Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Cluster in California Studies (Tenure-Track)
Location: Moraga, CA
Open Date: Dec 09, 2024
Deadline:
Description:Saint Mary's College (SMC) of California invites applications for two tenure-track Assistant Professor positions as part of an interdisciplinary cluster hire in California Studies. The California Studies Cluster initiative brings together units in Ethnic Studies and U.S./California History with an emphasis in Public History to understand the unique political, economic, cultural, and social challenges and opportunities that face California from the perspective of historically marginalized and racialized populations. The successful candidates will play an active role in making Saint Mary's an innovative and interdisciplinary hub for the study of California as a site for engaged learning and innovative community-based research. The successful applicants will play a leadership role in expanding our Ethnic Studies and Public History program offerings, and based on their research expertise and scholarly interests may collaborate with other interdisciplinary programs at the College such as Media Production and Community Media, Environmental Justice & Sustainability Studies, and Women's & Gender Studies. As a Catholic liberal arts institution, we seek a candidate with a commitment to undergraduate teaching and advising and whose College service would prioritize the needs of our students, especially those who are first generation students and students of color.

ETHNIC STUDIES:
The School of Liberal Arts at Saint Mary's College seeks a social science or educational studies trained scholar of ethnic studies whose area of specialization include, but are not limited to: social movements and solidarities; anti-colonial solidarities; immigrant rights; political education and anti-racist teaching; native sovereignty; and/or Black feminist thought. While the areas of specialization are open, we do seek a scholar whose research and teaching is informed by the historical praxis of ethnic studies with demonstrated evidence that their work centers California as a site for emancipatory projects and imaginations. The Ethnic Studies Department at SMC embraces intersectional, interdisciplinary, and especially community-engaged approaches to both faculty research and teaching. The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate courses that may include Introduction to Ethnic Studies; Creating Community: Introduction to Skills for Building Justice; an upper division Comparative Racializations Course; as well as upper division courses connected to their expertise in relationship to California.
PUBLIC HISTORY:
The School of Liberal Arts at Saint Mary's College seeks a hands-on teacher-scholar-practitioner in Public History, with a specialization in U.S./California history from an anti-racist and decolonial perspective, and a willingness to partner with local community organizations and institutions to provide meaningful and sustained engaged learning collaborations with undergraduate students. The successful candidate will teach the Introduction to Public History course, California History, the lower-division U.S. History sequence, upper-division courses in their subfield(s) of expertise (preferably illuminating the histories of under-represented communities), plus the opportunity to teach the History methods, research, and writing courses in rotation. The successful candidate will contribute to the department and its interdisciplinary partners to grow our Public History program, National History Day partnership, and contribute as a core member to the interdisciplinary cluster in California Studies.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications:

• In alignment with the position applied for, a Ph.D. in U.S. History with concentration or significant experience in Public History or Ethnic Studies. Graduate degrees in related fields of Education, Geography, American Studies, or other interdisciplinary programs will be considered, if they align with the teaching and scholarship themes of the respective positions in the California Studies cluster.
• Demonstrated record of teaching and/or clear evidence of teaching potential attentive to matters of power, privilege, and equity. Experience as a graduate teaching assistant will be considered.
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  Demonstration of research potential and an established vision for future research in areas pertaining to the cluster theme.
  
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  Experience mentoring underrepresented undergraduate students in higher education.
  

Preferred Qualifications:

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  Record of collaborative and active interdisciplinary research
  
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  Experience with interdisciplinary curricular development
  
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  Experience acquiring external funds
  
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  Record of successful collaboration with community-based organizations
  

Saint Mary's faculty are expected to maintain an active scholarly agenda and demonstrate intellectual growth and significant achievement appropriate to their field. All faculty also contribute to the mission in alignment with Transformation 2028 strategic priorities, especially as it relates to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and interdisciplinary programming.
All faculty serve the College and community in many ways, such as academic advising, student and community outreach, participation in departmental and College-wide committees, and the development and assessment of the College's Core Curriculum. Faculty are also encouraged to teach in the College's Core Curriculum, January Term, and Collegiate Seminar programs.
Institutional Background
Saint Mary's College of California (Saint Mary's) is a comprehensive university, grounded in the liberal arts, Catholic, and Lasallian traditions in addition to being a vibrant and inclusive Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) that engages the intellect and the spirit with exceptional academics. Saint Mary's was founded by the De La Salle Christian Brothers and remains a living legacy of the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the Christian Brothers and patron saint of teachers. We provide an education that changes lives and inspires the desire to find one's calling in a world in need of transformation. Saint Mary's invites students to passionately embrace knowledge, the challenges of scholarship, and their own capacity to make lasting change in the world. We are an institution made up of committed faculty and staff who value shared inquiry, integrative learning and student interaction with practices and policies that reflect a commitment to inclusive excellence and a community in which all are valued, respected, and supported.
Salary Range
The salary range for this position is reflected in the Faculty Salary Scale, available here.
A substantial number of Saint Mary's students are first-generation-to-college, and the College has been designated a Minority Serving Institution, as a Hispanic Serving Institution and as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution. We encourage candidates who bring experience or dedication to working specifically with these student populations. The California Studies cluster intends to support greater diversity in our faculty and staff to broaden students' academic experience and to enrich our campus community. Candidates must be sensitive to the needs of and possess an interest in working in an academic community that is diverse with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or identity, disability status, and protected veteran status. We seek candidates who have a demonstrated commitment to supporting and further building our community in these dimensions. Our community believes that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to the fulfillment of our institutional mission. We value inclusiveness in learning, curricular and cocurricular programming, campus climate, recruitment, admissions, hiring and retention. For more information, please visit our Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website.
To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/160226

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