The interdisciplinary Legal Studies Program of the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invites applications for a faculty position at the Assistant Professor rank expected to start on September 1, 2020. Applications are welcomed from scholars studying law and inequality. Substantive areas could include access to justice; bias in the administration of justice; human and civil rights; social inequality and discrimination; crime and criminal justice; citizenship and immigration; gender, race, and the law; environmental and technological injustices; law and social movements; disparities in the labor force; and other interdisciplinary areas of study. Applications are encouraged from scholars studying American, comparative, and/or international law and inequality topics.
The successful candidate should exhibit significant promise in scholarly publishing, a commitment to teaching excellence, and the ability to contribute to the intellectual growth of the Legal Studies Program and the Department of Political Science. The capacity to secure extramural funding will be looked upon favorably. Applicants must have earned a PhD in political science or a closely related social science discipline by the starting date of the appointment.
Legal Studies at UMass is the oldest undergraduate liberal arts program for the study of law and society in the country, and the only one in New England at a public university. The Program is housed in the Department of Political Science and maintains its own undergraduate major. The expanding Legal Studies Program is a center for ambitious intellectual activity and research that addresses important questions about the place of law in societies around the world while teaching undergraduate Legal Studies students and Political Science graduate students. The Department of Political Science is committed to teaching and research that crosses traditional disciplinary and sub-field boundaries and engages a broad range of methodological approaches.
Applicants should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, up to three samples of written work, evidence of quality teaching (such as summaries of teaching evaluations and/or a teaching statement), and contact information for at least three reference writers who are willing to submit letters upon request, through the UMass online applications system (available at the end of September 2019). In addition to the materials noted above, applicants should also submit a one-page diversity statement that discusses past or future contributions to inclusive excellence in the areas of research, teaching and/or outreach.
Applicants are required to apply through the UMass online application system, unless unable to do so because of lack of computer access or disability.
Inquiries about the position can be addressed to Associate Professor Jamie Rowen, the Search Committee Chair, at jrowen [at] legal (dot) umass (dot) edu.
Review of applications begins on 15 October 2019 and will continue until the position is filled.