Application Deadline: October 1, 2023 at https://careers.providence.edu/postings/8045
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
The Political Science Department at Providence College invites applications for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level, in the field of African Politics, grounded in perspectives from either International Relations or Comparative Politics. The field of “African Politics” is understood broadly by our Department, and we welcome applicants across a range of methodologies and substantive interests, such as, for example, contemporary Africa in geopolitical context; ancient, colonial, and modern political systems; colonial and post-colonial conflict, institutions, and practices; state-building, democratization, partisan mobilization, and social movements; internal migration, immigration, and emigration; security challenges and conflict resolution; natural resource and environmental politics; national and regional political economy; gender, health, education, labor, and social policy; or other Africa-centered topics. Geographically, we welcome candidates who focus on any of the continent’s nations or regions, or those who work within a pan-African framework.
Teaching Responsibilities. The normal teaching load will be three courses per semester, with class sizes of 12 to 25 students. Core assignments each year will include African Politics and one or more of the following: Introduction to International Relations,Introduction to Comparative Politics, Introduction to Politics, or Research Methods. We keep our curriculum fresh by giving colleagues the opportunity to design new lecture, seminar, and research courses in areas which reflect their particular interests and expertise. In all cases, faculty enjoy substantial autonomy in the design and content of courses.
Research Expectations and Support. Our political science faculty are respected scholars with active research agendas who provide generous professional advice and mentoring for junior colleagues. Other support for research includes College-sponsored research grants, grant writing assistance, conference and research travel funds, individual discretionary funds, access to research librarians and other library resources, undergraduate research assistants, and opportunities for collaboration with faculty at other Rhode Island universities including, for example, Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams University.
About the Department, the City, and the State. Providence College is located in the City of Providence—the capital of the State of Rhode Island (“The Ocean State”), and the third-largest city in New England. Our Political Science Department has fourteen full-time faculty members who are known for effective teaching, grounded in cutting-edge scholarship. They research and teach about politics in the U.S. and other regions, with particular strengths in East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The Department. We offer a wide portfolio of courses, including many which are cross-listed in other Arts and Sciences departments and programs including Black Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Global Studies, Latin American and Latina/o Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, American Studies, Public and Community Service Studies, Public Administration, Communication, and the College’s newest interdisciplinary program—Middle East Studies. Political science faculty frequently direct interdisciplinary programs like these, and teach in the Liberal Arts Honors and Development of Western Civilization programs. Within the political science profession our colleagues are well-known participants and leaders in the American, Western, New England, Midwest, and Northeastern political science associations, as well as the Latin American Studies Association, National Conference of Black Political Scientists, International Studies Association, and International Political Science Association. We author scholarly books and research articles at premier journals and academic presses, publish op-eds in local and regional newspapers, and frequently appear as expert analysts for New England’s print, broadcast, and online news media.
The City of Providence. Founded in 1636, the City of Providence is one of North America’s oldest European settler cities. Nearby Pawtucket, Rhode Island was the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution in 1793, and Providence has long welcomed immigrant populations, most recently from West Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Providence is a majority-minority city, and more than 30% of its 2020 population was foreign-born. At present, the state’s largest foreign-born African-descent populations come from Cape Verde, Nigeria, and Liberia. The Providence metropolitan area’s population of 1.7 million is served by many retail, restaurant, and professional enterprises, as well as churches and social service organizations, established within these African immigrant communities. The city’s annual calendar is filled with diverse ethnic and cultural festivals, while a vibrant arts scene is anchored by world-class galleries, museums, live theater, performances across music genres and traditions, and film festivals. Located on the main highway and rail corridors serving the northeastern United States—I-95 and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor—Providence is also connected to Boston via MBTA commuter rail, to New York via frequent rail and air service, and to the rest of the world via T.F. Green International Airport, with more than 100 daily nonstop flights to and from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Newark, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Richmond, Tampa, Washington, D.C.—and Santo Domingo, DR.
Salary, Benefits, and Resources. The position offers very competitive salary and benefits, generous annual and step salary increases, and campus amenities including fitness center, swimming pool and athletic facilities, free on-campus parking, chapels and meditation spaces, and information technology resources including MacOS and Windows desktop systems on secure campus networks. NOTE: If appropriate, Providence College will file a petition for an Employment-Based Immigrant Visa, in Category H-1B, once a final job offer is tendered and accepted.
How to Apply. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. in political science (or be very close to completion), and will be asked to demonstrate evidence of the potential for teaching excellence, strong research skills, and potential for continued research productivity. Apply online at https://careers.providence.edu where you will submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, teaching materials, and one or more samples of scholarly writing, either published or unpublished. For additional information, please contact Dr. Tony Affigne, chair of the search committee, at affigne@providence.edu or Dr. Matt Guardino, department chair, at mguardin@providence.edu. NOTE: search committee members will be hosting optional informational interviews at APSA in Los Angeles, and prospective applicants who wish to schedule an informational interview during the conference are encouraged to contact us no later than August 15. Those unable to attend the conference may contact Dr. Affigne to schedule a remote informational interview.
Deadline. For full consideration, your completed application should be submitted no later than October 1, 2023. Review of applications will commence as they are received, and will continue until the position is filled. We anticipate completing on-campus interviews by December 8, and making a final decision by early January 2024.
Providence College is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts, Catholic institution of higher education conducted under the auspices of the Dominican Friars and seeks candidates who can affirm and contribute to its Mission and encourages the deepest respect for the essential dignity, freedom, and equality of every person. Committed to fostering academic excellence, the College provides a variety of opportunities for intellectual, social, moral, and spiritual growth in a supportive environment. Providence College believes that cultural and intellectual pluralism is essential to the excellence of its academic programs, and strives to foster an academic culture and campus community that attracts and supports the development of a stellar and diverse faculty reflecting the global environment in which we live and work. As our student body grows increasingly diverse, experience and commitment to teaching and mentoring students from a range of economic, social and cultural backgrounds is preferred. An AA/EOE, the College especially encourages the applications from women and persons of color. The full Statement of Nondiscrimination is in the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy.
