Assistant Professor (Human Rights and Law )

Job Description:

The School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor in human rights and law, to begin September 1, 2025. Of particular interest are social science scholars, whose research agenda and practice focuses on the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups participate in society and realize well-being, with attention to the transformation of social, economic, political, legal, or cultural institutions and structures. We are specifically interested in candidates whose scholarly agenda adds a local US focus within Human Rights and Law, especially in Critical Race Theory and its related branches such as Latinx Critical Race Theory (LatCrit); Tribal Critical Race Theory (Tribal Crit), complementing the regional expertise of faculty in the School. Preference will be given to candidates who can bridge local and global human rights law and who employ critical quantitative methods.

Faculty are responsible for teaching, research, and service that enhance CEHD's community-engaged mission. Responsibilities include: 1) teaching graduate (master's and Ph.D.) courses in the Global Inclusion and Social Development (GISD) Program; 2) conducting relevant research; 3) advising master's and doctoral students and serving on dissertation committees; and 4) contributing service to university, college, school, and program committees, to professional associations, and to local, national, and/or international communities. The College recognizes that the scholarly work of faculty often includes the integration of teaching, research, and service.

The School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston is a unique school focused on developing leaders in human well-being as it relates to systems, structures, societies, communities and organizations. Established in 2012, SGISD is comprised of programs in Global Inclusion and Social Development (MA and PhD, and the Certificate Program in Human Rights); master's programs in Rehabilitation Counseling and Vision Studies; and an undergraduate program in Asian American Studies. Operating under a transdisciplinary model, the school is focused on developing leaders in global inclusion and social development - scholars with transdisciplinary knowledge of the interrelationship of wellness to social and economic development as they relate to inclusion, exclusion and social justice; as well as skills in research, training and community-capacity development. Our programs focus on addressing institutional barriers to equity, and the strengths, needs, and aspirations of populations that experience marginalization.

Requirements:

An earned doctorate in law, legal studies, management, organizational behavior, leadership studies, population studies, epidemiology, social welfare, public policy, sociology, geography, anthropology, political science or other social science or related field is required, as well as clear evidence of excellence in both research and teaching. Successful applicants will focus on one of the following areas: promotion of wellness in diverse settings; evidence-based practice; inclusive strategies for social change; community capacity development; systemic change and program effectiveness; and research on pressing social issues with clear practice and/or policy implications. Successful candidates will have also demonstrated their interest and skill in seeking to address the needs of populations excluded for one or more reasons related to gender, race, ethnicity, language, age, religious background, nationality, immigration status, sexual identity or expression, and other conditions of social, political, or economic exclusion.

Candidates are expected to have an excellent command of either quantitative or qualitative research methods. Additionally, candidates should have a program of inquiry that has attracted significant external funding or has the promise to do so. Excellence in teaching and publications is essential. The successful candidate is expected to teach core graduate courses, graduate electives in their specialty, and participate actively in the intellectual life of a transdisciplinary program. Candidates are expected to contribute to the mission of both SGISD and UMass Boston and participate in service-learning activities and related contributions.

Additional Information:

The College of Education and Human Development, ranked among the top 5 schools of education in New England and the #1 public school of education in the state of Massachusetts, is guided by our core values of social justice, community engagement and academic excellence:

• Social and racial justice and inclusion involve equity of access and success for all students, faculty, staff and community members especially those who have faced oppression as a result of race or ethnic background, national origin, immigration status, social class, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or religious affiliation.
• Community engagement is valuing and honoring the knowledge of people through reciprocal relationships between partners inside and outside of the university. Community engagement within CEHD includes local, state, regional, national, and global communities and addresses geographic, social, political, and organizational issues.
• Academic excellence applies diverse theories and evidence-based practices to produce transformational learning and positive human development.

UMass Boston is an urban public research university with a teaching soul, whose impact is both local and global. We are the third most diverse university in the country - more than 60% of our undergraduate students come from minoritized communities and groups and more than half of our students are the first in their families to attend a college or university. Thus, our students come to us from richly diverse life experiences and backgrounds; they bring to our classrooms and research settings the robust range of perspectives growing out of the socio-cultural, economic, and historical contexts in which they have lived, along with the challenges they encounter, engage, and strive to overcome. We invite applications from candidates who reflect the diverse life experiences of our student body, who appreciate that students bring their holistic selves into the academic setting, and who recognize and articulate how their own life experiences and backgrounds have shaped their journeys, practices, and commitments as researchers, scholars, and educators.

Application instructions:

Applicants should submit a CV, a letter describing their research and teaching interests, examples of two publications, and the names and email addresses of three references online. Inquiries about the position can be directed to Valerie Karr @valerie.karr@umb.edu.

Review of applications will begin on October 13, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. For more information, please visit our website at www.umb.edu/academics/sgisd.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact HRDirect@umb.edu or 617-287-5150.