Job Description
Victoria College: Material Culture & Semiotics Program
Position: Teaching Assistant (1 Position - CUPE 3902, Unit 2)
MCS225Y1Y: A History of the World in Objects and Signs
Through a multidisciplinary approach, this course opens new perspectives on the history of artifacts, the evolution of a world of things and signs, and the meanings of material culture. Lectures and tutorials are supplemented by hands-on exercises in museums and local communities. In this course we will look at the world around us from a new perspective. Our goal will be to understand how the objects that surround us create the context of our lives and how this ecology of objects has developed over time. This is a topic that requires a flexible methodology and multiple perspectives. Engaging with artifacts also requires a hands-on engaged approach. Our goal is to understand how to think about objects and how to integrate the study of artifacts into academia. This course will involve tutorials and assignments built on hands on research with collections ranging from Paleolithic stone tools to Italian Mallorca pottery.
Posting Date: May 4, 2026
Closing Date: June 3, 2026
Estimated course enrolment: 45
Hours of work: 170 hours
Class schedule: Mondays 12pm-2pm (lecture); Mondays 2pm and 3pm (tutorials)
Dates of appointment: September 1, 2026-April 30, 2027
Salary: $53.92 per hour as per CUPE agreement
Course Modality: In-person, Victoria College campus
Qualifications required:
MA in a related academic discipline (such as Archaeology, Anthropology, Art History, History, Medieval Studies, Museum Studies); preference will be given to students enrolled in a PhD program in one of the aforementioned fields. The successful candidate will have a relevant and adaptable theoretical base with which to put the course materials into context, and experience working with material culture. Relevant experience should be demonstrated through research projects, dissertation topic, publications and/or teaching that shows scholarship on theories and practices of material culture and semiotics.
of duties:
The TA will be required to conduct weekly tutorial sections, to meet with the instructor, and to mark student assignments (numbers to be determined according to course enrolment). It is also expected that
the TA will keep a record of student progress (i.e., students’ attendance, participation, and essay marks), which will be used by the instructor to determine final marks.
Application: You must submit as one PDF file, in order (Cover Letter and CV)
Your file must follow this naming convention: Your full name – course code application – date of submission. E.g., FirstName Surname – MCS225Y1Y application – June 3, 2026
This job is posted in accordance with the CUPE 3902 Unit 2 Collective Agreement. It is understood that some announcements of vacancies are tentative, pending final course determinations and enrolment.
Victoria University is committed to equity in access to employment and a diverse and inclusive workplace. The University encourages applications from racialized persons/persons of colour, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQI+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. Applicants’ lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the position. If you require accessibility accommodation, please contact the Human Resources Department vic.hr@utoronto.ca.
