovation, and Conrad Grebel University College, as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary college, provide a richly supportive culture for this approach to the study of music.

Download a copy of this description in PDF format: Faculty Position in Global Music (PDF).