Collegiate Assistant Professor - Harper and Schmidt Fellow 2026-27

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.  

Core courses in the Humanities typically deal with fundamental issues and texts in history, philosophy, and literature. We are inviting applications to all eight sequences into which the Humanities core is organized: Readings in World Literature; Human Being and Citizen; Greece and Rome: Texts, Traditions, Transformations; Philosophical Perspectives on the Humanities; Media Aesthetics; Reading Cultures; Poetry and the Human; and Language and the Human.

Core courses in 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 2027-28 cohort of Fellows, we are inviting applications for Collegiate Assistant Professors to teach in three of the year-long sequences into which the Core is organized: Mind; Power, Identity, Resistance; and Social Science Inquiry.  Other Social Science sequences (Classics of Social and Political Thought; Democracy: Equality, Liberty and the Dilemma of Self-Governance; Global Society; and Self, Culture and Society) 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 the Humanities courses are available here: https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/core/humanities-core and the Social Sciences courses here: https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/core/social-sciences-core. 

In most years, Collegiate Assistant Professors teach two courses (usually of identical preparation) for each of three quarters. In the second through fourth years of residence, each Collegiate Assistant Professor has the opportunity to design up to two independent courses in total, 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 $92,875, carries full benefits, and provides a minimum annual professional development fund of $7,000. The effective date for these teaching appointments is September 1, 2027.

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.

The terms and conditions of these positions are described in the collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Service Employees International Union. 

Online application deadline: 11:59:59 PM EST, Tuesday, December 1, 2026

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, 2027. 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.

Application Instructions

To complete your application, you will need to upload the following supporting documents via the Interfolio website: apply.interfolio.com/193778.

• A curriculum vitae (be sure to list your full legal name)
• A cover letter describing your past and current research as well as your teaching experience and interests
• A Teaching Statement, not to exceed 750 words, describing your methods and goals in teaching a text in a general education course. Applicants should write about a specific text of their own choosing, which need not come directly from a Core sequence syllabus but should lend itself to a similar kind of general education course in the chosen program area.
  NB: Applicants to the MIND sequence should focus their Teaching Statement on the relationship between theory and evidence in understanding the chosen topic. 
  For a description of the sequences, see the College Core Website  https://college.uchicago.edu/academics/core-curriculum
• A research statement, not to exceed 750 words
• A writing sample of up to 50 pages
• One or two syllabi from previously taught courses
• Teaching evaluations
• Three confidential letters of recommendation, to be received by the application deadline

Complete applications include all of the above materials. Only complete applications will be reviewed.
Please note that the application deadline is December 1st, 2026 11:59pm EASTERN STANDARD TIME
Applications not received by the deadline will not be reviewed. There are no exceptions.
Start uploading your application well before the deadline of December 1st, 2026 11:59pm EASTERN STANDARD TIME

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.