SEEKING RESIDENT ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS TO SUPPORT
NYU PRESIDENT JOHN SEXTON’S 2014-2015 COURSES IN ABU DHABI AND SHANGHAI
New York University President John Sexton intends to teach his Government and Religion Class (“The U.S. Supreme
Court’s Treatment of Church and State”) in both Abu Dhabi and Shanghai in Academic Year 2014-2015. Resident
Assistant Instructors are needed to support instruction for three constituent groups: top Emirati students as part of the
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholars Program (SMSP), New York University Abu Dhabi students, and New York
University Shanghai students. The SMSP is a highly selective program for third and fourth year baccalaureate students
from the United Arab Emirates that offers the Scholars unique academic, leadership, and cultural experiences (see
http://nyuad.nyu.edu/smsp/). NYU Abu Dhabi (see http://nyuad.nyu.edu) and NYU Shanghai (see
http://shanghai.nyu.edu/en) are part of NYU’s global network university.
One Resident Assistant Instructor will live in Abu Dhabi or within reasonable commuting distance for the academic year
(August 2014 through June 2015); this individual will assist with the SMSP and NYU Abu Dhabi courses.
Two other Resident Assistant Instructors will live in Abu Dhabi or within reasonable commuting distance during the fall
semester (August 2014 through December 2014) and then Shanghai during the spring semester (January 2015 through
June 2015) with five trips to Abu Dhabi in the spring; one of these Resident Assistant Instructors will assist with the
SMSP and NYU Shanghai courses and the other Resident Assistant Instructor will assist with the NYU Abu Dhabi and
NYU Shanghai courses.
Duties
Resident Assistant Instructors for SMSP will serve as part the Program’s staff and faculty support team and will have
various duties assigned by the Executive Director, Diane C. Yu. These responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Attending a SMSP faculty and staff orientation in June;
• Participating in a two day Student Orientation Weekend in early September;
• Teaching approximately 14 two-hour sessions, jointly with another AI, to prepare for John Sexton’s lectures, and
observe approximately 10 two-hour lectures by John Sexton. The AI sessions are primarily the responsibility of
the Assistant Instructors based on the overall course content set by John Sexton;
• Communicating regularly with Primary Instructor John Sexton regarding lesson plans, assignments, student
progress, and administrative matters related to the class;
• Assigning and grading all written assignments and class participation;
• Working collaboratively with other program faculty, including but not limited to:
o Conducting approximately 12 online critical thinking discussions in collaboration with the Critical
Thinking and Persuasive Writing class. This includes drafting, reviewing, and grading Critical Thinking
discussions;
o Facilitating approximately 5 “peer review” sessions in collaboration with the Critical Thinking and
Persuasive Writing class;
o Providing speaking topics in collaboration with the Public Speaking and Presentations class;
o Assisting in enforcing program rules and policies;
o Facilitating academic programs between Scholars, NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai students;
• Collaborating with the other SMSP faculty and staff to nurture the Scholars, including assisting in duties related
to SMSP weekends, and periodic check-in meetings (around one per month) and approximately two more
significant strategic meetings during the year;
• Accompanying the Scholars on a 10 day trip to New York and Washington, D.C. in late January;
• Serving as a judge for Summer Academy 1 Selection Days in early Spring;
• Writing assessments of each Scholar’s performance, suitable for letters of recommendation for graduate school
and fellowships;
• Preparing Scholars for and supporting efforts of The Steel Cage Match, the culminating course experience;
• Attending Closing Ceremonies in late April;
1
The NYU Abu Dhabi Summer Academy is an 18-month program designed to enhance the academic profiles of highly-motivated
Abu Dhabi-based Emirati high school students (see http://nyuad.nyu.edu/academics/community-programs/summer-academy.html).
SEEKING RESIDENT ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS TO SUPPORT
NYU PRESIDENT JOHN SEXTON’S 2014-2015 COURSES IN ABU DHABI AND SHANGHAI
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Serving as a judge on SMSP Selection Days in late Spring;
Any other duties that the Executive Director may reasonably assign.
The duties relating to the NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai classes include but are not limited to:
• Teaching two-hour sessions for every 12-15 students in the class in preparation for John Sexton’s lectures. This
requires approximately 30 two-hour sessions but may include more depending on the needs of the students and
the size of the class. The AIs are expected to be present in the classroom during John Sexton’s two-hour lectures
(unless they are teaching another cohort of the class). The AI sessions are primarily the responsibility of the
Assistant Instructor based on the overall course content set by John Sexton;
• Communicating regularly with Primary Instructor John Sexton regarding lesson plans, assignments, student
progress, and administrative matters related to the class;
• Communicating regularly with the other AI’s including but not limited to information regarding lesson plans,
assignments, student progress, and administrative matters related to the class (including A.V. and I.T. matters,
reservation of class space, etc.);
• Assigning and grading all written assignments and class participation;
• Preparing students for and supporting efforts of The Steel Cage Match, the culminating course experience;
• Serving as a judge on SMSP Selection Days in late Spring;
• Assisting with selection of the class during the summer (Abu Dhabi) or fall (Shanghai);
• Any other duties that may be reasonably assigned.
Application Process
To apply, please submit the following: (1) a resume, (2) a writing sample, fewer than 8 pages in length, (3) a personal
statement explaining your interest in this opportunity, identifying the experiences, skills, interests, and/or personal
characteristics that qualify you for this position, and any NYU affiliation (Word Limit: 600 Word).
APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED ON A ROLLING BASIS, AND WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL 5:00 P.M. ON
MONDAY, APRIL 28TH.
Finalists will be interviewed soon after the deadline. The 2014-2015 Resident Assistant Instructors will be announced by
late spring, 2014, with a mandatory training session scheduled shortly thereafter. Please visit our website at
http://nyuad.nyu.edu/about/careers/faculty-positions.html and http://shanghai.nyu.edu/en/about/work-here/open-positionsfaculty/ for instructions and information on how to apply.
Additional questions should be directed to Laurie Behringer: laurie.behringer@nyu.edu