Assistant Professor of Religion

Application Deadline
Begin Reviewing Applications Oct 12, 2021

Position Details
The Department of Religion invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor of religion with a concentration in Native American and Indigenous Spiritual Traditions to begin August 2022. Recognizing the holistic, interconnected, and interdisciplinary nature of Native American and Indigenous Spiritual Traditions, we welcome applicants from a wide array of communities and fields of study. These might include, but not be limited to, communities connected to lands in what is now called Texas, the Great Plains, or the American Southeast or Southwest, and the intersection of these communities and traditions with fields such as decolonizing and Indigenous methodologies, Borderlands studies, Indigenous languages, Indigenous medicine and healing systems, and more. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent in hand by the time of appointment. Preferred candidates should have demonstrated experience with specific Native or Indigenous communities and spiritualities, and commitment to building respectful and mutually beneficial relationships. TCU embraces the teacher-scholar model: excellence in teaching and published scholarship will be expected. The teaching load is typically five courses a year, three of which are introductory courses in religion that meet one or more of the learning outcomes associated with the “Religious Traditions” (RT) category in the TCU Core Curriculum. Upper-level courses will include classes on specific Native American or Indigenous Spiritual Traditions and issues utilizing the candidate’s particular area of expertise. We welcome candidates whose experience and training in teaching, research, or community involvement demonstrate their commitment to contributing to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Preference will be given to candidates whose experience and training have prepared them to make significant contributions to any of the following interdisciplinary curricular initiatives in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts: the CALM (“Compassionate Awareness and Living Mindfully”) group, The Human-Animal Relationships minor, the Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Department, the Women and Gender Studies Department, and the university’s emerging initiatives and relationships with specific Native American and Indigenous nations and communities. There is also opportunity to collaborate with the university’s Native American Nations and Communities Liaison and the Native American Advisory Circle. The successful candidate will have a 3/2 teaching load, and the salary and benefits are competitive.

This position will begin in August 2022, and it will be part of a multi-position Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cluster hire by TCU's AddRan College of Liberal Arts on race, ethnicity, and social justice, which also involves searches in history, sociology, and religion. AddRan desires to build a cohort of teacher-scholars across disciplines and areas of specialization interested in teaching and conducting research on race, racism, ethnicity, and social justice. As part of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cluster hire, AddRan College will provide the cohort with opportunities and resources to participate in mentoring and peer-support circles, research & writing workshops, and other ongoing professional development.

Department Details
Committed to the liberal arts and its diverse disciplinary perspectives, the Religion Department fosters an inquiring, critical, and intersectional approach to the study of religion, enabling students to become informed and engaged interpreters of religious communities, texts, ideas, artifacts, and practices in their cultural and historical contexts. The Department supports the ethical and global aims of the university’s mission in its commitment to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion and aims to equip students to understand different worldviews expressed in and beyond the world’s religions.

School/College Description
Named for TCU’s founders, Addison and Randolph Clark, the AddRan College of Liberal Arts is home to the core academic disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. The College includes approximately 155 full-time faculty members, 11 departments (Criminal Justice, Economics, English, Geography, History, Modern Language Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Sociology & Anthropology, and Spanish and Hispanic Studies), and two units of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (Army and Air Force). AddRan College departments confer 15 Bachelor of Arts and six Bachelor of Science degrees, a Bachelor of General Studies, an online master’s degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Liberal Arts degree, and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in History, English, and Rhetoric and Composition.

University & Fort Worth Description
ABOUT TCU

Founded in 1873, Texas Christian University sits on 299 acres nestled in a primarily residential part of Fort Worth, just minutes away from downtown. The University includes eight schools and colleges, in addition to the John V. Roach Honors College and the new TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, which is operated in collaboration with the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

Currently, TCU enrolls 9,474 undergraduates and 1,490 graduate students. Twenty-six percent of students self-identify as a member of a minority group, 5 percent are international students, and 42 percent are from out-of-state. Our students are supported by more than 2,200 faculty and staff. The University has more than 700 full-time faculty members, 87 percent of whom hold a terminal degree. For nine consecutive years, TCU has been selected as one of the Great Colleges to Work For®.

At TCU, diversity, equity and inclusion are an educational imperative that is tied directly to our University mission and vision. For the second consecutive year, TCU has earned the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, which highlights our ongoing commitment to build a comprehensive DEI strategy that aligns with our core values and to create a campus culture where everyone is respected and feels included. Among TCU’s actions this year was approving a resolution to adopt DEI into its core curriculum.

ABOUT FORT WORTH

Like TCU, Fort Worth has the approachable, friendly charm of a smaller town, but offers the amenities, cultural activities, diversity and unique personality of a much larger city. Fort Worth, Texas, is the 13th largest city in the United States with an ever-growing population nearing 1 million. Fort Worth is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States, and the number 1 tourist destination in Texas. In 2018, bizjournals.com ranked Fort Worth the 7th most affordable city to live and work in the United States and U.S. News and World Report named Fort Worth one of the Best Places to Live. Fort Worth, Dallas and Arlington all rank among the top 25 most diverse cities in the country.

Fort Worth is known for its vast array of cultural, educational and entertainment opportunities. The city boasts three world class art museums—the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. The Bass Performance Hall is one of the premier performance venues in the country. Concerts, film festivals and other events are held regularly at Sundance Square, Panther Island and Near Southside venues.

Required Application Materials & Application Instructions
Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent in hand by the time of appointment. TCU embraces the teacher-scholar model: excellence in teaching and published scholarship will be expected. The teaching load is typically five courses a year, three of which are introductory courses in religion that meet the TCU Core Curriculum Requirements (see http://www.core.tcu.edu). Upper-level courses will include classes on specific Native American or Indigenous spiritual traditions and issues utilizing the candidate’s particular area of expertise. We welcome candidates whose experience and training in teaching, research, or community involvement demonstrate their commitment to contributing to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Preferred candidates should have demonstrated experience with specific Native or Indigenous communities and spiritualities, and commitment to building respectful and mutually beneficial relationships.

This position is part of TCU’s AddRan College of Liberal Arts Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Cluster hire. This race, ethnicity, and social justice cluster hire seeks teacher-scholars from multiple disciplines who may engage with any of the following areas: African and African Diaspora studies, Migration and Diasporas, Caribbean Studies, Critical Race Theory, Transformative Justice, Intersectionality Studies, Emotional Labor of Racialization, Decolonial and Postcolonial Thought, Digital, Public and Spatial Humanities, Blackness and/in the Global South and/or Gender and Sexuality Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies, African and African American Studies, Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, and Latinx Studies.

As part of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Cluster hire, AddRan College will provide the cohort with opportunities and resources to participate in mentoring and peer-support circles, research & writing workshops and other ongoing professional development.

To apply, upload a letter (signed and addressed to the Search Committee Chair) indicating qualifications for the position, a curriculum vitae, a one-page teaching statement, and a one-page statement indicating the applicant’s experience with and contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion at this site. Three confidential letters of recommendation should be sent by recommenders or dossier service to hrtalentacquisition@tcu.edu. Please address recommendation letters to Search Committee Chair Dr. Darren Middleton. Consideration of candidates will begin on October 12, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. Select interviews will be held at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Antonio, TX between November 20-23, 2021.

TCU is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and recognizes and values the unique experiences drawn from differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, and veteran status. The Religion Department at TCU welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds.

AA/EEO Statement
As an AA/EEO employer, TCU recruits, hires, and promotes qualified persons in all job classifications without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ethnic origin, disability, genetic information, covered veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.