Assistant Professor: Indigenous Americas, Art History or Visual Culture
Assistant Professor: Indigenous Americas, Art History or Visual Culture
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$ 83771 - 93107
1 Vacancy
Job Description
Position Type:
Assistant Professor: Indigenous Americas Art History or Visual CulturePosition Type:
RegularSalary Range:
The salary range is $83771-$93107 depending on the successful candidates years of teaching experience at the college level. The position comes with generous benefits ( including medical dental vision and life insurance and University contributions toward retirement. Recognizing the high cost of housing in the local area there are two University housing assistance programs: Rental assistance to ease the transition into the local housing market and housing purchase assistance for tenure-stream faculty.
Purpose:
Job Description:
The Department of Art and Art History at Santa Clara University (SCU) a Jesuit Catholic university seeks applicants for full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Art History with an expertise in the art and visual culture of the Indigenous Americas. SCU is a welcoming and inclusive community of teaching scholars whose work is grounded in the universitys fundamental values. Those values which include academic excellence social justice and community engagement are infused with a culture of care that defines our communityupholding the dignity of all. The university draws on the many resources of the greater Bay Area including Silicon Valley where we are located.
The Department of Art and Art History is located on SCUs historic and beautiful campus in a building (opened in 2016) with studios and classrooms designed for teaching art and art history and with faculty offices. Our department values collegiality growth as scholars in our respective areas of expertise and developing skills and appreciation for art history among students. The Department hosts a suite of majors and minors including a new Arts Management Minor. This position will complement the current areas of expertise in the Department and extend its curricular offerings. Applications from scholars working in all historical periods are welcome as are applications from scholars in affiliated disciplines such as visual culture or those with training in museum studies provided the applicants research and teaching engages with current issues in the discipline of art history and the candidate can situate these interests within both historical and global contexts. The successful candidate will be expected to foster connections between our Art History and Studio Arts Programs as well as the broader campus community. The Department values collaboration especially with our nationally-accredited museum which has an art collection as well as holdings in California history particularly as pertains to the historic Mission Santa Clara. The College of Arts and Sciences Center for Arts and Humanities and several interdisciplinary centers on campus provide further opportunities for faculty.
We value teaching scholars who develop and present scholarship at a national and international level while maintaining a supportive and engaged learning environment for all students. Department faculty develop upper-division coursework that aligns with their research interests and disciplinary expertise lower-division courses encompassing broader geographic and chronological parameters as well as introductory courses in their field that support our majors and the core curriculum. The Department expects to begin revising its majors within the next few years; significantly shaping its future. Faculty advise and mentor undergraduate students and perform departmental and university service as appropriate to rank and seniority.
The successful candidate will start on September 1 2026 and be expected to teach engage in scholarship and/or creative work and do service for the department college and university. SCU is on the quarter system and tenure-stream faculty are expected to teach six courses per year (two each quarter) assuming they are actively engaged in scholarship or creative work.
The position comes with generous benefits ( including medical dental vision and life insurance and University contributions toward retirement. Recognizing the high cost of housing in the local area there are two University housing assistance programs: Rental assistance to ease the transition into the local housing market and housing purchase assistance for tenure-stream faculty.
Required Qualifications
1) Terminal degree (Ph.D. or MFA) or ABD at the time of appointment in the art and visual cultures of the Indigenous Americas or a closely related field.
2) Demonstrated potential for effective and inclusive teaching and mentoring of a diverse undergraduate student population.
3) A record of or demonstrate outstanding potential for superior scholarship and professional achievements.
4) The ability to teach and work effectively in an undergraduate liberal arts institution and in a joint Art and Art History department that serves many students from the general population.
5) Excellent oral and written communication skills and demonstrated ability or potential to provide valuable service to the department and greater institution required as commensurate with position.
Responsibilities. Tenure-track faculty at SCU are teaching scholars who are expected to balance teaching research/creative work and service. This is an in-person position. More specifically duties include but are not limited to the following:
TEACHING
1. Teach lower- and upper-division courses in the major and university core curriculum as assigned by the chair including courses for SCUs Cultures and Ideas core curriculum. SCU is on the quarter system and a typical load is two courses per quarter assuming active engagement with research or creative work. 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 relevant degree program and/or the 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 xxx Department
High-quality teaching is prioritized at SCU; therefore significant faculty-student interaction is expected. The university offers many different opportunities to develop teaching skills through Faculty Development including regular lunchtime workshops on pedagogy teaching and technology grants communities of practice teaching mentors and a scholarship of teaching and learning faculty group.
Teaching will be evaluated according to the Teaching Effectiveness Standards and Evaluation (TESE) document developed by each department. Ignatian pedagogy a hallmark of Jesuit Catholic universities is based on the principle of cura personalis that is teaching the whole person. At Santa Clara University we define effectiveness in teaching as respectful challenging inclusive engaging and evidence based. Teaching Expectations and Academic Policies at SCU can be found here.
RESEARCH
1. Develop a program of research or creative work at SCU that will result in meeting the Art and Art History Departments established scholarship/creative standards. Each department has collectively created a document that outlines the standards for scholarship or creative work that lead to tenure and promotion in that department; this is available on request.
2. Preference will be given to candidates with a research program that can accommodate participation of undergraduates.
SERVICE
Provide effective service to the Department of Art and Art History the College of Arts and Sciences the University and the 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.
Application Deadline: October 15 2025
Application Process: All applications must be submitted online via and upload all of the following:
1. letter of application
2. curriculum vitae
3. graduate school transcripts (unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the initial review)
4. two sample syllabi: one lower-division survey-type course and one upper-division in the candidates research area.
5. personal statement(s) covering
a. teaching philosophy (one page only)
b. research plan (one page only)
6. at least one example of representative scholarship e.g. published article book chapter or dissertation chapter
Reference letters will be required only of finalists.
We expect to conduct preliminary interviews via Zoom or telephone between late October and mid-November. Campus visits are tentatively scheduled to start in late November early December or January 2026.
Telecommute
Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California Nevada Oregon Washington Arizona and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.
Work Authorization:
A foreign national who is appointed to a tenured or tenure-track faculty position is eligible for visa sponsorship assessment by Santa Clara University together with its legal counsel.
EEO Statement
Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination
Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer.For a complete copy of Santa Clara Universitys equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies see 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. Information about Title IX can be found at Information about Section 504 and the ADA Coordinator can be found at . 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 Serviceswebsite. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at . 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 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at or by email at
Employment Type
Full-Time
