Assistant Professor - Native American and Indigenous Studies

 

 

Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies

School/Department Name: Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $86,000-$90,000.

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 2025

Application Deadline: December 2, 2024

Position Description

The Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (SISS) at San José State University is located on the traditional territory and homelands of the Muwekma Ohlone. The NAIS program invites applications for an assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous. We seek individuals committed to developing and enhancing our Native American and Indigenous Studies program and department. This position is an excellent opportunity for scholars interested in a career at a teaching-centered institution that supports a variety of research, scholarship, and creative activity, in and near expansive urban Indigenous communities and sites of American Indian activism.

We seek scholars with expertise in the following areas, particularly from an NAIS lens: urban Indigenous experience, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Decolonial Studies, California Indian Studies, and History and Policy. It is essential for these scholars to prioritize place-based learning and demonstrate a commitment to decolonizing research methodologies. 

Candidates should demonstrate how their research, teaching, and experience connect with decolonizing methodologies and community-based participatory research. The area of specialization within Native American and Indigenous Studies is open. Still, candidate profiles should reflect the ability to help develop a curriculum around decolonization and connecting local, regional, and transnational issues. Candidates should be able to apply critical, indigenizing, decolonial, and culturally sustaining methods to their instruction. The successful candidate will be interested in developing, managing, and strengthening cross-departmental partnerships and has a history of working with tribes and Indigenous communities and developing community-based projects and partnerships in higher education.

Additional professional responsibilities include research, scholarship and creative activity, and service to the University, profession, and community. These responsibilities generally include advising students, participation in campus and system-wide committees, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participating in traditional academic functions. Successful candidates will establish an on-campus presence at SJSU to fulfill their teaching and service responsibilities.

The Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences department is part of the College of Social Sciences, which is committed to equitable and inclusive teaching and learning. The College sees faculty and student success as inextricably linked and strives to provide culturally-sustaining and academically-affirming approaches to supporting and engaging students and faculty. We provide opportunities for faculty development around asset-based, holistic student success and support scholarship of engagement that addresses issues that affect our campus and community. We strive to build leadership capacity and foster a culture of support and belonging for faculty, staff, and students.

SISS and San José State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple et