Assistant / Associate Professor of Screenwriting
School/Department Information
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, located in Winston-Salem (“The City of the Arts”), was the first state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972. More than 1,200 students from middle school through graduate school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the state’s only public arts conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. The chancellor, deans, and faculty work with students in a residential setting to create an educational community that is intimate, demanding, and performance-centered. Learning is enriched by access to an academic program responsive to a conservatory curriculum. Founded to be both an educational institution and a resource enhancing the cultural life of the state of North Carolina and the Southeast, UNCSA offers numerous public performances, on- and off-campus, as well as community education in the arts.
Established in 1993, the School of Filmmaking combines rigorous professional training with unparalleled facilities, equipment and resources. The program’s mission is to train talented students for professional careers in the film and television industries and stresses the collaborative nature of filmmaking in a rigorous conservatory atmosphere. The School of Filmmaking’s goal is to produce the “complete” filmmaker – a storyteller of unusual vision who knows how to use and value the components of the filmmaking arts. The School of Filmmaking offers a BFA in Animation, Cinematography, Directing, Picture Editing & Sound Design, Producing, Production Design & Visual Effects, and Screenwriting, and an MFA in Creative Producing, Film Music Composition, and Screenwriting.
The School of Filmmaking is seeking innovative, versatile educators interested in teaching students immersed in an interactive process using state of the art facilities and equipment, and where their professional experience informs their instruction and enables them to create content from their first year forward.
Responsibilities
The Assistant/Associate Professor of Screenwriting’s primary responsibility is to teach multiple undergraduate screenwriting courses including, but not limited to FUNDAMENTALS OF SCREENWRITING I and II, SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP I and II, INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED SCREENWRITING CLASSES on topics such as Genre Studies, Adaptations, and Career Preparation, and elective courses. Faculty also actively advise first and second year students as they begin to gravitate to their chosen disciplines, and mentor students in the third and fourth years who have already been accepted into the Screenwriting discipline. UNCSA faculty are expected to engage in teaching, creative activity/research, and service, as is the custom in higher education.
Faculty at UNCSA are expected to engage in activities that are typical in an academic setting, such as supervising students outside the classroom, attending faculty and production meetings, participating in service activities such as faculty governance and admissions, inviting guest artists to campus for workshops and presentations, and helping to develop new courses, programs, curricula, and methods of instruction.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor degree or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience; substantial professional experience as a screenwriter, producer, or creative executive in feature films and/or television, along with a record of teaching/lecturing experience; current and continued engagement in the entertainment industry; and a significant and distinguished professional and artistic record. Additional requirements include a master’s degree in the teaching discipline, or master’s degree with a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Preferred Qualifications
The qualified candidate must have experience as a screenwriter, producer, or creative executive in both feature films and television, along with a record of teaching/lecturing experience. The ideal candidate will have had exposure to the TV industry in some capacity; e.g., development, the writers’ room, production, etc. The candidate should have current and continued engagement in the entertainment industry as well as a significant and distinguished professional and artistic record.
The ideal candidate will contribute to the students’ overall education in filmmaking using screenwriting to encourage collaboration, develop communications skills, instill critical thinking and inspire creativity. Candidates should have experience designing courses that engender intellectual growth, an interest in developing socially engaged individuals with unique viewpoints and skills in teaching them how best to express themselves. They should demonstrate a commitment to excellence and implementing pedagogically sound practices both inside and outside the classroom, as well as an interest in shaping the educational experience for emerging arts in a 21st century perspective.
The ideal candidate would also have outstanding leadership skills elevating the profile of the screenwriting department within the UNC system and in the industry at large. They would also have the ability to promote the preeminence of UNCSA as a leading film school by building professional partnerships within the industry and promoting professional opportunities for the students to showcase their talents and advance their careers.
Additional requirements include a master’s degree in the teaching discipline, or master’s degree with a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Tenure Information
UNCSA utilizes a multi-year contract system in lieu of tenure.
How to Apply
Applications, which must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and references, must be submitted through UNCSA’s Human Resources website.
Applications are currently being reviewed and this position is open until filled.
To apply for this position, please click the following link – http://employment.uncsa.edu/postings/4107