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The Department of Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis, is one of three PhD-granting programs in this field in the U.S., and the only one with a hemispheric perspective. Located on the lands of the Patwin peoples, our program acknowledges and supports the sovereignty and rights of Indigenous nations over their ancestral and traditional lands.

The Department of Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis (UCD) invites applications for an open-rank position in the area of Indigenous languages of the Americas, with an emphasis on North America (U.S., Mexico, Canada) to begin July 1, 2024. This position would be filled by an interdisciplinary scholar with an active research agenda whose field(s) fall(s) within humanities and/or social sciences. The holder of this faculty position in Indigenous languages should have a Ph.D. in linguistics, Native American Studies, or a related field, with an emphasis on language, an active interest in Indigenous languages of the Americas, and experience and/or strong interest in working with Indigenous communities on language acquisition and revitalization. The holder of this position must be able to work with students who are interested in learning more about Indigenous languages (in some cases, their heritage languages), and, in particular, with our graduate students who are required to study an Indigenous language of the Americas. The holder of this position will be considered for appointment as the Director of the Native American Language Center and should show a (beginning or sustained) track record of grant support for language research. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in hand by the first day of classes in Fall 2024.

We seek individuals with a commitment to the enhancement of our Native American Studies undergraduate and graduate programs. Our department is inter/multidisciplinary and hemispheric in perspective. We offer an undergraduate major and minor and graduate program (M.A., Ph.D., and D.E. Designated Emphasis) in Native American Studies.

Qualifications

By the first day of classes in Fall 2024, applicants should have earned a PhD (or equivalent) in Native American or American Indian Studies, Ethnic Studies, Linguistics, or a related field. Successful candidates should have a record of research and teaching centered in Native American and Indigenous languages or linguistics. They should also show promise in graduate student mentoring; a commitment to ongoing professional and scholarly development in Native American and Indigenous languages; and active participation in departmental, university, professional, and/or public service, broadly defined.

Application Instructions

Candidates are asked to submit:
● Cover letter (2-3 pages)
● Curriculum vitae
● Research statement (2 page maximum)
● Teaching portfolio that includes: a statement of teaching philosophy, 1-2 proposed or current course syllabi, and two sets of student evaluations
● Statement of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (2 page maximum). Ideally this statement should also speak to lived Indigenous experience and community connections, with a description of past and/or potential contributions through teaching, mentoring, research, and service to Native American and Indigenous Studies and/or communities. More information about how to prepare diversity statements is available at: https://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/guidelines-writing-diversity-statement
● Two writing samples (the length of an article or chapter)
● Contact information for three referees willing to submit letters of reference should the search committee request them at a later date.
Submission:

Review of applications will begin on November 17, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates should submit all materials in PDF via UC Davis Recruit: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF05965

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis conducts a reference check on all first-choice candidates for Academic Senate Assistant Professor, Steps 4, 5, or 6 through Professor, Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6 through Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment, and Acting Professor of Law through Professor of Law positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for these faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for these faculty positions will be subject to reference checks.

Questions may be addressed to Professor Beth Rose Middleton, chair of the search committee at: brmiddleton@ucdavis.edu

About NAS at UC Davis:

In 2019, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our undergraduate academic program (major, minor, and systemwide online minor in development) and the 20th anniversary of our graduate program (MA and PhD). Next year marks the 30th anniversary of our departmental status. Through our graduate program, we also offer a Designated Emphasis (DE) in Native American Studies, which provides NAS faculty the opportunity to mentor students from units across the campus. The NAS Department houses the Native American Language Center, the Indigenous Research Center of the Americas, and the Yocha Dehe Endowed Chair in California Indian Studies. Finally, UC Davis is home to the following entities that support and promote Native American/Indigenous issues on campus: the Native American Academic Student Success Center (a.k.a. “the Native Nest”), several undergraduate student organizations, the NAS Graduate Student Association, the C.N. Gorman Museum, the Tribal Justice Project, Native American/Indigenous Advisory Committee to the Chancellor, the NAGPRA Project, and the Patwin/Native American Honoring Project. The University of California has also demonstrated a commitment to supporting Native American student tuition through the Native American Opportunity Plan.

More information about the department can be found at: https://nas.ucdavis.edu

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals’ with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. UC Davis celebrates the multi-cultural diversity of its community by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment demonstrated through a variety of resources and programs available to academics, staff, and students. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are core values of UC Davis that are embedded within our Principles of Community and are tied with how to best serve our student population. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can best be fully realized by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values, which are included in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Vision, our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400: Policy on University of California Diversity Statement. UC Davis is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a plethora of resources on their website, and the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (HEDI) has outlined similar goals in their Anti-Racism and DEI Action Plan.” There are a plethora of links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our Administration, Diversity and Inclusion, Rankings, Locations, Native American Land Acknowledgement, Sustainability, Visiting UC Davis, UC Davis Health, and Campus Safety.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.