University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus    

Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences (IKBSAS) 

INDIGENOUS STUDIES –Assistant Professor - Indigenous Health and Wellness (Job Opening ID# 23602)

The Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, invites applications for a tenure-track appointment in Indigenous Studies at the rank of Assistant Professor. The position will be held in the Community, Culture and Global Studies unit (http://www.ubc.ca/okanagan/ccgs/welcome.htmlDocument1) of the Irving K.  Barber School of Arts and Sciences (http://www.ubc.ca/okanagan/ikbarberschool/welcome.html), and is expected to start on July 1, 2018.

We are seeking a candidate with scholarly interest and expertise in the broad area of Indigenous Health and Wellness, with emphasis on Indigenous peoples’ holistic well-being, community, recovery, and land connected perspectives. The candidate must have a demonstrated record of scholarship, pedagogy, and community engagement practices that employs decolonizing theoretical and methodological frameworks. An interest in working in an interdisciplinary department consisting of Indigenous Studies, Gender & Women’s Studies, Anthropology, and Human Geography is expected. Indigenous candidates are strongly preferred. Applicants involved in language strengthening and revitalization are encouraged to apply.

Candidates with a completed Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies, Native Studies, First Nations Studies, or Aboriginal Studies are preferred. We may consider applicants in a related field, with emphasis on Indigenous Studies. Candidates must have a strong record of research productivity; demonstrated ability to obtain external research funding or strong potential for research grant success; commitment to student mentoring and supervision; and excellence in graduate and undergraduate teaching and learning. Evidence of sustained engagement within and with Indigenous communities in Canada and/or in comparative contexts is required.

The appointee will be joining an active and energetic community of scholars in Indigenous Studies whose work focuses on Indigenous epistemologies and is intercultural, interdisciplinary, hemispheric, and global in reach. The successful candidate must show the ability to develop a robust, innovative, and internationally recognized research program that complements existing expertise in Indigenous philosophies, identities, and knowledges. There is also a strong desire for the appointee’s scholarship to be integrated into, and to enhance, current research strengths in the Department, the Faculty, and other Faculties in the areas of health and wellness. The successful candidate will be expected to teach core courses in Indigenous Studies, including INDG 100 (Introduction to Indigenous Studies) and INDG 309 (Indigenous Perspectives on Health), and also expected to develop their own courses specific to area of expertise. This colleague is also expected to provide service that is commensurate with rank, including contributing to the enhancement and strengthening of Indigenous Studies across campus.

UBC is one of the world’s leading universities, and is consistently ranked in the top 40. The university has two distinct campuses, one in Vancouver and one in Kelowna. UBC’s Okanagan campus, located in the city of Kelowna on unceded Syilx Okanagan territory, has strong undergraduate and graduate programs, with over 8,000 students in seven faculties including 430 Aboriginal students (40 graduate and 390 undergraduate). Situated in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, one of the most scenic regions in Canada, it offers an intimate learning environment and excellent opportunities for regional, national, and international scholarly activities.

The Indigenous Studies Program, at UBC’s Okanagan campus, is housed in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. Established in 2005, the program provides students with opportunities to locate their learning within the program’s dual focus on decolonizing non-Indigenous notions of Indigeneity and strengthening contemporary revitalization of Indigenous knowledge and praxis. As well, the program uniquely situates research focused in knowledges of the Syilx Okanagan, together with teaching and scholarship in Indigenous feminism, gender, land claims and governance, traditional knowledge, genocide, self-determination, borders, Indigenous legal studies, epistemology, in addition to critical Indigenous theory and methods. The IKBSAS offers both discipline-based and interdisciplinary programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The collegial learning environment focuses on effective teaching, critical and creative scholarship, and the integration of scholarship and teaching. We are committed to an ethos of local involvement, global engagement, and intercultural awareness, and we provide a positive, inclusive, and mutually supportive working and learning environment for all our students, faculty, and staff. To learn about the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Science, go to http://www.ubc.ca/okanagan/ikbarberschool/welcome.html. For more information about UBC resources and opportunities, please visit http://www.hr.ubc.ca/faculty-staff-resources/. Information about the surrounding community can be found at: http://www.hr.ubc.ca/worklife-relocation/.