Job Description

Date Posted: 07/02/2023
Req ID: 32501
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Inst for Hist & Phil of Sci & Tech
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

Course number and title: HPS 346H1F Modifying and Optimizing Life: on the Peculiar Alliance between AI, Biology, and Engineering

Course description: Taking cue from the entanglements that historically have pervaded the relation between biology and information technology since the early 20C century, this course interrogates the sociocultural and technological conjuncture that has brought computer science, biology and engineering together into peculiar, ingenious, and often controversial alliances. What do AI, synthetic biology, and biotechnology have in common? How have they come to be associated? What are the debates and ethics emerging from such associations? The course will focus on topics such as: geoengineering and bioremediation; GMO and Robotic insects; the use of expert systems and machine learning to optimize synthetic biology; the flourishing and marketing of precision and personalized medicine/immunotherapy; and the ethics behind CRISPR babies.

Estimated course enrolment: 65 students

Estimated TA support: 110 hours

Class schedule: In-Person: Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Sessional dates of appointment: September 1 to December 31, 2023

Salary: Sessional Lecturer I - $9,457.90; Sessional Lecturer I - Long Term - $9,930.79; Sessional Lecturer II - $10,121.77; Sessional Lecturer II - Long Term - $10,326.62; Sessional Lecturer III - $10,362.76; Sessional Lecturer III - Long Term - $10,570.02

Please note that should rates stipulated in the collective agreement vary from rates stated in this posting, the rates stated in the collective agreement shall prevail.

Minimum qualifications: PhD in HPS, STS, Media and Communication Studies or another area related to the course. Experience in teaching.

Preferred qualifications: Knowledge of contemporary issues in IT and Biology/biotechnology/synthetic biology. Evidence of excellence in teaching.

Description of duties: Prepare syllabus and course materials; deliver course content and lectures; develop and administer assignments; grade assignments; submit grades on time; respond to student questions and emails in a timely and courteous fashion; hold regular office hours; supervise teaching assistants if needed.

Application instructions:
All individuals interested in this position must submit a Curriculum Vitae, cover letter and the CUPE 3902 Unit 3 application form available at by email to with the subject line \xe2\x80\x9cApplication for SL for HPS346H1F Fall Term 2023-24\xe2\x80\x9d.

A valid applicant email address must be included.

Closing Date: 07/25/2023, 11:59PM EDT
**

This job is posted in accordance with the CUPE 3902 Unit 3 Collective Agreement.

It is understood that some announcements of vacancies are tentative, pending final course determinations and enrolment. Should rates stipulated in the collective agreement vary from rates stated in this posting, the rates stated in the collective agreement shall prevail.

Preference in hiring is given to qualified individuals advanced to the rank of Sessional Lecturer II or Sessional Lecturer III in accordance with Article 14:12 of the CUPE 3902 Unit 3 collective agreement.

Please note: Undergraduate or graduate students and postdoctoral fellows of the University of Toronto are covered by the CUPE 3902 Unit 1 collective agreement rather than the Unit 3 collective agreement, and should not apply for positions posted under the Unit 3 collective agreement.

University of Toronto