Research Assistant
Department: Modern Literature and Culture (MLC) Research Centre
Position supervisor: MLC Director
Contract length: 4 month
Hours of work per week: 10 hours per week
Position type: Reseach
Rate of pay: $19/hr
About Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)
At the intersection of mind and action, Toronto Metropolitan University is on a transformative path to become Canada’s leading comprehensive innovation university. Integral to this path is the placement of equity, diversity and inclusion as fundamental to our institutional culture. Our current academic plan outlines each as core values and we work to embed them in all that we do.
Toronto Metropolitan University welcomes those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. In addition, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment in Canada, we encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQ+. Please note that all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, applications from Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
As an employer, we are working towards a people first culture and are proud to have been selected as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and a Greater Toronto’s Top Employer for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. To learn more about our work environment, colleagues, leaders, students and innovative educational environment, visit www.torontomu.ca, check out @TorontoMet (external link) , @TorontoMetHR (external link) and @ECItorontomet (external link) on Twitter, and visit our LinkedIn company page (external link) .
About the program/department/team
The research conducted in the MLC Research Centre focuses on the early twentieth-century modern literature and culture within a broad range of topics such as avant-garde literature and art, salon culture, visual culture, Modernism, including Canadian Modernism, modernist biography and life writing. We also investigate popular literary expressions, in particular the Canadian icon L. M. Montgomery, the role of nostalgic expressions during the modern era, as well as contributing to preservation of Canadian women’s cultural heritage. Our mandate is also to make our research available to both the scholarly and the general public through exhibitions, publications, and outreach events.
Our mandate is to research the literary and cultural production in the modernist era (from 1880 to 1940), to preserve and advance modernist women’s heritage and to promote modern Canadian heritage within an international context, and to advance our studies and outreach through digital culture innovations.
The opportunity
The Modern Literature and Culture (MLC) Research Centre seeks an enthusiastic research assistant to assist with the Centre’s most recent project: Telling COVID-19 Stories, which engages with the artistic and cultural responses that have emerged from the MLC’s Pandemic webinar series (bit.ly/mlcpandemic (external link) ) and the humanities research informed by the pandemic. Focusing on artistic expressions and storytelling practices informed by COVID-19, the project explores the methods through which artists, writers, and community members express, discuss, or engage with the pandemic, and will develop a theoretical framework to interpret COVID-19 narratives and other pandemic media.
Qualifications
The ideal applicant will be pursuing an MA or PhD focused on the humanities, literature, communications, or other arts and culture-related fields. They will have strong research and writing skills. While not required, knowledge of databanks like OMEKA and website editing will be an asset. Working under the guidance of MLC Director Dr. Irene Gammel, the role entails assisting with the researching, annotating, editing, and/or writing tasks associated with the Telling COVID-19 Stories project, as well as assisting with the support of a small team of student research assistants. As a member of the MLC, you will have the opportunity to work with a diverse community of students, professors, and research associates while learning the processes of a large-scale research project. Excellent written and oral communication are essential. Training will be provided.
How to apply
Please submit cover letter, unofficial transcripts, CV (with names of 3 references), and writing sample to adminmlc@torontomu.ca and gammel@torontomu.ca. We begin reviewing applications as they come in until the position is filled. Early submissions are encouraged.
Toronto Metropolitan University’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
We encourage all First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples or Indigenous peoples of North America, to self-identify in their applications and also reach out to Tracey King, Indigenous Human Resources Lead for support during the selection process.