Faculty Position in Documentary Practice and Visual Communication

Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) invites applications for a faculty position in Documentary Practice and Visual Communication to begin August 1, 2020. The position is in the Journalism and Strategic Communication program at NU-Q. Northwestern University’s first international campus is a media school grounded in the liberal arts and housed in one of the most advanced and well-equipped communication facilities in the world. NU-Q is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive academic community. We are especially interested in candidates who have experience working with diverse student populations.

The ideal candidate will be a documentary filmmaker, journalist or documentary and/or journalism scholar who has produced news, feature and/or short documentaries that have been broadcast, cablecast, and/or screened at noteworthy film festivals, or otherwise distributed. Candidates must hold a PhD or an MFA (at the time of application), have teaching experience in higher education, and significant professional experience. The candidate should have demonstrable ability to engage productively with undergraduate students at all skill levels. We are searching for candidates with competence in the skills, principles, and ethics that underpin the profession, and who can teach documentary concepts and principles at the intersections of documentary theory, documentary production, and journalism.

Applicants must have strong skills in storytelling; technical competencies in camera work and editing; demonstrable editorial knowledge and robust news judgment; and a commitment to promoting diverse documentary works. Applicants should be conversant with the creative processes and practices of digital filmmaking and be able to teach hands-on, production courses at introductory and advanced levels, as well as diverse documentary production techniques and styles, which could span from one-person reporting to crew production.

At NU-Q, this specialization is intended to provide journalism and strategic communication students with a solid foundation in competencies that integrate knowledge of documentary theory and practice, styles and traditions. The ability to work and teach across digital platforms is important. The ideal candidate would be able to teach undergraduate courses in the following areas: research and writing the documentary, production and post-production (including shooting and editing), and/or cross-media journalism production (such as 360-degree, augmented reality, virtual reality production). Applicants should demonstrate evidence of an active program of research and/or creative/professional work, and are expected to actively develop and pursue such program when appointed.

NU-Q has extensive technical and production facilities, including a robotic newsroom, digital innovation lab for AR and VR, edit suites and audio-visual production studios. Located in Doha’s Education City with five other top U.S. universities where academic freedom is assured, NU-Q has partnerships with leading media firms and organizations including Al Jazeera, Doha Film Institute, Qatar Computing Research Institute, Qatar Media Corporation and the World Cup committee. Faculty work in an integrative environment that includes academic programs in Journalism and Strategic Communication, Media Industries and Technology, as well as Liberal Arts. An Executive and Graduate Education program has recently been launched.

The person selected will join a highly qualified faculty drawn from NU’s Evanston campus and some of the world’s leading universities and media venues. NU-Q is a highly diverse school with a significant proportion of female students. Combined with faculty and staff, our learning community spans more than 50 countries. Our graduates are employed in top media and strategic communication venues and have a high rate of matriculation to top graduate schools in the U.S, Europe and Asia.

Compensation includes a highly competitive salary, overseas benefits and allowances and free housing, as well as generous research and faculty development support. Internal research grants are also available. Academic rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Qatar is a culturally diverse cosmopolitan urban center that is home to more than 2.7 million people. It has a diversity of racial, ethnic, religious and expatriate communities, which account for nearly 85 percent of the country’s population. Qatar has among the lowest crime rates in the world and is a safe destination with political stability. Based in Doha, a rapidly growing, modern city, faculty also take advantage of the location for professional and personal travel, having the option to participate in major international academic meetings and industry conferences.

Applications received by November 20, 2019 will receive the highest priority. The search will continue, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

To apply, please upload the following materials to: https://facultyrecruiting.northwestern.edu/apply/NzUy

• letter of application
• CV
• statement of teaching philosophy, with a section that addresses diversity and inclusion in the teaching environment
• portfolio materials or link to online portfolio
• three confidential letters of recommendation

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in Qatar.