SL342847-Fall 2025-IMPR*6020 Arts-Based Community Making (1)

Sessional Lecturer Work Assignment
Sessional Lecturer, Unit 2
Academic Unit: 
Dean's Office - COA
Semester(s) of Assignment(s): 
Fall 2025
Number of Available Work Assignment(s) / Sections: 
1
Level of Work Assignment(s): 
1
Right of First Refusal (RoFR)
A Sessional Lecturer holds a RoFR (i.e., for a particular course) if they have successfully taught the course in the past six (6) semesters. A SL who holds a RoFR to this course is required to exercise their right by way of the online hiring system. Also see: What is Right of First Refusal (RoFR)?
A Sessional Lecturer Currently Holds a Right of First Refusal for this Course: 
No
Course Details
Course Number: 
IMPR*6020
Course Name: 
Arts-Based Community Making (1)
Course Format: 
In-Class
Course Description: 
See Course Calendar
Other Course Description or Assignment Information: 
This is the first half of a two-semester graduate course which studies the links between improvisation and social practices, and the connections between principles of improvised artistic practices and those of ethical community-engaged collaboration. The Arts-Based Community Making (ABCM) course develops students' critical literacy skills in inter-personal and -cultural contexts; teaches them to 'read' and negotiate systems of power and privilege; and develops their capacity to put these critical skills to work in the context of community-engaged research and collaborative artistic practices. Within a community context, this course teaches students to have initiative, to show leadership, to understand reciprocal community relations and how to make a difference; to become community catalysts by activating their and others' agency; to understand structures of volunteerism, not-for-profit community engagement, and other forms of activating and engaging with community. Through the assigned readings and case studies, students will become familiar with and able to employ the vocabularies and principles of improvisation in relation to what George Lipsitz insightfully - and provocatively - calls "arts-based community making." Students will develop and exercise critical skills in interpersonal and intercultural literacy, and develop their capacity to put these skills to work in the context of community-based research and creative projects. Students will learn and then implement, through applied projects, key principles of community-engaged research and arts-based practice.
Projected Class Enrolment: 
5
Anticipated Duties and Responsibilities
Anticipated Duties and Responsibilities: 
Orientation-Training
Office Hours
Preparation
Student Consultation
Lecturing
Email Correspondence/Monitoring
Grading
Other Duties Described: 
This course includes a considerable time commitment to students outside of class hours, corresponding with students, advising students, and consulting with students on an individual and /or group basis. The instructor for this course will be expected to engage a diverse range of stakeholders (community members, professors, students, and representatives of different ethno-cultural groups), who will explore and situate pedagogy in the context of improvisation in relation to community engagement. PLEASE NOTE: This is the first part of a two-semester long course. The successful candidate for this offering would accrue Right of First Refusal (RoFR) for the second part of this course (Winter 2026), which will require a separate application at a later date.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
Degree: 
PhD related to field
Prior Teaching Experience: 
Other
Expertise teaching in Critical Studies in Improvisation; experience teaching at the graduate level.
Required competence, capability, skill and ability related to course content: 
The successful applicant is required to demonstrate: (1) A strong understanding of community-engaged research, practice, and teaching; (2) Recent or current engagement in research related to improvisation and community engagement; (3) Depth of knowledge in fields of improvisation studies and community engagement; (4) Strong written, verbal, and online communication skills; (5) Demonstrated experience working with students in an advisory capacity.
Preferred Qualifications
Degree: 
PhD and expert in course content
Prior Teaching Experience: 
Successful teaching related to field at college or university level.
Research Experience: 
Quality and or Recent Research activity in related field demonstrating knowledge of current developments in course content.
Days Required and Wages
Days and Times Required: 
Tuesday/Thursday 10:00 am - 11:20 am, weekly
Period of the Work Agreement (Start Date and End Date): 
September 2, 2025 to December 19, 2025
Wages (per semester, per full-load): 
minimum $8,838.51 (effective 2025/26)
Other Posting Information
Application Deadline (All postings will automatically expire at 11:59 pm on this day): 
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Posting Email Contact: 
artsidp@uoguelph.ca
Hiring Contact Information: 
Academic Program Assistant, Interdisciplinary Programs

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution. For more information, the Office of Diversity and Human Rights (DHR) is a welcoming, safe and confidential one-stop shop for information, training and support on issues relating to diversity and human rights on our campus.
SL work assignments are unionized with CUPE3913 and their terms and conditions of work are covered by the Unit 2 Collective Agreement between the University and CUPE 3913 (email contact: president@cupe3913.on.ca).

All applicants must be eligible to work in Canada specifically at the University of Guelph before applying for an academic work assignment. All successful applicants must perform their work in Ontario and must be able to attend on-campus in-person meetings as required.