Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice

Only applicants who apply via the following link will be considered for the position: https://careers.newschool.edu/postings/20546

Parsons School of Design, a college of The New School, invites candidates for the position of tenure-track Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Social Justice, in the School of Fashion. 

Parsons School of Fashion is committed to educating the next generation of fashion design and business leaders to embed social justice and environmental sustainability in the fashion system. 

Parsons has educated generations of successful designers and today leads the global industry through innovative curricula that combine theory and practice. Consistently ranked as one of the top design and fashion schools in the world, we offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design, Associate Degrees in Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing, a Master of Fine Arts in Textiles, a Master of Professional Studies in Fashion Management, and a Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and Society that was initiated through the support of Parsons alumna Donna Karan. 

We seek candidates who can help us lead a new era of fashion education by decentering whiteness, decolonizing curricula, fostering the inclusion of plus-size and disabled bodies and advancing equity and social justice. Candidates should have general expertise in fashion design/making practices but with a focus in collections, product and/or accessories, material and textiles, fashion systems and/or communications in relation to advancing social justice and challenging dominant systems in and through fashion. Candidates should have experience in and/or commitment to teaching studio practice and theory to students with a diversity of skills, backgrounds and interests.

The New School is committed to actively recruiting applicants from a diverse pool and we encourage candidates from groups underrepresented in US higher education to apply. We recognize systemic barriers to higher education and employment and we aim to reduce barriers to careers in higher education through our required and preferred qualifications.  We specifically invite applicants from communities who have been and continue to be marginalized from art and design education and the design industries.

The New School is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive learning environment that furthers equity, inclusion and social justice. We actively seek candidates whose experiences, teaching philosophies, and scholarly practice prepare them to expand and contribute to that commitment.  

We encourage candidates from groups underrepresented in US higher education to apply. The New School does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, creed, sex or gender (including gender identity and expression), pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion, religious practices, mental or physical disability, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, veteran status, marital or partnership status, or any other legally protected status.

The work of this faculty member is divided between (1) teaching, (2) scholarship or professional/creative practice, and (3) university service. The standard teaching load is five courses––or the equivalent––per academic year. Within their field of expertise, the faculty member may be expected to teach First Year and undergraduate as well as graduate courses, to majors and non-majors. They will hold regular office hours, and participate in extracurricular teaching activities such as critiques, review panels, thesis supervision, independent study, and advising. University service includes program, Parsons, and New School assignments on committees and task forces, and as program directors or associate directors with a reduced teaching load. All faculty are expected to be engaged with scholarship or professional/creative practice at a level commensurate with their faculty rank.

This faculty position is on a tenure track. The terms and conditions of this faculty appointment, including guidelines for advancement, promotion, and tenure, are governed by The New School policies set forth in the The New School Full-Time Faculty Handbook. Tenure-track candidates are expected to demonstrate the potential for excellence in research, scholarship, and/or creative professional practice. All hiring is subject to Provost budgetary approval.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A graduate degree in fashion design, fashion communications, fashion studies, a relevant fashion or design discipline; or equivalent experience (such as experiences in fashion making/design, the fashion industry, and/or community work).
• At least 1 year teaching experience at the university level.
• At least 1 year professional experience in the fashion, craft and/or design fields.
• Evidence of teaching
• Candidates should demonstrate how their professional experiences inform a deep commitment to diverse forms of knowledge and whose theoretical, professional practice and making/design expertise furthers equity, inclusion and social justice in and through fashion. 
• Educational and/or professional work/practice that centers inclusion and advances equity and social justice in and through fashion.
• Emerging research, scholarship and creative practice program that centers inclusion and advances equity and social justice in and through fashion, or potential to develop this program, with an international impact.
• Experience in higher education academic setting, with a working knowledge of curriculum development, student support, and management.
• Strong interest in working collaboratively across Parsons and the University.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team, as a collaborator or lead.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines, communicate and motivate effectively.
• Evidence of a commitment to educational equity in teaching, research, scholarship, creative practice, or other experience.
• Evidence of cross-cultural communication skills in teaching, research, scholarship, creative practice, or other experience.
• Evidence of demonstrated interest in / building the ability to mentor and support students from diverse backgrounds, to develop and nurture the individual student’s abilities, and a strong commitment to progressive education. This evidence can be in a candidate’s teaching, research, scholarship, creative practice, or other experience.
• Evidence of a commitment to diversity and inclusion (in classroom, campus, community) in teaching, research, scholarship, creative practice, or other experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience teaching English language learners, students from low income backgrounds, and first generation college students. 
• University-level teaching that includes a combination of core requirements, studios, seminars and/or tutorials, at the undergraduate and graduate levels.