Swarthmore College: Environmental Studies Program

Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Open Date: Nov 01, 2023

Description: The Environmental Studies Program at Swarthmore College invites applications for a three-year position at the level of Visiting Assistant Professor in the field of Indigenous Environmental Studies with a focus on Native American/American Indian and Indigenous communities in North America. The position will begin in fall of 2024. The successful candidate will teach two courses each semester, including, for example, Environmental Issues in Native American Communities, Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change, and courses in the candidate’s area of focus.

We seek applications from scholars who foreground Indigenous Peoples and their local communities in their research and teaching, who have knowledge and direct experience in Native American communities, who incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems and Indigenous methodologies in their work, and who approach Indigenous environmental issues through a transdisciplinary lens. Topical specialization is open but we especially welcome applications from candidates whose teaching and research addresses some subset of the following: environmental law and policy, environmental history, environmental anthropology, and Native American history. We value scholars who honor Indigenous cultural continuity, self-determination, economic resilience, and community well-being.

Swarthmore’s Environmental Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program bringing together teacher-scholars from the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences and engineering to address the complex social and environmental issues of our time. Additional information about the Program in Environmental Studies can be found at https://www.swarthmore.edu/environmental-studies

Located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. The Swarthmore undergraduate student body has 44% U.S. minority enrollment and 11% international enrollment. Swarthmore has a strong commitment to inclusive excellence through diversity in its educational program and employment practices.

Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to diversity, and actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information on Faculty Diversity and Excellence at Swarthmore, see http://www.swarthmore.edu/faculty-diversity-excellence/information-candidates-new-faculty

Qualifications:

Qualifications include a Ph.D. in Native American and Indigenous Studies or a related field in hand by August 2024.

The strongest candidates will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to creative teaching and an active research program that speaks to and motivates undergraduates from diverse backgrounds.

Application Instructions

Applicants should include the following items:

- brief cover letter describing their interest in Swarthmore College

- curriculum vitae

- writing sample (such as an article, book chapter, or dissertation chapter)

- teaching statement that describes the applicant’s interests in teaching at an undergraduate institution, previous teaching experience, and approach to teaching and mentoring students from diverse backgrounds.

- sample syllabus that ideally encapsulates a course in Indigenous Environmental Studies the candidate would like to teach at Swarthmore.

- graduate school transcript

- three letters of recommendation. At least one letter of recommendation should comment specifically on teaching. Applications will not be considered until letters of recommendation have been submitted.

All applications received by November 30, 2023, will receive full consideration, and review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Apply via Interfolio at apply.interfolio.com/135666. Selected applicants will be invited for interviews. Please address any questions you may have to Sandra Sullivan, Environmental Studies Program, at ssulliv2@swarthmore.edu.