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Tenure Track, Assistant Professor, Democracy, Race and U.S. politics, Department of Politics

Employer
University of Virginia
Location
Charlottesville, VA

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Job Details

Job location: Charlottesville, VA


Employment Type: Full-time
Posted data: 2020-12-14
Req: R0020024

In the fall of 2020, with the generous support of the John L. Nau Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the University of Virginia’s Democracy Initiative and College of Arts & Sciences are launching a multiyear faculty hiring project. Over the next four years, we will hire a dozen or more new faculty members at all ranks in the departments of Classics, History, Philosophy, Politics, and elsewhere.

The mission of the Democracy Initiative is to promote excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement on democracy at a global scale —bringing together a diverse range of scholars, government leaders, and practitioners to study and advance the prospects of democracy around the world. The Democracy Initiative is interdisciplinary. It supports and advances the work of faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, in the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences. To that end, the Initiative supports a variety of labs built on models of collaborative work. The Democracy Labs will consist of the John Nau III History and Principles of Democracy Lab (the Core Lab) and a group of rotating labs. In addition to holding appointments in their home departments, each new faculty member hired under this initiative will also be a member either of the core lab—an interdisciplinary hub of research, teaching, and outreach devoted to the study of the history and principles of democracy—or one of the Initiative’s other research labs or projects

With the generous support of the John L. Nau Foundation, nine of these new faculty members will hold positions in the core lab on the history, principles, and philosophy of democracy. The core lab will serve as the nerve center of the entire Initiative, catalyzing key questions, research agendas, and forums for debate. It will find opportunities for cross-lab collaboration by identifying broader concerns that transcend those investigated by any single lab. It will gather philosophers, artists, and scholars of the ancient, modern, and post-modern worlds to research fundamental questions and possibilities of the democratic experiment in its varied global forms.

In addition to the Core Lab, the Democracy Initiative sponsors a series of rotating labs (current labs are focused on corruption and the rule of law, democracy and new media, democratic statecraft, and race, religion, and democracy) and a range of other research projects (including initiatives on Democracy and Public Memory and Race and Democracy). Three or more of the faculty hired through this initiative will be invited to contribute to those projects and/or help develop new programs for the broader Initiative.

As part of this hiring program the Department of Politics will fill four tenure-track positions. This year, the Department of Politics is launching two of those searches. Across all the searches, the Department seeks to appoint scholars whose primary research is focused on the study of the principles of democracy, democratic accountability and representation, either to advance the work of the core lab on the history and principles of democracy or to contribute to one of the Initiative’s other projects.

With the support of the Mellon Foundation, the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position for a scholar who studies democracy, race and U.S. politics. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in political science by the time of the appointment. Candidates should have an active research agenda, strong interest in teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and a willingness to contribute to the scholarly life of the Department of Politics. Scholars with a background in quantitative methods and interest in teaching courses in the department’s methods sequences are also encouraged to apply.

Application review will begin January 11, 2021 and the position will remain open until filled. The appointment begins with the fall semester of 2021. Applicants must have received their PhD by time of appointment.

TO APPLY:

Apply online at https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs: search for posting #R0020024 complete the application, and attach the following:

1. Cover letter of application describing (1) areas of research and teaching interest (2) potential research collaborations; (3) your demonstrated past experience working on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and/or working with diverse populations.

2. Current curriculum vitae

3. a research statement (not to exceed five pages)

4. a teaching philosophy (not to exceed one page)

5. one article-length writing sample

6. Three letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to: pol-race-search2020@virginia.edu.

*** Please note all required documents must be uploaded in the 'Resume' box.***

***Applications that do not contain all the required documents will not receive full consideration.***

Questions about this position should be directed to: Jennifer Lawless, Professor and Chair, Department of Politics, at jll9jx@virginia.edu. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to: Nicole Robinson, Faculty Search Advisor at nr7f@virginia.edu.

The University will perform background checks on all new faculty hires prior to making a final offer of employment.

UVA assists faculty spouses and partners seeking employment in the Charlottesville area. To learn more please visit https://dualcareer.virginia.edu. For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.

Organization

In 1819, the University of Virginia established a new model for intellectual exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration in higher education. Two hundred years later, as a major research institution, we continue to challenge conventions, lead with ingenuity and advance knowledge for the common good.

What began as an innovative idea has become one of the nation’s leading public research universities, with over 21,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UVA also has over 3,000 full-time faculty offering more than 400 degrees.

Each of the University’s eleven schools has its own distinctive mission, working together to garner consistently high rankings—including #2 Best Value Public College (Princeton Review, 2016), #3 Public University in the Nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2016), and #3 Best Value Among Public Colleges (Kiplinger’s, 2016).  

As we invest in and strengthen our research capabilities, UVA seeks new faculty ready to uncover new insights, rewrite old rules and collaborate on intellectual discoveries.

RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS THAT CROSS DISCIPLINES

As an R1 institution, the University’s research centers, consortia and laboratories are on the leading edge of discovery and technology, offering collaborative spaces for students and faculty to solve global problems.

Our professors are recognized members of major national scholarly and professional organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our faculty’s engagement in interdisciplinary research is being facilitated by new research institutes specializing in everything from big data to brain functioning, and by cluster hires across schools.

NATIONALLY RANKED HEALTH SYSTEM

UVA is also home to a nationally renowned academic medical center and the UVA Health System, which serves a three-part mission to treat patients, conduct translational research and train medical practitioners in a wide variety of disciplines.

Established as the nation’s 10th medical school in 1825, the institution has since grown to include a 612-bed hospital and a Level I trauma center, nationally recognized cancer and heart centers, a Children’s Hospital, and primary and specialty clinics throughout Central Virginia.

The UVA Medical Center is consistently ranked among the nation’s best hospitals by the U.S. News & World Report magazine and has been named among the top 25 percent in seven specialties.

INSPIRING STUDENTS, INSPIRED TEACHING

The vast majority of UVA students come from the top 10% of their high school class, as well as from all 50 states, over 142 countries and a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite their diversity, all UVA students share a love of learning and a drive to achieve.

One of the reasons students choose Virginia is our unique residential culture. At UVA, the community of students, faculty and staff personifies the Jeffersonian idea that living and learning are connected. The Academical Village was constructed to support a unique residential experience, with faculty living in the Pavilions, students occupying Lawn rooms and the world-famous Rotunda at its heart. The University’s residential culture continues to support this experience today—strengthened by students, faculty and staff rich in backgrounds, ideas and perspectives. Our unique culture is also paying dividends in innovation:  UVA’s faculty have generated more than 130 patents since 2010.

Perhaps most importantly, faculty come to UVA knowing that instruction is as important as research, and they pride themselves on their many teaching awards.  Our best professors look for ways to encourage, mentor and develop tomorrow’s leaders inside and outside the classroom.

LIFE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE

Living in Charlottesville you’ll find sophisticated restaurants, world-renowned wineries and breweries, cosmopolitan arts and music, friendly urban and suburban neighborhoods and a Piedmont landscape that has lured adventurous souls for centuries.  No wonder the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research named Charlottesville the “happiest city in America” in 2014.

In addition to UVA and its health system, several major employers have facilities in Charlottesville, including State Farm, Northrop Grumman, the U.S. Department of Defense, GE and others.  Charlottesville is also becoming a center for innovative start-up businesses.  The University also actively helps spouses and partners of faculty members build their networks and pursue employment opportunities with a wide variety of area employers. 

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, qualified individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination and may be entitled to reasonable accommodations to assist in their pursuit of employment at the University. This includes assistance in completing the online job application as well as reasonable accommodations during the interview process. Please contact the UHR Service Center: 434.982.0123 orAskHR@virginia.edu to request assistance.

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