Assistant Professor, French & Folklore

The Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies (MLCS) in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta invites applications for an entry-level tenure-track position in French at the rank of Assistant Professor, with specialization in folklore (ethnologie) / French Canadian studies. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise in the folklore of Western Canada.  MLCS is particularly interested in candidates whose teaching and research include a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective. Teaching duties at both the undergraduate and graduate levels will be divided between folklore and French (area open), to include language, literature, and culture. Expertise in ethnographic methodology is a plus. The successful candidate must hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in an appropriate field, will have native or near-native proficiency in French and English, demonstrated research competence, and strong teaching potential. Proficiency in another language relevant to MLCS would be considered an asset.
MLCS (http://www.mlcs.ca/) is a highly interdisciplinary department with 38 faculty where 17 languages are taught and literature, culture, applied linguistics, languages and cultural studies, translation as well as folklore are all actively pursued. The Department offers undergraduate as well as graduate programs at the MA and PhD levels in several languages, literatures and cultures. This position will strengthen the folklore area as well as the French discipline.
Established in 1908 as a board-governed, public institution, the University of Alberta has earned the reputation of being one of the best universities in Canada based on strengths in teaching, research, and service. The University of Alberta serves over 36,000 students in more than 200 undergraduate programs and 170 graduate programs (www.ualberta.ca/). The Faculty of Arts is the oldest and most diverse faculty on campus, and one of the largest research and teaching centres in western Canada (http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/). The University's main campus is located in Edmonton, the vibrant, cosmopolitan capital of the province of Alberta. The Edmonton metropolitan area is the sixth largest in the country with a population of approximately one million (http://www.edmonton.ca/). Edmonton is located only a few hours drive from Banff and Jasper National Parks, which offer skiing in winter and excellent hiking and sightseeing in summer.
Salary at the Assistant Professor rank starts at $64,087 (2008-09 scale). The University of Alberta has an excellent comprehensive benefits package. Applicants should send curriculum vitae, a letter of application describing their areas of research and teaching and how these contribute to the MLCS profile, samples of refereed publications, and all university transcripts.