Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in Showrunning & Screenwriting for Media Industries

Université York

Department of Cinema and Media Arts, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design

The Department of Cinema and Media Arts in the School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University invites highly qualified applicants for an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream position in Showrunning & Screenwriting for Media Industries. This is a tenure-track appointment to the Teaching Stream to commence July 1, 2025.

Our mission is to inspire and launch the next generation of content creators across an ever-growing global media industry. Our expert faculty, industry-leading facilities, and a diverse and passionate student and alum community have increased demand and interest in Canada’s only undergraduate BFA screenwriting degree and first graduate MFA screenwriting degree, all embedded in one of Canada’s most prestigious arts faculties, AMPD https://ampd.yorku.ca/.

The successful candidate
• will have an established record of professional experience demonstrating exceptional skill in showrunning, screenwriting, and developing and producing narrative stories for on-screen industries.
• should have a variety of recent accomplishments (in the last five years) as Showrunner and/or Screenwriter and Producer, preferably in both
o established media (e.g., screenwriting and producing for serial television and/or narrative feature films) and
o emerging media (e.g., interactive media [AR, VR, gaming], transmedia platforms, web-based stories).
• must show a strong commitment to pedagogy and student success and will provide creative educational leadership in enhancing teaching and learning through curricular and pedagogical innovation in the classroom and at the program level
• will be expected to teach undergraduate and advanced graduate seminars in screenwriting and producing; supervise graduate student research; assist in the development of new courses and programs

We welcome a wide-ranging and inclusive approach to story and storytelling including critical race, post-colonial, Indigenous, feminist, and other critical approaches to showrunning, screenwriting and producing. Responding to increasing calls for diversity in both representation and practice and following both our Department Action plan and University priorities, a record of professional experience collaborating with IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, People of Colour) artists and communities is a significant asset. We acknowledge that within higher education in Canada, traditional or conventional academic and artistic pathways can reinforce biases in the filling of faculty posts. We encourage applications that may not fit all of the following qualifications and that challenge our ideas of teaching, scholarship, research, and artistic practice. We are particularly interested in colleagues who bring experience in facilitating equity, diversity, and inclusion practices within their teaching practices, and which may include contexts outside of academia, including artistic praxis and community-based work.

Candidate Qualifications:
Degree: MFA in Screenwriting (or equivalent Master’s degree such as an MA or MBA) and/or a substantial record of professional experience in showrunning and/or screenwriting and producing, preferably for multiple platforms, is required.

Teaching:
• A record or evident promise of excellence in teaching and dedication to students (e.g., teaching accomplishments, pedagogical innovations, student and peer evaluations).
• Capacity to bring a theoretical and practical orientation to screenwriting/producing teaching, learning and program design.
• Experience with curriculum development and universal design approaches to teaching and assessment is preferred.
• Suitability for prompt appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, given that the position will involve graduate teaching and supervision.

Additional:
• Evidence of good judgement and a reflective approach to innovative teaching.
• A record or evident promise of making valuable contributions through administrative and committee service.

Hiring Policies:
• Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
• All York University positions are subject to budgetary approval.
• York is an Affirmative Action (AA) employer and strongly values diversity, including gender and sexual diversity, in its community. Details of the AA Program, which applies to women, members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, can be found here https://www.yorku.ca/vpepc/faculty-affairs/affirmative-action/ or by contacting Christal Chapman, EDI Program Manager (chapman7@yorku.ca).
• York welcomes and employs scholars from all over the world. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
• York has a policy on Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities http://secretariat-policies.info.yorku.ca/policies/accommodation-in-employment-for-persons-with-disabilities/ and is committed to working towards a barrier-free workplace and expanding the accessibility of the workplace to persons with disabilities. Applicants who require accommodation are invited to contact Sharon Hayashi, Chair of the Department of Cinema and Media Arts at fmsearch@yorku.ca.

Application Process:
• Due date for completed applications: 11 December 2024. The Search Committee will begin to review the applications from 11 December 2024. The review process will continue until the position is filled.
• Required materials: 1) current CV; 2) cover letter; 3) Links to produced work as Showrunner (episodic) or Screenwriter and/or Producer; 4) Teaching Dossier with evidence of or evident promise of excellence and innovation in teaching (e.g. sample course work or workshop outlines, teaching evaluations (if available); 5) Names and contact information for three professorial and/or academic references.
• Provide required information regarding your Canadian work status and optional self-identification for Affirmative Action purposes at this link: YUWorkAA. http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YUWorkAA.
• Direct questions about the position to fmsearch@yorku.ca.
• Submit materials: to fmsearch@yorku.ca

Learn More About York:
• York University generates and shares knowledge through our research, teaching and engagement with communities around the world. The 2023-2028 Strategic Research Plan https://www.yorku.ca/research/strategic-research-plan-2023-2028/ showcases the depth, breadth and ambition of research at York.
• York’s commitments to social justice are laid out in our Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy https://www.yorku.ca/dedi-strategy/, the Framework & Action Plan on Black Inclusion https://www.yorku.ca/abr/ and the Indigenous Framework for York University https://indigenous.yorku.ca/framework/.
• Follow the activities and accomplishments of York’s faculty, students and staff on YFile https://yfile.news.yorku.ca/.
York University acknowledges its presence on the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations. The area known as Tkaronto has been care taken by the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Huron-Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities. We acknowledge the current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region.