Sociology: Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Politics (initial review 11.29.22)
Position overview
Position title: Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural PoliticsApplication Window
Open date: September 30, 2022
Most recent review date: Tuesday, Nov 29, 2022 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications received after this date will be reviewed by the search committee if the position has not yet been filled.
Final date: Friday, Jun 30, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description
The Sociology Department (https://sociology.ucsc.edu) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for an Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Politics. The Sociology Department is a mid-sized department with approximately 20 faculty, 6 staff, 35 graduate students, and 650 undergraduate students.
This position will maintain the Sociology department’s long-standing strength in media and cultural politics while building upon it to address new dynamics and modes of inquiry in the field. Areas of expertise may include “legacy” media (film, print, radio, and television) and/or new digital media and cultural forms, while addressing either or both in terms of their contemporary and historic social contexts, impacts, and political and political economic dimensions. We are especially interested in critical theoretical approaches to media and cultural studies, including in one or more of the field's central areas: culture industries and production; textual and discourse analysis; practice and performance; and/or audience reception, consumption, and identity formation. Experience and interest in innovative methodologies are also welcome, from social media ethnography, to multimedia archives, to conjunctural analysis of culture and politics. Further, we welcome scholars bridging media and cultural politics with relevant fields including but not limited to: social movements, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, globalization and capitalism, post- and decoloniality, Indigenous studies, migration and border studies, science and technology studies, affect and emotion, art and design, and youth and popular culture.
UC Santa Cruz values diversity, equity, and inclusion and is committed to hiring faculty who will work to advance these values. We are a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) with a high proportion of first-generation students. To be considered, candidates must demonstrate an understanding of the barriers facing historically oppressed groups in higher education and clearly articulate participation in equity and diversity advancement efforts with respect to teaching, mentoring, research, and service. Activities promoting equity and inclusion at UC Santa Cruz will be recognized during the faculty promotion process. More information can be found at: https://apo.ucsc.edu/diversity.html
The chosen candidate will be expected to sign a statement representing that they are not the subject of any ongoing investigation or disciplinary proceeding at their current academic institution or place of employment, nor have they in the past ten years been formally disciplined at any academic institution/place of employment. In the event the candidate cannot make this representation, they will be expected to disclose in writing to the hiring Dean the circumstances surrounding any formal discipline that they have received, as well as any current or ongoing investigation or disciplinary process of which they are the subject. (Note that discipline includes a negotiated settlement agreement to resolve a matter related to substantiated misconduct.)
Department: https://sociology.ucsc.edu
Qualifications
Ph.D. (or equivalent foreign degree) in sociology or a related interdisciplinary field and a demonstrated record of research and teaching experience at the university level. Degree requirement expected to be completed by June 30, 2023.
Application Requirements
Cover Letter** - Letter of application that discusses your research agendas, teaching interests, pedagogical commitments, and service experience, and summarizes your qualifications and interest in the position (required)**
Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion** - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at UC Santa Cruz. Candidates are urged to review guidelines on statements (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/diversity.html) before preparing their application
** Initial screening of applicants will be based only on the cover letter and the statement on contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Representative writing sample (1 of 2 required) - Either a published piece from a book, edited volume or journal or, if unpublished, a work or section of no more than 7,500 words
Representative writing sample (2 of 2 required) - Either a published piece from a book, edited volume or journal or, if unpublished, a work or section of no more than 7,500 words
Relevant sample syllabus at the undergraduate or graduate level
Relevant sample syllabus at the undergraduate or graduate level (Optional)
Representative writing sample - Either a published piece from a book, edited volume or journal or, if unpublished, a work or section of no more than 7,500 words (Optional)
Statement of Research (Optional)
Statement of Teaching (Optional)
- 3 required (contact information only)
Applicants must provide the names and contact information of their references (3 are required). The hiring unit will request confidential letters* from the references of those applicants who are under serious consideration. Please note that your references, or dossier service, will submit their confidential letters directly to the UC Recruit System.
*All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For any reference letter provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service, career center), direct the author to UCSC’s confidentiality statement at http://apo.ucsc.edu/confstm.htm.
Help contact: jlawrence@ucsc.edu
Campus Information
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. UC Santa Cruz is committed to excellence through diversity and strives to establish a climate that welcomes, celebrates, and promotes respect for the contributions of all students and employees. Inquiries regarding the University’s equal employment opportunity policies may be directed to the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 or by phone at (831) 459-2686.
Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UCSC positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check (see https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify). The university sponsors employment-based visas for nonresidents who are offered academic appointments at UC Santa Cruz (see https://apo.ucsc.edu/policy/capm/102.530.html).
UCSC is a smoke & tobacco-free campus.
If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact Disability Management Services at roberts@ucsc.edu (831) 459-4602.
UCSC is committed to addressing the spousal and partner employment needs of our candidates and employees. As part of this commitment, our institution is a member of the Northern California Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NorCal HERC). Visit the NorCal HERC website at https://www.hercjobs.org/regions/higher-ed-careers-northern-california/ to search for open positions within a commutable distance of our institution.
The University of California offers a competitive benefits package and a number of programs to support employee work/life balance. For information about employee benefits please visit https://ucnet.universityofcalifornia.edu/compensation-and-benefits/index.html
As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs – With Updated Interim Amendments. All Covered Individuals under the policy must provide proof of receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine Primary Series or, if applicable, submit a request for Exception (based on Medical Exemption, Disability, Religious Objection, and/or Deferral based on pregnancy or recent COVID-19 diagnosis and/or treatment) no later than the applicable deadline. All Covered Individuals must also provide proof of receiving the most recent CDC-recommended COVID-19 booster or properly decline such booster no later than the applicable deadline. New University of California employees should refer to Exhibit 2, Section II.C. of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Attachment for applicable deadlines. All Covered Individuals must also provide proof of being Up-To-Date on seasonal influenza vaccination or properly decline such vaccination no later than the applicable deadline. Please refer to the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program Attachment. (Capitalized terms in this paragraph are defined in the policy.) Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements. Additional information and resources for compliance are located on the campus Health Center site
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