Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in German at Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College’s Department of German invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track faculty appointment in German studies at the Assistant Professor level, beginning July 1, 2024. The successful candidate will have a strong commitment to teaching at all levels of German language and culture and promise of ongoing scholarly engagement. Recent experience in teaching language and culture and proven success as a teacher of undergraduates are essential, as is training in foreign language pedagogies and ongoing commitment to curricular innovation. Near-native fluency in German is required as well as excellent command of English for courses taught as part of the college-wide curriculum. The teaching load is normally two courses per semester, with the occasional addition of another section of one of those courses. A PhD is expected by the date of appointment.

The position subfield is open, with the successful candidate’s expertise complementing existing specialties in the department and the College. An interdisciplinary focus on any of the following is particularly desirable: 1) community and belonging (intersecting configurations addressing racial, ethnic, gender, religious, social, historical, linguistic, educational, and/or economic diversity/difference), including migration and refuge to and within Europe or the cultural influence of Islam on German-speaking societies throughout history; 2) human rights discourses, including global disparities and precarities (e.g., food insecurity, health, economic opportunity); 3) ecologies (bodies and environments); 4) multilingualism / second-language acquisition; or 5) computational linguistics / AI.

Bowdoin requires its faculty to have a promise of long-term successful research and/or creative work and a strong commitment to inclusive excellence in their teaching. (For a description of inclusive excellence, please consult the following resource: Williams, et. al., Toward a Model of Inclusive Excellence.) 

The Bowdoin community warmly welcomes people of all backgrounds. We encourage applications from candidates committed to the inclusive instruction and support of a diverse student population and who will enrich and contribute to the College’s multifaceted diversity. We especially encourage people from historically excluded groups to apply. Accessibility during the application and interview stages, as well as once employed, is a priority of the College: https://www.bowdoin.edu/accessibility/index.html. We recognize that recruiting faculty may involve considerations of spouses and domestic partners. To that end, the College has developed a policy for considering short-term (non-renewable), part-time faculty appointments for academic spouses and partners and will facilitate outreach and networking for non-academic spouses and partners. Finally, visa sponsorships for faculty hires are available.

Bowdoin College offers opportunities for professional development, a fully-funded, year-long pre-tenure sabbatical leave (after three years of teaching and successful reappointment), and regular, generously funded, post-tenure sabbaticals. Support for teaching, scholarship, grant-writing, digital initiatives, computing software, and community partnerships in courses is readily available to all faculty. The College also offers robust programming and resources for establishing and enhancing mentoring networks. 

Bowdoin College accepts only electronic submissions. Please visit https://careers.bowdoin.edu to submit: 1) a cover letter that includes a description of your research plans and a statement that describes your teaching philosophy and how your teaching, scholarship, and mentorship supports a commitment to equity and inclusion; 2) a curriculum vitae; and 3) the names and contact information for three references who have agreed to provide letters of recommendation. 

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2023, and continue until the position is filled.

Founded in 1794 on the Maine coast, Bowdoin is one of the oldest and most selective coeducational, residential liberal arts colleges in the country. Located in Brunswick, a 30-minute drive north of Portland, the College is in an area rich with natural beauty and year-round outdoor activities. Bowdoin’s reputation rests on the excellence of its faculty and students, intimate size, strong sense of community, and commitment to diversity (38% students of color, 7% international students and 17% first generation college students). Bowdoin College complies with applicable provisions of federal and state laws that prohibit unlawful discrimination in employment, admission, or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry and national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, marital status, place of birth, genetic predisposition, veteran status, or against qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities on the basis of disability, or any other legally protected statuses. For further information about the College and our department, please visit our website:  http://www.bowdoin.edu.