Sessional Instructor: Reading Culture, Faculty of Arts & Science, Fall​/Winter

Sessional Instructor:
Reading Popular Culture, Faculty of Arts & Science, Fall/Winter 2026-27

Job Code: 3826 | Department:
Faculty of Arts & Science |

Employment Type:

Temporary/Contract

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we live, work, and create.

OCAD University, Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, is a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world. The University is an internationally renowned hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity, and arts administration. It embraces collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to change-making through art, design-thinking curriculum and research, making OCAD U a local, regional, national and global leader in art and design.

It is an exciting time to join the OCAD U community as the University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation, with the implementation of its Academic and Strategic Plan and guiding principles — driving positive impact; decolonization, indigenization and equity; environmental sustainability; emerging as a vibrant hub; student centered approaches; innovation in learning teaching and research; and financial stewardship.

HUMN
- Reading Popular Culture (0.5 credit)

Winter 2027:  - ;
Thursdays 3:10 p.m.

-6:10 p.m. | In-Person

This course examines the mass media as a dominant form of culture which socializes us while providing the materials for social reproduction and change. The emphasis of the course is on the stimulation of critical reflection and debate relevant to an understanding of various popular cultural genres in contemporary Canadian and global cultures. In studying various genres, including soap opera, science fiction, fashion and dance music, we compare different analytical approaches to reading culture and questioning the politics of representation, distribution, production, and consumption.

Students with credit in ACAD-2B14, HUMN-2B14, HUMN-3B01 may not take this course for credit.

• Course outline development
• Studio preparation and delivery inclusive of lectures and critiques
• Grading, mid‑term evaluations and final evaluations/reviews
• Responsibility for health and safety
• Meeting academic and curricular requirements and deadlines

• The successful applicant should have a terminal degree in art, design or relevant discipline and/or equivalent professional/practical experience
• Experience teaching at the post secondary level is considered an asset, equivalent relevant experience will be considered
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrated leadership and experience promoting a respectful and inclusive work and learning environment for students, staff, and faculty

Sessional appointments are fixed‑term annual contracts. Sessional compensation includes a per‑course pay scale with salary level of $7,508.00 (per 0.5 credit course) plus 7% in lieu of benefits and vacation pay, per the provisions of the Employment Standards Act. These positions are subject to budgetary approval and satisfactory enrolment levels.

Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada for any employer (with a valid work or study permit, SIN and Canadian bank account).

As an institution committed to art, design, digital media and related scholarship, OCAD University (OCAD U) recognizes the profound and essential value that diversity brings to the creation, reception and circulation of creative practices and discourse. OCAD U understands that valuing diverse creative practices and forms of knowledge are essential to and enrich the institution’s core mission and vision as an art and design university with a local and global scope.

As an employer committed to employment equity, we encourage applications from members of equity‑deserving communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

We encourage members of designated equity‑deserving groups to self‑identify within the voluntary Applicant Questionnaire.

In order to alleviate the under‑representation of racialized and Indigenous faculty, priority in hiring will be given to qualified racialized and Indigenous persons who self‑identify as such in the application process. This initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short‑listed will be contacted.