The Jack and Nancy Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History

Dedicated to the teaching of history

The Jack and Nancy Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History, housed in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), is dedicated to the teaching of history. Studies of the past, including the recent past, are carried out within the departments and programs of FASS.

The Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar will be held for up to two terms in an academic year and is non-renewable. The Visiting Scholar will be expected to have extensive interaction with faculty and students. She or he will normally teach at least one course or other type of relevant class, and will engage in a form of public outreach.

Jack and Nancy Farley have longstanding association with the university, including years of service and support. Jack is a past member of the university’s Board of Governors (1984-85) and he received the Distinguished Community Leadership Award in 1990.

Dr. Joy Parr held the inaugural Farley University Professorship in Historic Studies. In 2016, the terms of reference were revised to transform this University Professorship into the Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History.

Application

The Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at Simon Fraser University invites applications for the Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Those applicants who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents will require a work permit. SFU’s Faculty Relations team will assist with that process and a modest moving allowance is provided. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

In 2024-2025, the Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar will be hosted by the Global Asia Program, with the possibility of an affiliation with one of FASS’s other departments or schools. Global Asia welcomes scholars engaged in the study of Asia and/or its diasporas, including border-crossing research that explores Asian and Asian diasporic people and places in their relations with others. To find out if the Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History is a good match for you, please contact Steeve Mongrain at fassadri@sfu.ca or Nadine Attewell at gadir@sfu.ca.

Applications should be submitted electronically to farley@sfu.ca and include a current CV and cover letter outlining the following:

  1. a research plan for the duration of the Visiting Scholar position;
  2. a brief description of an advanced undergraduate level course (suitable for students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds);
  3. a brief account of the public outreach activity, including topic to be addressed; and
  4. the names and contact information of 2 referees.

In keeping with University policy, the successful candidate will hold an academic position at another university, or an equivalent position at another appropriate institution.

Review of applications will begin on May 1, 2023.

Simon Fraser University is an institution whose strength is based on our shared commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and decolonization. Diversity is an underlying principle of our Strategic Vision, which pledges SFU to “foster a culture of inclusion and mutual respect, celebrating the diversity reflected among its students, faculty, staff, and our community.” Consistent with this principle, SFU works to advance the interests of underrepresented members of the work force, specifically Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized persons, and women; embrace gender and sexual diversity; ensure that equal opportunity is afforded to all who seek employment at the University; and treat all employees equitably. More particularly, SFU has adopted the recommendations of the Aboriginal Reconciliation Council [ARC] report, has recently completed a strategic cluster of appointments of Indigenous scholars across the University and on September 13, 2021 passed a motion in its Senate in support of the hiring of 15 Black scholars (hiring that is currently underway). SFU is also committed to developing curricular programs that incorporate knowledges historically devalued by the university. SFU’s Black Caucus and Queer Faculty Network are two examples of the faculty-led initiatives making safer scholarly spaces and uplifting the work of historically marginalized colleagues. The Farley appointment committee enthusiastically welcomes applications from scholars belonging to underrepresented groups. 

Under the authority of the University Act, personal information that is required by the University for academic appointment competitions will be collected. For further information see: http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Faculty_Openings/Collection_Notice.html

We acknowledge the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), Səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Samiahmoo and Tsawassen peoples on whose unceded territories Simon Fraser University’s three campuses reside. In so doing, we acknowledge Indigenous stewardship both past and present. Our words of recognition indicate our aspiration to create a space for reconciliation through dialogue and decolonizing practices.