Assistant Professor, Chinese (TE)

The Department of East Asian Studies in the School of International Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (SILLC) at the University of Arizona invites applications for an in-person tenure-eligible position at the beginning of the fall semester in August 2026, at the rank of Assistant Professor. This position will serve as the Chinese Language Program Director.

A Ph.D. in hand at time of appointment is required in applied linguistics, second language acquisition, Chinese language pedagogy, East Asian Studies, or a closely related field.

We are especially interested in someone with both a scholarly and practical background who will bring a new dimension and expertise to our Chinese language program, as well as help us recruit and increase our number of undergraduate East Asian Studies (Chinese) majors.

The new hire will also have the ability to work effectively with the Department Head, faculty, staff, and students.

Application review date is November 15, 2025.

Alumni Jacquelynn and Bennett Dorrance have made a gift commitment of $5.4 million to endow the deanship of the University of Arizona College of Humanities to bring the humanities to the forefront of the University of Arizona’s life and mission through a continuous and fearless spirit of open inquiry: https://humanities.arizona.edu/about/fearless-inquiries-project.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; sick leave and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

The area of expertise is open, and
we are particularly interested in candidates with successful experiences in
grant application or grant supported programs/centers, and/or candidates with
specialization in quantitative or computational/corpus approaches to second
language learning. This position will have opportunities to collaborate with related initiatives
across the University of Arizona campus.

The successful candidate will be
qualified and expected to teach Chinese language courses at all levels and in
all modalities (in person, hybrid, online), to supervise our Chinese Language
Program, which includes in person and online courses. Teaching assignments also
include courses taught in English, such as general education courses to a broad
audience, as well as upper-level and graduate seminars in the candidate’s area
of expertise.

Candidates must have an active
research agenda and provide evidence and/or promise of scholarly achievement,
demonstrated excellence in teaching Chinese language classes, a willingness to
work with our existing and new grant projects related to Chinese language
education, and an active commitment to recruit undergraduate Chinese/East Asian
Studies majors and graduate students. Native or near-native proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and English.

• Faculty members on the
  tenure-track in the College of Humanities at the University of Arizona with a regular work load typically teach two courses each semester. Language program directors
  receive course reductions. The teaching assignments for this position may
  include Chinese language courses, a general education course, and
  upper-level courses related to Chinese or East Asian linguistics or
  language pedagogy, and/or a graduate course for the M.A. and Ph.D.
  programs in East Asian Studies in the candidate’s area of specialization.
• Supervise GATs and instructors teaching in
  the Chinese language program.
• Have
  and maintain an active research agenda and record of publication commensurate
  with a Research I institution.
• Contribute
  to existing and new grant projects related to Chinese language education.
• Actively
  recruit and assist in recruiting East Asian Studies majors and graduate
  students.
• Contribute
  to departmental, college and university service.
• Participate
  in Departmental and College-wide activities such as East Asian Studies Festival,
  Meet Your Major Fair, Study Abroad Fair, Language Fair, Convocation, Welcome
  Back receptions, Homecoming, study abroad programs, Commencement, and
  the Tucson Humanities Festival.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Robust research skills.
• Demonstrated student-centered pedagogical
  knowledge; ability to serve the 21st-century educational needs of a
  student population with a broad range of experiences.
• Superior communication and
  collaboration skills in both Chinese and English.
• Ability
  to teach a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses related to Chinese
  and/or East Asian languages and applied linguistics.
• Ability to
  develop and deliver online and hybrid courses.
• Demonstrated interest and potential in
  recruiting undergraduate students in the Chinese language program, East
  Asian Studies majors, and graduate students.
• Demonstrated interest in developing
  language courses for undergraduate students in STEM.

• Ph.D. in applied linguistics, second
  language acquisition, Chinese language pedagogy, East Asian Studies or a
  closely related field in hand at time of appointment.
• Native or near-native proficiency in
  Mandarin Chinese and English.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching
  collegiate Chinese language courses at all levels, and in all modalities
  (in person, hybrid, online).
• Evidence or promise of scholarly
  achievement aligned with the expectations of a Research 1 university.
• Demonstrated experience or interest in
  innovative Chinese language curriculum development, course design, and
  program management.

• Experience directing or co-coordinating of a Chinese language program.
• Evidence with developing or expanding existing study abroad initiatives (Taipei, Hangzhou/Shanghai).
• Successful experience with grant application or grant funded centers or programs, such as (but not limited to) Title VI National Resource Center, Language Resource Center, STARTALK, among others.

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• Writing sample
• Digital teaching portfolio, which will include:
• A teaching philosophy statement; a recruitment of undergraduate majors approach statement; and a research statement (combined into one attachment).
• A lower-division language course syllabus reflecting innovative teaching and a graduate Methods course syllabus both developed by the candidate, lesson plans, formative and summative assessments and feedback; and evidence of professional development (conference attendance, webinar and workshop participation), and a reflective statement on the evidence presented (combined into one attachment).
• Two recently completed (quantitative and qualitative data) teaching evaluations (combined into one attachment).
• Optional but beneficial components may include: awards, recognitions, and certificates; community engagement; and recording of teaching.

Within a few business days after submitting your application you will receive an email asking you to provide contact information for 3 references, at least one who can speak to your teaching ability (do NOT click the “Submit” button until you have added all 3 references using the plus “+” sign button). Your references will then be requested to upload a letter of recommendation into the system. Once the 3 recommendation letters have been uploaded, the application will be considered complete. Full consideration will be given to complete applications.