Assistant or Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Anthropological Studies Center

Department of Applied Human and Environmental Sciences

 

Faculty Employment Opportunity

Job no: 551663 

Work type: Instructional Faculty – Tenured/Tenure-Track

Location: Sonoma

Categories: Tenured/Tenure-Track, Full Time, Instructional Faculty – Tenured/Tenure-Track, Unit 3 CFA – California Faculty Association

 

Department of Applied Human and Environmental Sciences

(Tenure-Track) Assistant or Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of Anthropological Studies Center

 

Starting July 2026

Our Commitment

Sonoma State University is a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution, as such we are committed to achieving the goals of equal opportunity and we endeavor to employ faculty and staff reflecting the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the region and state.

Guided by our core values as a university: diversity, sustainability, community engagement, and adaptability, Sonoma State University (SSU) offers an education that fosters intellectual, social, and personal growth. SSU is a public liberal arts and sciences university. As the only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in the state of California, we are committed to preparing students for a life of active citizenship and public service. We have a vibrant campus life characterized by a lively co-curriculum that fosters broad-based intellectual and artistic opportunities in which the campus as a whole is actively engaged.

Sonoma State University is committed to creating a community in which bias and intolerance have no place. It is our expectation that all students, faculty, and staff work together to honor this commitment and hold each other accountable to create an open and inclusive environment.

We are committed to facilitating spaces in which all can grow by building on our students’ assets as they explore new knowledge. These efforts include fostering creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, experimentation, empathy, and communication. The successful candidate will be one who can collaborate with faculty, staff, administration, and students to achieve these goals. We are especially interested in candidates committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Faculty Responsibilities

In addition to teaching and scholarship, faculty are expected to engage in service to the University, profession, and community. These responsibilities include:  advising students, participation in campus and system-wide communities, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participating in traditional academic functions.

Sonoma State is committed to the Teacher/Scholar model and places an emphasis on faculty support of Graduate research and other professional opportunities for students.

Faculty are also expected to foster our commitment to the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025 through excellent teaching, advising, and mentoring. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the University’s Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion Policy.  All faculty are required to have the ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

The Department

The Department of Applied Human and Environmental Sciences houses the Anthropology, Human Development, and Geography, Environment, and Planning undergraduate programs, and the Cultural Heritage and Resources Management MS program. The latter is one of the oldest in the country; revised in 2024, it is the only MS program in the state that focuses on cultural heritage and resources management. Students select a concentration in Natural Sciences and Technology or Social Sciences and Interpretation. The undergraduate Anthropology program is in the process of merging with the affiliated Human Development program. This merger provides an opportunity to transcend the traditional four-subfield model of anthropology, reorient our curriculum toward the practical applications that the job market desires, and build a bridge to the MS program. The new Human Development and Applied Anthropology BA will offer two concentrations: Health, Social Justice, and the Life Course; and Culture, Heritage, Environment, and Power.

The Anthropological Studies Center (ASC) is a self-funded research, outreach, regulatory consulting and educational organization associated with the Department of Applied Human and Environmental Studies’ academic programs. Since 1974, the ASC has been a leader in the field of cultural heritage and resources management, working with f