The Department of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, invites applications for a career track Lecturer in cultural anthropology. The position will start August 1, 2026 and is renewable in future years with possibilities for advancement on the Lecturer track. We are looking for a cultural anthropologist to complement existing department teaching strengths that include: environment, health, economics, and heritage. The ideal candidate will have a track record of excellence in teaching. Typical teaching load is 4:4 teaching load with no contractual obligations for research or service. This is a renewable position with a promotional ladder. Teaching will be largely undergraduate with some graduate level teaching possibilities. Teaching faculty have access to internal conference funds and competitive research funds upon submission and approval. Candidates should have PhD in hand by August 1, 2026.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter addressing their teaching experience relative to the areas noted above; their curriculum vitae; the names and contact information of three references; and a teaching portfolio, which includes: a statement of teaching philosophy, course evaluations for past courses taught, and three syllabi, including one syllabus for Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Please submit these materials via Interfolio to https://apply.interfolio.com/171432.
For full consideration, please submit your required materials by November 1, 2025. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Successful candidates will be invited for a teaching demonstration via Zoom.
Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.
Questions should be directed to Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Nia Parson, nparson@smu.edu.
Southern Methodist University is a secular, R-1 University growing in exciting ways with a new $100 million Moody Graduate School offering enhancements for our graduate students and faculty, a new $30 million Peter O’Donnell Data Science Institute, and a new membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for college athletics. We have an intellectually vibrant community of internationally recognized scholars across the humanities, social sciences, mathematical sciences, engineering, law, fine arts, and business. SMU offers excellent benefits. In Anthropology, our faculty advance intellectual frontiers, both ancient and modern, through groundbreaking interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching, and community outreach, aimed at bringing insight and understanding to issues around global health and development, migration and borderland communities, and human impacts on and responses to environmental challenges. Anthropology has long been one of the strongest programs at SMU and we have one of the oldest graduate medical anthropology programs in the U.S. Our undergraduate, Masters’ and PhD-level programs help students build a complex understanding of difference, critical thinking, and global reach to best prepare them for life after graduation in academia and industry. Faculty currently hold competitive federal research grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, among others.
The City of Dallas is one of the nation’s most cosmopolitan commercial and cultural centers, and the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is the fourth largest in the US. SMU faculty enjoy a relatively low cost of living despite easy access to two major airports, a full range of cultural offerings, professional sports teams, and a lively and innovative restaurant scene. Explore Dedman College at https://www.smu.edu/dedman, and SMU at http://www.smu.edu.
SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression.
