Teaching Assistant Professor, Socio-Legal Studies

As the University’s largest and most varied academic unit, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) is comprised of artists, learners, performers, scholars, scientists, and teachers across 21+ departments, programs, schools, and centers and acts as a central hub where many of the University's disciplines intersect. Nearly all 6,000 undergraduates at the University take liberal arts courses with us, and about one-third of these students declare a first major in a CAHSS program. Most of our departments, programs and schools offer master’s or doctoral programs. CAHSS scholars, artists, instructors, staff, and students collaborate in a shared quest for knowledge about the human condition and the development of skills to improve our local and global communities. The diverse scope of CAHSS allows our students to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed at nearly any career in today’s global society.

The Socio-legal Studies Program at the University of Denver is an interdisciplinary program offering undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a major or minor by taking courses offered across various departments, all addressing topics and issues associated with the study of law and society. The program currently serves 105 majors, many of whom express interest in attending law school. Others intend to pursue post-graduate employment in government and in non-profit organizations. For more information about the program, see Socio-Legal Studies - Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences.

The University of Denver’s mission is to be a great private university dedicated to the public good. Situated in a vibrant urban region that is home to 2.8 million people, the University values diversity and inclusion and recognizes that its success depends on how well it welcomes and engages the broad diversity of our constituents in an environment of mutual respect. See
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - University of Denver for more details.?

Position Summary

The Socio-legal Studies Program at the University of Denver invites applications for a non-tenure track, full-time Teaching Assistant Professor in the field of law and society, with appointment anticipated to start in September 2025. The successful candidate will teach eight courses over three quarters (two-three per quarter) and will contribute service at the program, College, and University level. Appointments at the rank of Teaching Assistant Professor will be made initially as a three-year contract. Subsequent renewal and/or promotion to Associate rank is contingent on formal performance review. The Teaching Professorial Series provides opportunity for promotion and advancement within the series (3-year, 5-year, and 7-year contracts). Preference will be given to candidates who can teach two existing courses—Introduction to Law and Society and Legal Actors and Institutions—as well as upper-division courses in law and society. Successful candidates will demonstrate a record of excellence in undergraduate teaching and a strong commitment to constructively engaging students with diverse backgrounds and learning styles.

Essential Functions

• Teach a large introductory course serving the common curriculum and major programs, Introduction to Law and Society, and an upper-division course Legal Actors and Institutions. Courses are taught in person, on campus.
• Teach smaller, writing intensive upper-division courses in the field of law and society.
• Deploy best practices for online learning through the University of Denvers online learning platform, Canvas, utilizing Canvas tools such as Zoom video-conferencing, discussion boards, quizzes, assignments with uploaded files, and the gradebook as the means to collect student work and communicate feedback and assignment grades.
• Meet outside of class in office hours on campus and via video-conference to provide guidance and assistance to students enrolled in courses taught.
• Advise and mentor undergraduate student majors.
• Contribute service to the program, College, and University.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced scholarly expertise in the field of law and society.
• Excellent skills in oral and written communication.
• Ability to interact constructively with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and undergraduate students in both conventional in-person and online-only course formats.
• One year teaching experience as instructor on record.

Required Qualifications

• ABD or PhD in Criminology, Sociology, Political Science or relevant interdisciplinary social sciences area (e.g., Jurisprudence and Social Policy doctoral program, etc.) or JD.
• Experience teaching undergraduate courses in law and society or a related field (e.g., law and politics, political sociology, sociology of law, etc.).
• Experience using a course management software

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in political science, sociology, or relevant interdisciplinary social sciences area (e.g. Jurisprudence and Social Policy doctoral program).
• Experience teaching Introduction to Law and Society and upper-division undergraduate courses in law and society.
• Experience using the Canvas course management software to support in-person courses.

Working Environment

1. Standard office and classroom environment.
2. Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
3. Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

1. Ability to sit or stand for an extended period of time.
2. Occasionally required to move about the office/campus with the capability of transporting objects up to 20 lbs.

Work Schedule
While the University's administrative offices are open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, faculty schedules vary from term to term and are based on courses taught, service commitments, and research agendas. The University's academic calendars are posted on the registrar's website (the law school is on a semester system and has a different academic calendar).

Application Deadline
For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) December 31, 2024.

Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.  Contact Lisa Pasko at Lisa.Pasko@du.edu with inquiries.

Salary Grade

The salary grade for this position is UC.

Salary Range:
The salary range for this position is $60,000-$63,000

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. Curriculum vitae that specifies specialization and comprehensive exam areas 

2. Letter of interest that describes teaching interests and other qualifications  

3. A teaching statement that outlines pedagogy 

4. Evidence of teaching excellence (this can include, but is not limited to, sample syllabi, sample assignments, sample grading rubrics, original student evaluations), a list of courses taught previously, a list of courses that could be taught, and any other artifacts of teaching excellence 

5. One-page statement describing how the candidate’s research, teaching, and/or service contributes to diversity, equity, and inclusivity.  

6. Names and contact information for three references 

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.