The Department of Political Science and the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Program (CRES) at the University of Denver invite applications for a jointly appointed tenure-line Assistant Professor to start in Fall 2025 in the field of American politics. The Department of Political Science consists of eleven tenured or tenure-line faculty supporting the Bachelors of Arts degree in political science within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Denver. Founded in 2018, the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies program (CRES) is a full program with two current tenure-line faculty, a tenured faculty director, and numerous affiliated faculty members. Like Political Science, CRES offers both an undergraduate major and minor. Both also serve undergraduates across campus by offering courses for the common curriculum.

Our faculty are dedicated to the robust pursuit of research, publication, and public engagement. We also value diversity, equity, and inclusion: a commitment by all constituents to create an academic experience that embraces and engages diverse perspectives and communities within an atmosphere of mutual respect. Our curricula endeavor to develop students’ abilities to think critically, communicate clearly, write effectively, and develop compelling analytical argumentation based on justifiable sources of empirical evidence and analytical reasoning.

Position Summary

We seek applications from American Politics scholars who study Race and/or Ethnicity. Specific concentrations within American Politics, Race, and/or Ethnicity are open. Scholars of Political Sociology and Public Policy who study Race and/or Ethnicity in the U.S. political context are also encouraged to apply.

The University of Denver embraces a teacher-scholar model where faculty balance their commitments to rigorous scholarship and to undergraduate education. The position requires teaching the equivalent of five in-person courses over the standard academic year (three quarters) in the Political Science department and/or CRES program, covering a range of CRES major requirements (i.e., Introduction to CRES, Quantitative Methods in CRES, or the CRES Capstone) and cross-listed upper division courses. The faculty member will be a fully participating and voting member of both programs. During the first two years of the position, the faculty member will also assist the Director of the CRES program in developing the new CRES major. To facilitate this, the faculty member will be protected from other substantial service obligations. After the first two years, the CRES program and Political Science department have established a practical distribution of teaching and service obligations to protect the faculty member from work overload, and that arrangement will be codified through a signed memorandum of understanding.

Our curricula are delivered via conventional face-to-face classes on our traditional residential campus, with most online-only courses occurring during summer sessions (in which faculty may elect to teach for supplemental income, pending sufficient enrollment). We welcome the incorporation of experiential learning opportunities in the curriculum. Adhering to the teacher-scholar model, the position requires maintaining an active scholarly agenda as demonstrated via scholarly publications, academic conference participation, etc. The person holding this position would also be expected to contribute to University, College, and departmental/program service.

Essential Functions

• Pursue a research agenda that results in high-quality scholarly publications.
• Teach the equivalent of five courses across three quarters per academic year, including cross-listed upper division classes between Political Science and the CRES program, as well as introductory, methods, theory, or senior project courses within the CRES program specifically. The teaching schedule will be annually coordinated with the CRES program director and Political Science department chair.
• Meet outside of class in office hours on campus and/or online to provide guidance and assistance to students enrolled in courses taught and to provide major advising to political science and CRES students.
• Deploy best practices through the University of Denver’s current course management system (Canvas), utilizing Canvas tools such as discussion boards, quizzes, assignments with uploaded files, and the gradebook as the means to collect student work, communicate feedback and assign grades, and to conduct class sessions and individual appointments remotely when the need for this arises.
• Advise students about major and BA requirements.
• Contribute to University, College, departmental, and program service

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced scholarly expertise (PhD level) in the field of American politics, focusing on Race, Ethnicity, and Politics.
• Successful publication of peer-reviewed scholarship on American politics, focusing on Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, and/or evidence of future promise as a scholar.
• Excellent skills in oral and written communication.
• Excellent undergraduate teaching skills
• Ability to interact constructively with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and undergraduate students.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Political Science, Political Sociology, or related field or interdisciplinary program (e.g. American studies or Public Policy). Must have a Ph.D. by start of appointment.
• Evidence of a relevant established scholarly agenda as indicated by peer-reviewed publications.
• Experience serving as an instructor of record in undergraduate &/or graduate courses in political (or related social) science.
• Interest in developing upper-division undergraduate courses to help build out the CRES curriculum.
• Growth toward teaching excellence and a commitment to incorporate inclusive teaching methods and/or pedagogies to effectively engage students from a wide range of backgrounds.
• A demonstrated commitment to, and experience in, promoting DEI and in using inclusive pedagogies.
• Experience using course management software (such as Canvas or similar).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience independently teaching two or more courses concurrently

Working Environment

1. Standard office environment.
2. Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
3. Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

1. Ability to sit in front of a computer for an extended period of time.
2. Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule
While the University's administrative offices are open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, faculty schedules vary from term to term and are based on courses taught, service commitments, and research agendas. The University's academic calendars are posted on the registrar's website (the law school is on a semester system and has a different academic calendar).

Application Deadline
For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) September 9, 2024.

Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Range:
The salary range for this position is $72,000-$82,000

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. CV that indicates scholarly specialization, publications and/or working papers, and courses you have taught before as an instructor.
2. Cover Letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for this position
3. Three distinct statements (1-2 pages each), combined into one document with identifying headers, that articulate your (a) research agenda, (b) teaching philosophy and methods to engage students, and (c) how your research, teaching, and/or service contribute to DU’s values, practices, and actions regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates can view DU’s DEI Action Plan [https://www.du.edu/equity/dei-action-plan] and/or the College of Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) DEI Strategic Plan [https://liberalarts.du.edu/news-events/all-articles/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-strategic-plan-cahss] for reference.
4. Three samples of written work (e.g., two chapters from dissertation or book and one article).
5. Evidence of teaching effectiveness including two course syllabi, a set of teaching evaluations from two different courses, and any other relevant artifacts of teaching excellence (e.g., a teaching award or recognition), all combined into one pdf file with headers identifying each discrete component.
6. For applicants who have not finished their PhD, please include graduate transcripts.
7. Contact information for three professional/academic references who will be emailed to upload letters of recommendation upon request. Candidates using Interfolio may arrange to send all three letters of recommendation in one pdf file via email to Darlene.Squires@du.edu. No other materials beyond letters of recommendation will be accepted via Interfolio.

The University of Denver recognizes that its success in being a great university dedicated to the public good depends greatly on how well it engages, supports, and champions the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. As part of our intentionality in recruiting and retaining faculty from a wide variety of historically excluded intersecting identities, including those from communities of color, with diverse gender and sexual identities, first-generation college graduates, or with disabilities, new faculty will have the opportunity to choose to participate in a university-wide initiative. This initiative will connect new colleagues in a cohort, building community across units with supportive programming led by the Office of the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs in collaboration with the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and each faculty participant’s academic unit. To learn more about the University of Denver’s commitments and work in support of DEI and J, please visit: https://www.du.edu/equity. For more information about this program or if you have any questions, please email inclusion@du.edu and/or visit https://duvpfa.du.edu/faculty-resources/prospective-faculty/.

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. The University of Denver prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University's educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; Equal Pay Act; Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers' Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.