Sessional Lecturer - FAH380H1S The History of Art and Crime

University of Toronto • Toronto, ON

3d • Onsite

About The Position

This course examines the fascinating and complex world of art crime, exploring its role in a range of topics including theft, forgery, trafficking, looting, vandalism, appropriation, and white-collar infractions. Through the study of cases from antiquity to the recent 2025 Louvre heist, it investigates the underbelly of the art ecosystem as well as the motivations and methods of its criminals. Turning students into sleuths, classes offer a counter-narrative to conventional art history and investigate the legal, ethical, and social complexities of protecting cultural heritage by following its stories beyond galleries into courtrooms and criminal investigations. Through the consideration of art crimes not only as a form of unlawful activity, but also as a lens through which to understand the economics and power of cultural output, the class ultimately asks: What and who has the ability to determine art's authenticity, value, ownership and place in history? Estimated Course Enrolment: 80 students. Estimated TA Support: 85 TA hours. Class Schedule: Fridays 3:00pm - 5:00pm (In Person).

Requirements

• MA in Art History or a related field is required
• Teaching, writing, and communication skills in the history of art are required
• Demonstrated experience in the variety of writing genres and styles associated with art history, including museum exhibitions, publications, reviews, criticism, academic analysis, popular print, and media
• Demonstrated experience supporting students' academic writing skills
• At least two years of experience creating and marking undergraduate writing assignments, exercises, and/or undergraduate essays in art history

Nice To Haves

• PhD in Art History is strongly preferred
• Previous teaching experience in this or a similar course at the university level

Responsibilities

• Preparing and delivering one 2-hour lecture per week
• Developing and publishing the syllabus and marking scheme through Quercus
• Preparing relevant assignments for student assessment
• Setting and invigilating term tests and final examination/assignments for student assessment
• Grading and reporting of final grades
• Maintaining office hours for academic counseling of students
• Answering queries by email or appointment
• Supervising a TA

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level