Visiting Faculty, IHP Death and Dying

World Learning•New York, NY

8d•$28,000 - $32,000

About The Position

School for International Training (SIT) seeks a Visiting Faculty member to join an interdisciplinary team of faculty and country coordinators leading IHP' s Death & Dying: Perspectives, Practices, and Policies program in Fall 2026. Each semester term enrolls approximately 15-32 students from leading U.S. colleges and universities to engage in interdisciplinary, comparative studies on the meanings of death in four different countries. The Visiting Faculty travels with students to each location for the full duration of the semester. Please note that the following itinerary reflects tentative future semesters, but itineraries are contingent on conditions in each country and program needs: Fall 2026 (late August to mid-December): New York City (USA), Ghana, Mexico, and Indonesia IHP death & dying: perspectives, practices, & policies Death and Dying is a comparative study abroad program that examines perspectives on death and dying in different cultural contexts across four different countries. It is an interdisciplinary semester that draws on anthropology, sociology, public health, cultural and area studies, arts, and humanities. Its mission is to provide undergraduate students from leading U.S. colleges and universities with an intensive experiential learning-based exposure to how cultural practices, social policies, and creative communities confront and celebrate death. Students learn how to "read a cemetery" and interact with deathcare workers, dark tourism operators, community organizers, and spiritual leaders to understand death and dying on a neighborhood and national scale. Through formal courses led by visiting and local faculty, homestays with local families, guest lectures by in-country academics, local politicians and policy makers, site visits and meetings with NGOs, and neighborhood organizations and community activists, students will develop a nuanced understanding of what death means within a community that exists within a specific socio-political context. IHP's learning model is grounded in critical inquiry and analysis but attempts to bring those skills to bear on particular places and themes. It also helps students learn how to interact with a variety of local actors representing different perspectives, practices, and policies around death and dying.

Requirements

Terminal degree (PhD or equivalent; All But Dissertation considered ) in anthropology, sociology, social work, philosophy, theology, cultural or area studies, literature, or other field relevant to critical death studies.
Experience teaching at the college level and a strong commitment to experiential and inclusive learning, including non-didactic methods that promote critical thinking and field-based research, discussion, and self-reflection.
Qualitative research experience in a social science or liberal arts discipline.
Advanced study, scholarship, professional experience, and/or advocacy work adjacent to the program themes.
Must be able to meet the physical, emotional maturity, and mental health demands as well as possess the personal qualities - patience, adaptability, collegiality, cross-cultural competence, and organization - needed to be part of an intensive, team-oriented study abroad program that covers four countries in one semester.
The ability and desire to support and communicate with students throughout the study abroad experience both in and outside of the classroom.
Vaccination is strongly recommended for all employees in our U.S. offices except for those receiving medical or religious exemptions. If boosters are subsequently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), then employees and faculty will be recommended to receive the booster within thirty (30) days of their eligibility.

Nice To Haves

Experience living and working abroad, ideally in at least one of the program countries listed above (preferred).

Responsibilities

Teach two of four courses, depending on area of Expertise: Project Death: Community Engagement and Ethical Inquiry Sociology of Death: Deaths that Count and Lives that Matter See IHP Death & Dying: Perspectives, Practices, and Policies for details
Facilitate student learning through briefings, debriefings, and processing of non-lecture program components.
Provide timely feedback on assignments.
Participate in all country program activities including guest speakers, site visits, and other non-lecture components.
Work with the Provost's Office, Associate Deans, Program Director, and Country Coordinators, to ensure that any academic, administrative, and student affairs associated with the program are resolved.
Take appropriate measures to protect the health and safety of students in partnership with SIT Student Affairs and local staff.
Ensure that all students travelling on the official group flights are checked-in and through immigration.
Collect all receipts for all expenses incurred and complete expense reports in a timely manner according to World Learning financial policies and guidelines.
Other duties as assigned.