Conrad Grebel University College

Conrad Grebel University College (a Mennonite College at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) invites applications for a full-time continuing contract faculty position in the undergraduate Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) program and the proposed graduate PACS program, with a teaching and research specialty in interdisciplinary and multi-sector approaches to peace studies.  The appointment will begin July 1, 2012.  The College will begin reviewing applications on August 1, 2011.  The College is committed to employment equity.  Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.  Discover more about the PACS program.

Position Description

This is a regular, full-time, continuing contract position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level that involves undergraduate and graduate teaching, research, service, and community education. 

Faculty members are expected to demonstrate strong teaching and research skills and have a track record of community education.  The successful applicant will have teaching and research expertise in several of the following areas: 

• Conflict analysis, resolution and transformation
• Theories of peacemaking and reconciliation
• Restorative justice theory and practice
• Role of civil society in peace building
• Religion, conflict, and peace building
• Role of the fine and performing arts and literature in peace building
• Interdisciplinary and multi-sector collaboration for peace
• Research methods in peace studies

Faculty Position Profile and Qualifications

1. Degree.  A PhD in Conflict Resolution/Peace Studies or a related discipline is required.  Preferred applicants will have training in the social sciences or humanities with a proven record in peace-related research and education.
2. Inter-disciplinarity.  The successful candidate will teach peace studies courses in an interdisciplinary setting and be able to apply insights from a variety of disciplines to the study of peace and conflict issues.
3. Multi-sector approach to Peace Studies.  PACS faculty are expected to engage students in making connections across levels of analysis (global, international, societal, inter-group and interpersonal) and types of actors (state, civil society and economic).
4. Program identity.  Familiarity with the academic, historical, and practical experience and perspectives of the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition in peacemaking and conflict resolution is highly valued. Support for the identity, mission and core values of Conrad Grebel University College and the PACS program is required.  
5. Teaching. Demonstrated excellence in teaching is required; teaching experience in varied settings (e.g., classroom lectures, seminars, workshops) is highly valued.
6. Scholarship.  A demonstrated record of contribution to peace research as evidenced by publications and engagement with relevant professional associations is required.
7. Advising/mentoring.  A commitment to advising/mentoring students is required.
8. Administration. Willingness to share administrative duties within the PACS department and at Conrad Grebel University College and at the University of Waterloo is required.
9. Community education.  Willingness to engage the Mennonite community, the University and the general public in PACS-related topics is required.  Experience in leading skills-oriented workshops related to the practical application of peace theory to interpersonal, intergroup or international conflict is highly valued. 
10. Practical experience. Personal experience in peace-building or other activities applying peace theory to practice is highly valued.     

Instructions and Information for Applicants

1. Required application materials must be submitted in hard copy format by August 1, 2011, addressed to Dr. Jim Pankratz, Academic Dean, Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd., North, Waterloo, ON, Canada  N2L 3G6. 
   • Application letter indicating reasons for applying and summarizing qualifications
   • Proposed teaching area and research specialization
   • Curriculum vitae
   • Names and contact information of three referees who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation and respond to questions from the search committee if requested.  Referees should be ready to comment on the candidate’s scholarship, teaching competence, potential contribution to peace and conflict research, capacity for public service, and collegiality.
2. All applications will be acknowledged and unsuccessful candidates will be informed once a short list has been prepared.
3. A short list of candidates will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation and substantial documentation of teaching, research and service.  These candidates may be contacted for preliminary telephone or in-person interviews with members of the search committee, and they may also be asked to provide the names and contact information of additional referees to be contacted by the search committee. 
4. Some candidates may be invited to campus in September – October 2011 for interviews and presentations to classes and various groups
5. During the search process the College reserves the right not to make a full-time appointment, to fill the position with a part-time or term appointment, or to extend the application process.

Appointment Procedures and Conditions

 An initial appointment at the Assistant Professor level is normally made for a three year term, which, upon satisfactory review, is followed by a second three year term, after which the faculty member is eligible for consideration for continuing contract.  An initial appointment at the Associate Professor level is normally made for a three year term, after which, upon satisfactory review, the faculty member is eligible for consideration for continuing contract.

Background Information

In 1977 Conrad Grebel University College established the first Peace and Conflict Studies program in Canada at the University of Waterloo, one of Canada’s leading universities.  The PACS program has a long-standing reputation for academic excellence and innovation. 
 
The program strives to educate, invigorate and mobilize students to make use of conceptual and/or practical models to imagine and build a culture of peace between individuals, in communities, among nations, and around the world. PACS offers a holistic approach to peace education, fosters an academic environment that rigorously explores a range of issues pertaining to peace and justice, combines a theoretical understanding of peace with concrete models, and incorporates a diversity of perspectives.  This program promotes an analysis of peace/conflict that aims to generate new ideals, methods, and skills for achieving the peaceful resolution of conflict. 

The PACS undergraduate program offers an average of 20 courses per year that enroll approximately 1,200 students annually.  Over 110 students are pursuing a BA in peace studies; an additional 60 are pursuing a Minor, Option or Diploma.  Approximately 30% of graduates go to graduate school.  The PACS program is interdisciplinary in implementation and offered in partnership with nine University of Waterloo departments that sponsor over 120 courses that complement the courses and perspectives offered by the PACS program.  

The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPACS), associated with the PACS program, engages in public education with community groups, churches, educational institutions and non-governmental organizations. Its activities include research, workshops, seminars, and public lectures on current issues such as the Canadian arms trade, cross-cultural conflict resolution and the role of the church in peacemaking. The Institute regularly sponsors lectures delivered by specialists in issues related to human conflict and peace.

IPACS serves as an umbrella for several initiatives, including the Certificate Program in Conflict Management that annually offers over 25 practical skills training workshops to the public at large.  The newly established Centre for the Study of Religion and Peace aspires to advance scholarly knowledge and public awareness of religious contributions to peacemaking.  Project Ploughshares, an independent affiliate, conducts research on nuclear weapons, arms control, sustainable peace, and reduction on reliance on military force. 

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