Director, Women and Gender Studies Program and Center

Director, Women and Gender Studies Program and Center

 

The Women and Gender Studies at George Mason University seeks an engaged scholar with a commitment to inclusive leadership to direct our academic programs and the activities of the Women and Gender Studies Center. A commitment to excellence in teaching is essential, along with an active research agenda that expands the boundaries of contemporary scholarship in women’s gender and sexuality studies. The successful candidate will lead existing academic and co-curricular collaborations and facilitate new interdisciplinary initiatives and community partnerships. The Director will advance the Women and Gender Studies mission to support the needs of a diverse student body at a minority-majority public university while promoting the relevance of feminist research at Mason, an R1 institution. The successful candidate will be appointed to the rank of Associate or Full Professor with tenure. The position will begin August 2021.

 

George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

 

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will:

  • Teach at undergraduate and graduate levels, serve on thesis and dissertation committees, and mentor students who work across theory, policy, and activism in fields including, but not limited to, critical race feminisms, transnational feminisms, LatinX or Asian American feminisms, queer and sexuality studies, trans studies, immigration and human rights, gender-based violence, and disability studies;
  • Design new courses in their area of expertise and lead the development of undergraduate and graduate programs in ways that enhance Women and Gender Studies [WGST] existing offerings, serve Mason’s diverse student body, and augment the programs curricular contributions to other relevant interdisciplinary areas such as African and African American studies or Cultural studies;
  • Maintain a robust research agenda in areas that complement and extend existing expertise in the WGST program and expands the boundaries of contemporary scholarship in women and gender studies, using interdisciplinary, intersectional, and transnational approaches;
  • Direct activities and programming of the WGST Center in coordination with University Life (Mason’s Student Affairs Division) and lead collaboration with other departments and academic programs, University offices (including the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education and LGBTQ+ Resources), and the broader communities of which Mason is a part of;
  • Foster transdisciplinary academic and extra-curricular initiatives with other programs within and beyond the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and with other offices across the University so to further the mission and vision of the program;
  • Serve as an advocate for the Women and Gender Studies program and Center with senior leadership and advance the University’s commitment to anti-racism, equity and inclusion through initiatives such as the Task-Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence; supervise and mentor faculty and staff within the WGST program and Center, and facilitate professional development, evaluation and P&T processes.

 

Required Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in a relevant field in Humanities or Social Sciences;
  • Established record of research and scholarship commensurate with the rank of tenured full or advanced Associate Professor;
  • Research interests that complement and augment existing expertise within the WGST program and that expand the boundaries of contemporary interdisciplinary scholarship in women and gender studies;
  • Demonstrated commitment to curricular development and teaching excellence;
  • Experience of leadership in enhancing the interdisciplinary study of women’s gender and sexuality studies.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated ability to build strategic, collaborative partnerships through activism, academic and transdisciplinary initiatives, extra-curricular programming, community outreach, student engagement, and/or extra-mural funding;
  • Administrative experience that could include coordinating an academic program or unit, leadership in professional organizations, and/or managing research funding.

 

Information about the University and Department:

George Mason University is a Carnegie Tier 1 Research [R1] Institution located in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and is the largest public university in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with a diverse student body. The Women and Gender Studies program is based on an integrated, co-curricular model, serving as both an academic unit in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and as a student affairs unit in University Life. The Program offers a graduate MA concentration and certificate in women and gender studies, an undergraduate major and minor, and an interdisciplinary, undergraduate minor in LGBTQ studies. A campus leader in promoting interdisciplinarity, the Women and Gender Studies Program facilitates collaborations with a broad range of disciplines across humanities, arts, and social sciences. Just as crucial to our mission is our work in supporting the well-being, development, and social engagement of students through our work with University Life and the many opportunities for programmed and spontaneous encounters among students, faculty, and staff in the Women and Gender Studies Center, a dedicated space for our program located at the heart of the university.

 

Special Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number F9696Z at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application, upload a C.V., a cover letter addressing the applicant’s record of scholarship, teaching, leadership and service as they align with the advertised position, and a statement that outlines the candidate’s view of the role and purpose of a woman and gender studies program at a large, minority-majority public university and that addresses the candidate’s commitment to diversity and inclusion as evidenced in their approach to teaching, scholarship, collaboration, and community engagement (maximum 2 pages).

 

Applicants should also submit the names and contact information for three references and should alert their referees that letters will be requested for candidates invited for a first round interview. First round and campus interviews will be conducted virtually, given health and safety issues related to the pandemic.

 

Required Documents:

  •  
  • Cover letter
  • 2 page statement
  • List of three professional references

 

Please direct any questions to the Search Coordinator, Amani Walker, awalke30@gmu.edu.

 

For full consideration, applications must be received by November 30, 2020. Review of applications will begin after November 30th and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates who are invited to interview may be asked to provide further materials such as examples of research and scholarship or a vision statement regarding the development of the Women and Gender Studies Program at George Mason University.

 

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.