Job: Curator and professor of anthropology, University of Oklahoma (requried expertise in Native North American languages)

[Scott McGinnis]

Rank of Job: Assistant/Associate
Areas Required: Native American Languages
Other Desired Areas: Language Endangerment
University or Organization: University of Oklahoma
Department: Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History / Department of
Anthropology
State or Province: Oklahoma
Country: United States
Final Date of Application: Open until filled
Contact: Melanie Davidson mgdavidson at ou.edu

Address for Applications:
2401 Chautauqua Ave.
Norman
OK 73072
USA

Assistant/Associate Curator of Native American Languages
Assistant/Associate Professor of Anthropology

The University of Oklahoma's Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural
History and the Department of Anthropology seek an Assistant/Associate
Curator of Native American Languages and an Assistant/Associate
Professor of Anthropology for a 12-month joint tenure track or tenured
position. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in linguistic
anthropology or linguistics with a research specialization in Native
North American languages. Candidates must demonstrate evidence of
active engagement in outreach efforts to Native communities and a
willingness to build a museum program with a Native North American
language focus.  The holder of this position will collaboratively
develop language documentation and maintenance projects with
Oklahoma's Native communities, integrating outreach and basic research
with participation in museum exhibits and programs, and must possess a
willingness to seek external funding for outreach and research. In the
role of curator, the successful candidate will utilize traditional and
digital archival techniques and multi-media technology to establish
and utilize a public collection of American Indian language data. The
holder of this joint position will teach one course each semester in
the Anthropology Department and take an active role in the graduate
program. Rank and salary will be commensurate with evidence of
experience and publications. Scholars working on combating language
endangerment and the development of language maintenance strategies,
as well as those with experience in fieldwork-based descriptive
linguistics, are encouraged to apply. The start date for the position
is July 1, 2002, but is negotiable.

Please send a letter of interest, resume, and writing sample to American
Indian Language Curator Search Committee, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of
Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73069. Also,
please ask three references to send letters of recommendation directly
to the search committee. Electronic applications and letters are
welcome. Please send hard copy applications to Melanie Davidson,
Assistant to the Director, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History,
2401 Chautauqua, Norman, OK 73072-7029. Electronic applications may be
sent to mgdavidson at ou.edu. OU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Review of
applications will begin April 15. Applications will be accepted until
the position is filled.

The state of Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma possess diverse
and strong resources for work on American Indian languages. The state
is the ancestral home to over forty American Indian languages
representing at least six families. The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of
Natural History is a large and comprehensive center for research and
public programs.  Housed in a new state-of-the-art facility, the
museum possesses a strong commitment to community service and has an
established tradition of working with American Indian communities. Its
Divisions of Ethnology and Archaeology hold large and significant
collections of American Indian material culture. The museum has 14
active curators who are leading researchers in their disciplines (and
an additional 135 staff members).  The Department of Anthropology is a
Ph.D.-granting program with a focus on American Indian studies. The
department offers a full and growing curriculum of instruction in
American Indian languages, with classes offered in Choctaw, Kiowa,
Cherokee, and Creek/Seminole. The successful candidate will join an
existing faculty that includes six linguistic anthropologists and four
native language instructors. The campus is also home to a strong
Native American Studies program, a rich Western history archive, and a
large Native American student body.