VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSORS (NON-TENURE TRACK)

About Occidental College

Founded in 1887, Occidental is a nationally recognized, private college of the liberal arts and sciences, dedicated to providing a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality -- one that prepares them for leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent and pluralistic world.

What makes Occidental special? An intellectually rigorous academic environment. Small classroom settings where students collaborate with professors and their peers while pursuing or discovering their passion. A beautiful residential campus that offers students hands-on engagement with the cultural and intellectual resources of Los Angeles. A community open to stimulating conversation and divergent points of view. Some 2,100 students from 46 states and 28 countries choose from 41 majors and minors and participate in one the country’s top undergraduate research programs. Oxy students routinely win top awards and fellowships; its first Rhodes Scholar was named in 1907. Dedicated to excellence and equity, Occidental also is one of the country’s most economically diverse campuses, according to the New York Times. Some 71 percent of Oxy students receive some form of financial aid; 20 percent are Pell Grant recipients; and 19 percent are the first in their family to attend college

REV. 12/2023

VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSORS (NON-TENURE TRACK) Religious Studies Department

POSITION SUMMARY

The Religious Studies Department at Occidental College seeks to hire: one full-time Visiting Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies (non-tenure track) who will teach 6 courses total across the 2024-2025 academic year; and a few part-time Visiting Assistant Professors of any area of specialization (non-tenure track) who will each teach 1-2 courses in the Fall semester of 2024 and/or the Spring semester of 2025.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND GOALS

For the full-time Jewish Studies Visiting Assistant Professor: We invite applications from Jewish Studies scholars who

specialize in any time period or geographic region. We particularly, but not exclusively, encourage applications from

scholars who can teach courses that will meet Occidental’s pre-1800 requirement, and the Global Connections and/or

Regional Focus requirements. We encourage applicants who can teach a broad range of courses that will attract

students with a variety of interests and/or that might be cross-listed with other departments. Applicants may propose

courses already in our course catalog, courses of their own design, or a mixture of both. Applicants should feel free to

propose as many courses as they are prepared to teach to provide the selection committee with options to choose from.

For the part-time open specialization Visiting Assistant Professors: We are seeking courses that will add breadth and

diversity to our planned offerings. Applicants may propose courses already in our course catalog, courses of their own

design, or a mixture of both. Applicants should feel free to propose as many courses as they are prepared to teach to

provide the selection committee with options to choose from.

QUALIFICATIONS

● Applicants must be trained in Religious Studies or an affiliated field, either with a PhD or doctoral candidates in the ABD stage.

● Strong candidates will possess a record of or potential for teaching excellence. ● Strong candidates will engage a variety of teaching approaches, as well as best practices to support the intellectual

flourishing of all members of our diverse student body.

SALARY RANGE

EXPECTED SALARY RANGE: $60,000 If you are offered this position at Occidental College, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills, education, experience, and/or geographic location. In addition to those factors, Occidental complies with applicable pay equity laws and considers internal equity among current employees when developing the final offer. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for future and continued salary growth.

REV. 12/2023

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Applications are due by 15 February 2024. Applications should include: (1) A cover letter identifying the position you are applying for (the full-time Jewish Studies VAP or the part-time open area VAP); (2) A description of your teaching experience; (3) Titles and paragraph-length descriptions of the courses you could teach at Occidental. The best descriptions provide us with a detailed and specific sense of the course topics and assignments. Again, you may include courses already in our course catalog, courses of your own design, or a mixture of both. For courses already in our catalog, please provide your own course description that indicates how you would teach the course. (4) Part-time VAP applicants should tell us how many courses you would prefer to teach in each semester (Fall 2024 and/or Spring 2025); (5) Curriculum Vitae. Please submit applications to http://apply.interfolio.com/138274 no later than 15 February 2024. Inquiries about the position, about the Religious Studies department, or about current and proposed courses can be directed to the search committee Chair, Prof. Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa at tagchung@oxy.edu.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This position is included in the NonTenure Track Bargaining Unit, and the successful applicant employee, subject to the terms of the College’s Collective Bargaining will be a bargaining unit Agreement with SEIU Local 721. Occidental is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or related medical condition, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristic or information, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. Occidental is strongly committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community and the curriculum, and to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and just environment within which students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. Candidates who can contribute to this goal through their work are encouraged to identify their strengths and experiences in this area. Individuals advancing the College’s strategic equity and justice goals and those from groups that are underrepresented in the field are particularly encouraged to apply. Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. A comprehensive benefits package is available that includes: excellent health, dental, life, and retirement benefits; tuition benefits for the employee, spouse, domestic partner, and dependents; additional extras including use of gym facilities and the College Library. For a detailed description of benefits, please visit https: //www.oxy.edu/offices-services/humanresources/benefits-information. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Occidental College is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with qualifying disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the application or employment process, please contact Human Resources (hr@oxy.edu). As a condition of hire for a staff position and for appointment to a faculty position, Occidental College requires that all candidates who have received a conditional offer of employment complete an application form (if they have not already done so) and consent to a background check. Satisfactory completion of a background check, along with pre-employment verifications and references are required as a condition of employment, but only as permitted by federal, state, and local law, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.