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 p rotect 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 ann ally 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.