Assistant Professor, Comparative Politics/Middle East/North Africa

Comparative Politics/Middle East/North Africa
Department of Political Science
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The Department of Political Science invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor. This position will have a focus on Middle Eastern/North African Comparative Politics and will begin August 10, 2020. Teaching requirements for this position will be four courses a year.

The Department is particularly interested in comparativists with expertise in the Arab World, Israel/Palestine and/or Iran who are broadly trained in a range of social science methodologies, with specializations in the areas of political institutions and regimes, migration. social movements, security broadly defined, to include energy and the environment. They should be prepared to offer a variety of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. There will be occasional travel to attend national conferences and meetings. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal background check.

Required qualifications: A Ph.D. in Political Science or a closely related field is required by the time of appointment. Candidates must have a research focus that involves comparative political analysis in the MENA region and demonstrated excellence in research. They also must have evidence of teaching effectiveness to meet the Department’s key teaching needs in its B.A. and M.A. programs.

Desired qualifications: Preference will be given to candidates who are comfortable with different methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of comparative politics, with experience in field work and appropriate language skills. The candidate should be able to work with undergraduate and graduate students at the master’s and doctoral levels in political science and international studies along with non-majors in core curricular courses. Prior teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels is helpful.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies Virginia Tech as a university with “very high research activity,” and the Political Science Department also has a strong record of excellence in teaching. Members of the Department work closely with faculty in transdisciplinary programs, including the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT), the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Women’s and Gender Studies, Africana Studies, and the Department of Science, Technology, and Society.

Interested persons must apply at www.jobs.vt.edu, Job No. 511605, where they will submit a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, recent writing samples, and teaching evaluations, along with contact information for no more than four academic references. Screening of applications will begin January 21, 2020 and continue until the position is filled. All inquiries can be sent to: Dr. Laura Zanotti, lzanotti@vt.edu, or Comparative Politics/Middle East/North Africa Search Committee, Department of Political Science, 531 Major Williams Hall (0130), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061. Individuals with additional questions or with disabilities desiring accommodations in the application process should contact the search committee chair. For further information on the department, see www.psci.vt.edu

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