Job Title: Assistant Professor in Comparative Cultural Studies with a specialization in Indigenous or Latinx Studies
Location: Humanities, Arts & Religion
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 605873
Workplace Culture

NAU is a community devoted to student success and sustained by an unshakable commitment to our shared mission, vision, and values. We—faculty, staff, and administrators—thrive by combining our efforts and working side by side to further NAU’s culture of excellence.

Special Information

This is a tenure track, full-time, benefit eligible, academic year appointed position on the Flagstaff Mountain campus beginning Fall 2022. The department of Comparative Cultural Studies brings together studies of art history, comparative religions, humanities, intellectual history, museum studies, arts and cultural management, and Asian studies in a multidisciplinary curriculum featuring three majors (the BA in CCS, the online BA in Humanities, and the ASN-IGP, an Integrated Global Program in Asian Studies). The Department offers minors in art history, arts and cultural management, Asian Studies, humanities, museum studies, and the comparative study of religion, as well as and a robust suite of courses serving NAU’s General Studies and diversity requirements. Our thirteen faculty (including two Fulbright scholars, two Guggenheim scholars, one Regent’s Professor, and several award-winning teachers) are credentialed across a variety of humanities disciplines and are active scholars in their fields. Our students master skills of comparative interpretation through engagement with diverse cultural texts and contexts. Course offerings range from the environmental humanities, ancient and contemporary religions and visual cultures, technology and the arts, regional and cultural studies, and the digital humanities.

Job Description

The Department of Comparative Cultural Studies (CCS) at NAU seeks to hire an assistant professor with expertise in an area of Native American or Latinx Studies that corresponds to one of the department’s disciplines: Art History, Environmental Humanities, Museum Studies, (Public) Humanities, and/or Religious Studies. The successful candidate will offer courses in their specialty and contribute to the mission of NAU’s new General Studies Program, which includes courses in Indigenous Peoples, US Ethnic Diversity, and American Institutions. In addition, the successful candidate should be prepared to make contributions to diversity and inclusion within the department and the College of Arts & Letters.

Northern Arizona University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution that values cultural and intellectual diversity and strives to become the nation’s leading university serving Native Americans. This hire is part of an ambitious cluster hire in Latinx and/or Indigenous Studies, an initiative that reflects our institutional commitment to the advancement and success of students and faculty of all ethnic backgrounds, as well as to support efforts promoting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Hires in Latinix and/or Indigenous Studies will be made this year in the departments of Comparative Cultural Studies, Music, Anthropology, Applied Indigenous Studies, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Sociology, Women and Gender Studies, and Psychological Sciences.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD conferred by appointment date in one of the following fields: Art History, Museum Studies, Religious Studies, or any Humanities discipline (Comparative Literature, English, History, etc.) with an emphasis in Indigenous and/or Latinx studies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching at the college or university level in one of the following fields: Art History, Museum Studies, Religious Studies, or any Humanities discipline (Comparative Literature, English, History, etc.).
• Evidence of research/scholarship with a focus on Native American and/or Latinx cultures.
Evidence of engagement with and service to tribal nations, Indigenous or Latinx communities, or Native American/Latinx serving organizations.
• Evidence of a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, research, and/or service.

General Information

Northern Arizona University has a student population of 29,569, including approximately 21,000 on its main campus in Flagstaff and the remainder at more than 20 locations statewide and online.

Committed to a diverse and civil working and learning environment, NAU has earned a solid reputation as a university with all the features of a large institution but with a personal touch, with a faculty and staff dedicated to each student’s success. All faculty members are expected to promote student learning and help students achieve academic outcomes.

While our emphasis is undergraduate education, we offer a wide range of graduate programs and research. Our institution has carefully integrated on-campus education with distance learning, forming seamless avenues for students to earn degrees.

Flagstaff has a population of about 70,000, rich in cultural diversity. Located at the base of the majestic San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff is 140 miles north of Phoenix at intersection of Interstate 17 and Interstate 40.

For information about diversity, access and equity at NAU, see the Center for University Access and Inclusion webpage.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

As of 12/10/21, the Safer Federal Workforce employee vaccination requirement is currently suspended pending the outcome of a federal court-issued injunction. This injunction has suspended the recent executive order issued by President Biden requiring all employees of federal contractors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. For current status of the vaccine requirement and/or questions, please visit FAQs for Employee Vaccination Requirement.

Background Information

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Additionally, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States. Finally, each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Salary

Salary range begins at $60,000. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Benefits

This is a Faculty (FAC) position. NAU offers an excellent benefit package including generous health, dental and vision insurance; participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP); sick leave accruals and 10 holidays per year; and tuition reduction for employees and qualified family members. More information on benefits at NAU is available at the NAU HR benefits page. Faculty are hired on a contract basis, renewable according to terms of the Conditions of Faculty Service. Employees offered a position will be eligible for state health plans (including NAU's BCBS Plan). Employees will have 31 days from date of hire to enroll in benefits, and their benefits will then be effective the first day of the pay period following their completed enrollment. If a new employee chooses the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) retirement option, participation in the ASRS Plan (and the long-term disability coverage that accompanies it) will begin on the first of the pay period following 183 days of employment. New employees who choose to participate in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP; an alternative to the ASRS plan) will begin to participate on the first day of employment. The long-term disability plan that accompanies the ORP will begin on the first day of the pay period following 90 days of employment. More information about NAU benefits is available at the NAU HR benefits page.

Submission Deadline

This vacancy will be open until filled or closed. Review of applications will begin on January 21, 2022.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button at the end of the job description if viewing this position through the NAU HR website. Otherwise, to view the original post and to apply, proceed to nau.jobs, follow the 'Faculty and Administrator Openings' link, locate vacancy 605873, and then "Apply" at the bottom of the page.

The online application must include the following attachments:

• cover letter highlighting your qualifications for this position
• curriculum vita with contact information
• sample syllabi and other evidence of teaching effectiveness
• a writing sample demonstrating research/scholarship in Native American and/or Latinx Studies
• names and contact information for three references who may be asked to provide letters of reference at a later date
• a diversity statement not to exceed 750 words that highlights an understanding of the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a university setting. Please include examples from past experiences and reference plans to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in your teaching, research, and service.

If you need assistance completing your application there are instructions available on the HR website or in person in the Human Resources Department located in Building 91 on the NAU Campus - on the corner of Beaver and DuPont Streets.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process please contact the Office of Equity and Access at: 928-523-3312/TDD - 928-523-1006 or PO Box 4083, Flagstaff AZ 86011.

FLSA Status

This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and therefore will not earn overtime or compensatory time for additional time worked.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Northern Arizona University is a committed Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. NAU is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

EEO is the Law Poster and Supplements

NAU is an Employer of National Service. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other National Service alumni are encouraged to apply.