Assistant Professor of History of the American West, California/Silicon Valley, Technology

Assistant Professor of History of the American West

Position Type:

Regular

Salary Range:

Tenure-stream assistant professor starting salary can range from $82,642 to $91,740, based on the number of years of teaching experience. Benefits are competitive. Recognizing the high cost of housing in the local area, the University has established two housing assistance programs for qualified faculty: [1] a rental assistance program and [2] a purchase assistance program. For details, please refer to: https://www.scu.edu/provost/policies-and-procedures/support-for-faculty/housing-assistance/. Full benefits are also available. More information is provided at https://www.scu.edu/hr/benefits.

Purpose:

Purpose:

The Department of History at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit, Catholic university,  seeks applications for a tenure-track assistant professorship (full-time) in the history of the American West with research and teaching interests in the history of technology in the 20th and 21st centuries, the history of California, and/or the history of Silicon Valley, to begin fall 2024. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss how their research and teaching intersect with and leverage our location in Santa Clara Valley on the site of the historic Spanish mission Santa Clara, built on the ancestral lands of the Ohlone and the Muwekma Ohlone peoples. SCU is on the quarter system and faculty are expected to teach 6 courses per year (2 each quarter), assuming they are engaged in an active scholarship program.

We seek a historian who can engage with the broader social, demographic, and environmental forces that transformed the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” into “Silicon Valley.” We are particularly interested in a scholar with expertise in digital humanities and public history. Historians who are able to take a long view of the development of northern California from its earliest and persistent Indigenous inhabitants to the technological transformation of the 20th and 21st centuries are especially welcome. We are also looking for historians who can connect the history of technology and the computer industry to various dynamics of the 20th and 21st centuries that it has affected. Such intersections could include the environmental and social impacts of technological development and modern capitalism; . data justice, surveillance, and control; labor and migration shifts, particularly immigration from Asia; and problems of race and gender equity in technology fields. The successful candidate will be able to help our students critically assess popular narratives about the technology industry and its role in our society and develop a complex understanding of its impact on the social and historical dynamics of the modern world. 

The College of Arts & Sciences is currently conducting its third cluster hire in the area of Inequality & Social Justice. It is possible that the person hired for this position will be included in the Fall 2024 cohort if their research/teaching is a strong fit. Cluster hire participants will receive mentorship and regular group meetings providing peer support and an interdisciplinary intellectual community to support their scholarly and creative work.

The successful candidate will also demonstrate the potential for excellent, innovative undergraduate teaching and mentoring, and a willingness to support student research. Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate inclusive pedagogical practices and conduct research that advances SCU goals of diversity and equity and provide evidence of experience in teaching and mentoring a diverse population of undergraduate students. The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses that support the Core Curriculum and to develop courses in their own area of specialization at all levels that meet other core curriculum and history requirements. Candidates should familiarize themselves with the University’s Core Curriculum (https://www.scu.edu/provost/core/). The official load for tenure-track faculty is seven courses over three academic quarters, with a one-course reduction for research-active faculty; that is, the typical load is two 10-week courses per academic quarter, for three quarters.

The successful candidate will also show evidence of their ability to publish in peer-reviewed venues and demonstrate a commitment to creative and active scholarship. Demonstrated interest in including students in their research program is preferred. A Ph.D. in US History is required, but advanced ABDs may apply if the PhD will be completed by the contract start date, September 1, 2024. We are especially interested in a candidate whose teaching, research, and service have prepared them to contribute to the department, college, and university’s commitment to equity and the inclusion of diverse students and perspectives in higher education.

Candidates should display initiative and have potential for leadership; have effective communication skills and a strong potential to work effectively and collegially with students, colleagues, and staff; have a demonstrated interest or experience in recruiting or mentoring students from underrepresented groups, as well as an understanding and support of the University’s mission and goals. The History Department is especially interested in scholars with the ability to forge connections - through course work or co-curricular programming – with our highly regarded undergraduate schools in engineering and business around common areas of interest and expertise in the history of technology.

Santa Clara University is a private, Jesuit, Catholic university located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley that is committed to promoting social justice in a liberal arts educational setting. SCU has three schools for undergraduate education: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the Leavey School of Business. Regardless of school, faculty are teaching scholars who equally balance a commitment to quality teaching with active programs of research. Although some of the SCU’s schools grant advanced degrees, the Department of History offers an exclusively undergraduate program. Santa Clara University is focused on creating an academic community that educates citizens and leaders who will build a more humane, just, and sustainable world.

Rank and Salary: Assistant Professor, salary and benefits competitive, includes housing assistance program.

Contract Starting Date: September 1, 2024

Deadline: All materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by midnight Pacific Time on October 13, 2023.

Required Qualifications: PhD in American History by September 1, 2024.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience with inclusive pedagogical practices that advance SCU goals of diversity and equity; experience teaching and mentoring a diverse population of undergraduate students.

Responsibilities. Tenure track faculty at SCU are teaching scholars who are expected to balance teaching, research, and service. Successful candidates must have a strong commitment to both excellent teaching and research; the ability to establish and maintain an active research program; and to provide service to the Department, College, University, profession and community appropriate to rank. This is an in-person position. Teaching responsibilities will include student advising and mentoring as well as development and teaching of traditional lower division coursework in addition to upper division coursework suitable to the candidate’s area(s) of expertise. The official load for tenure-track faculty is seven courses over three academic quarters, with a one-course reduction for research-active faculty; that is, the typical load is two 10-week courses per academic quarter, for three quarters.

Candidates should display initiative and have potential for leadership; have effective communication skills and a strong potential to work effectively and collegially with students, colleagues, and others; have a demonstrated interest or experience in recruiting or mentoring women and other underrepresented students, as well as an understanding and support of the University’s mission and goals.

More specifically, duties include but are not limited to:

Teaching

1. Teach lower- and upper-division courses in the major and university core curriculum, as assigned by the chair, including courses like the history of technology.  SCU is on the quarter system and a typical load is two courses per quarter. Teaching responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

a.     Conducting and appearing at all assigned class meetings in a timely and prepared manner that demonstrates a command of the discipline and skill in presenting it effectively.

b.    Assigning and evaluating written work, projects, and exams that align with course or core learning objectives and providing timely feedback to students.

c.     Holding weekly office hours at times reasonably convenient to students.

d.    Assigning and submitting student grades that are appropriate, accurate, and fair measures of student performance to the Office of the Registrar by the designated deadline.

e.    Administering numerical and narrative evaluations in each section for all courses.

2. Develop and teach courses that contribute to curriculum development in the history major and university core.  Faculty teaching university core courses should follow an approved syllabus or work with the chair to design an appropriate syllabus for submission for approval from the relevant Faculty Core Curriculum Committee.

3. Participate in assessment of student learning for courses in the department.

4. Provide informed advice and mentoring to undergraduate students.

5. Fulfill other instructional or academic duties as may be assigned by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or by the Chair of the History Department.

Research

1. Develop a research program at SCU that will result in the publication of peer-reviewed publications, monographs, and/or creative work per the department scholarship standards.

2. Preference will be given to candidates with a research program that can accommodate participation of undergraduates.

Service

1. Provide effective service to the Department of History, the College, the University and profession through contributions other than teaching and scholarship such as service on committees, participation in professional organizations and activities, leadership, and community service performed by virtue of professional expertise or association with the university as appropriate to rank and experience.
 

The health and safety of the university community is a top priority. All Santa Clara University students, and employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or request a medical or religious exemption. Please visit our COVID-19 webpage for additional information.

Application Process: Please submit the following materials via the university’s Human Resources website at www.scu.edu/hr/careers/faculty.cfm:

• Letter of application, including a statement of teaching philosophy, research plans, and experience of working with people of diverse cultures and identities

• Curriculum vitae

• Three letters of recommendation and graduate transcripts (placement dossier)

• A writing sample of no more than 30 pages

• Evidence of teaching excellence (syllabi and evaluations)

Selected applicants will be contacted for Zoom interviews in early November, followed by on-campus interviews in January. Santa Clara University is an AA/EOE employer.  Please direct all questions to Search Committee Chair, Naomi Andrews nandrews@scu.edu and Melissa Sims, the department’s senior administrative assistant, at historydepartment@scu.edu. 

COVID-19 Statement

The health and safety of the university community is a top priority. All Santa Clara University students, and employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or request a medical or religious exemption. Please visit our COVID-19 webpage for additional information.

Work Authorization:

A foreign national who is appointed to a tenured or tenure-track faculty position is eligible for sponsorship by Santa Clara University.

EEO Statement

​Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and California State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University’s equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. The Title IX Coordinator and Section 504 and ADA Coordinator is Aaron Zisser, Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX, 408-551-3043, azisser@scu.edu , www.scu.edu/title-ix. Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Santa Clara University affirms its' commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the Department of Human Resources, and 408-554-5750 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at 408-554-5750 or by email at iahluwalia@scu.edu.