Assistant Professor Public Humanities

The Department of Classics and Humanities at San Diego State University (SDSU) invites applications for a position in public humanities at the rank of Assistant Professor to start in the 2022-2023 academic year. We are seeking a dynamic, engaged, scholar who is committed to interdisciplinary approaches, creative research and pedagogy, and program building.

We are seeking a candidate with a doctorate in a humanities field, broadly defined, who understands public humanities as those ideas and practices that bridge academia and the public sphere. This may include history, museum studies, American Studies, Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies, Cultural Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Successful candidates should have promising publishing agendas, experience in the classroom, a demonstrated record of social justice advocacy. Preference will also be given to candidates whose research addresses historically underrepresented groups and/or marginalized communities, spaces, and places.

Ph.D. must be in hand by August 2022.

We encourage applications from candidates with evident experience in public humanities and with research specialization in some combination of the following fields: social justice; representations of race; race and memory; health justice; violence in the public sphere; public art; cultural heritage preservation; public history; or digital public humanities (e.g., virtual tourism, archives, exhibitions). The area of geographical focus is open, as is the disciplinary specialization (Ph.D. training), though we require a candidate with interdisciplinary teaching and research interests who can join other faculty across the college and university in strengthening relationships between the SDSU community and individuals, as well as communities, and organizations outside of academia through public facing scholarship and research. Candidates whose research field is the experience of minority or marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply.

The successful candidate will teach core Humanities courses and will help develop Public Humanities as a new area of specialization within our department and College. We seek a candidate who will contribute to our growing department and augment its existing strengths in analyzing place, community, and identity from a local and transnational perspective. We invite candidates who have a strong commitment to equity in higher education and to supporting a diverse population of students.

We are seeking applicants with demonstrated experience in and/or commitment to teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups. Candidates must satisfy two or more of the eight Building on Inclusive Excellence (BIE) criteria. Candidates that meet BIE criteria: (a) are committed to engaging in service with underrepresented populations within the discipline, (b) have demonstrated knowledge of barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline, (c) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students, (d) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to integrating understanding of underrepresented populations and communities into research, (e) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to extending knowledge of opportunities and challenges in achieving artistic/scholarly success to members of an underrepresented group, (f) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to research that engages underrepresented communities, (g) have expertise or demonstrated commitment to developing expertise in cross-cultural communication and collaboration, and/or (h) have research interests that contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education. Please indicate in a separate diversity statement how you meet at least two (2) of these criteria (one-page maximum).

San Diego State University is the largest university in San Diego and the third largest in California. The highly diverse campus community has a student population of over 36,000 and approximately 5,849 faculty and staff. SDSU is included in the Carnegie Foundation’s Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity category. Established in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor degrees in 84 areas, masters in 76 and doctorates in 21. See http://www.sdsu.edu for more information. SDSU is a large, diverse, urban university and Hispanic-Serving Institution with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. Our campus community is diverse in many ways, including race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, pregnancy, medical condition, and covered veteran status. We strive to build and sustain a welcoming environment for all.

Interested candidates should apply via Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/98220 on or before December 10, 2021. Candidates should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a diversity statement (one page max), a statement evidencing engaged work in the Public Humanities (one page max), and names and contact information of three (3) references (letters will be requested of finalists only).

The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

SDSU is a Title IX, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, medical condition, or covered veteran status.