Summer 2026 Sessional Lecturer: FCS292H1S - Love, Sex and Desire in French Literature and Cinema (Toronto, ON, CA)

Course description This online, asynchronous course will explore the themes of love, sex and desire in French literature and cinema through close reading, analysis, and interpretation of three major novels from the eighteenth to the twentieth literature. A comparative approach based on various examples taken from literary, philosophical texts and from film adaptations will examine the concept of love and its many definitions. Selections from ancient and modern philosophical texts on love, sex, and desire will be the starting point of our discussions: Ovid, "The Art of Love", Plato, "The Symposium", Bataille, "Eroticism", Beauvoir, "The Woman in Love", and Foucault, "The History of Sexuality".

Estimated course enrolment: 100 Estimated TA support: 40hrs Class schedule: Online Asynchronous

Sessional dates of appointment:  July 1 to August 31, 2026.

Salary: (including vacation pay)  

Sessional Lecturer I – $9,820.70 

Sessional Lecturer I, Long Term – $10,510.04 

Sessional Lecturer II – $10,510.04 

Sessional Lecturer II, Long Term - $10,760.28 

Sessional Lecturer III – $10,760.28 

Sessional Lecturer III, Long Term - $11,060.36 

*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 French Literature or a closely related field • Demonstrated excellence in university-level teaching • Strong expertise in course design, planning, lecture preparation, and the integration of online course materials • In-depth knowledge of French culture, cinema, and literature • Native or near-native written and spoken proficiency in English

• Strong proficiency in written French

Preferred qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of the use of Quercus, specifically its Test Manager and communication tools

• Experience with course coordination or TA supervision

Description of duties

• Responsible for all aspects of delivering a university credit course including:

• Preparation of all class material, including tests and assignments

• Holding regular office hours

• Maintaining regular email contact with students and teaching assistant(s)

• Marking of tests and assignments

Application instructions: Applicants should submit a cover letter addressed to Professor Michael Friesner, Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies, a current Curriculum Vitae and the CUPE 3902 Unit 3 application form, available at Unit-3-Application-Form - May 2024 - Fillable.pdf. Applications should be sent by 9:00am on April  22, 2026 to the Undergraduate Administrator, [email protected].

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.

Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity seeking groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the position.

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.