Collegiate Assistant Professor - Harper & Schmidt Fellows

Description

The College at the University of Chicago is now accepting applications for four-year postdoctoral teaching appointments as Harper and Schmidt Fellows who hold the rank of Collegiate Assistant Professor. Collegiate Assistant Professors are members of the College Faculty whose primary professional responsibility is to teach in the general education (Core) program.  https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/core-curriculum

Core courses in the Social Sciences explore, on the basis of significant works or primary source materials, the fundamental concepts and the different modes of inquiry that have defined the social sciences in the modern period. For the 2026-2027 cohort of Fellows, we are inviting applications for Collegiate Assistant Professors to teach in two of the year-long sequences into which the Core is organized: Self, Culture and Society and Democracy: Equality, Liberty and the Dilemma of Self-Governance.  Other Social Science sequences (Classics of Social and Political Thought, Mind, Global Society, Social Science Inquiry and Power, Identity, Resistance) will also review application files if programmatically necessary.

We encourage applicants to spend time reviewing the descriptions and syllabi for Core sequences to understand the distinct topics and approaches and gauge best fit.  Descriptions of these courses are available here: https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/core/social-sciences-core

Some Collegiate Assistant Professors also teach in the Introduction to the Civilizations Core Sequences.  For the 2026-27 cohort of fellows, we are accepting applications in the History of European Civilization core sequence. These courses are taught on the basis of intensive readings of significant primary source documents. Other Civilization sequences (Introduction to Latin American Civilizations and Introduction to East Asian Civilizations) will also review application files if programmatically necessary.

For descriptions and syllabi of the History of European Civilization see:  https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/core/civilization-studies-core

Qualifications

The positions are open to scholars in all disciplines and areas of specialization who will have completed all requirements for their Ph.D. degree no later than August 31, 2026. Candidates must demonstrate excellence in teaching as well as in their original scholarship.  While many Core sequences feature set reading lists, applicants need not have conventional expertise in the specific texts and topics that are currently taught.  Rather, we welcome applicants from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds who can apply conceptual and methodological creativity and skill to the teaching of general education courses.  Applicants should be prepared 1) to identify and guide students through fundamental questions in a Core sequence and 2) to contribute meaningfully to the instructional community and the curricular evolution for that Core sequence.

In most years, Collegiate Assistant Professors teach two courses (usually of identical preparation) for each of three quarters. In the second through fourth year of residence, each Collegiate Assistant Professor has the opportunity to design up to two independent courses and each is eligible for two quarters of research sabbatical. In the fourth year there is a possibility of another quarter with a reduced teaching load.

The position comes with a salary of $89,734, carries full benefits, and a minimum annual professional development fund of $7,000. The effective date for these teaching appointments is September 1, 2026.

These positions are benefits-eligible. The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.