Working/Functional Title

Ast/Asc/Full Professor Tenure System

Position Summary

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar's areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

This open-rank, tenure-stream position will be in the Department of Religious Studies (100%) in the College of Arts and Letters (CAL). It is a full-time, academic year (9 month) appointment, beginning August 16, 2023. The duty period runs from August 16 through May 15 of each year. The successful candidate will be expected to engage in professional activities under the broad headings of Research, Teaching, and Service, and in doing so, to seek out and cultivate diverse collaborations with a broad range of stake holders in academia, research, and tribal communities.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Doctorate

Minimum Requirements

All applicants should have the following:

• A relevant terminal graduate degree, such as:
  • Ph.D in Religious Studies or a related field
  • M.F.A.
  • J.D.
• A demonstrated record of active engagement with Michigan's recognized Native communities and/or recognized Native communities elsewhere in the Great Lakes region.

Required Application Materials

Applications should include:

1. A letter expressing interest in the position and describing qualifications and experience
2. A current curriculum vitae
3. A writing sample taken from current or past research, or that engages the public in knowledge sharing
4. A statement describing your philosophy as a teacher
5. A document summarizing experience with diversity in teaching and/or past research and administrative endeavors, any experience mentoring diverse students or community outreach initiatives, and an explanation of how you will advance our goals of inclusive excellence. For more about MSU's DEI efforts, see
6. The names of three references and their contact information

Please note: Three letters of reference will be requested at the time candidates advance to the second round of interviews and will be asked only of those candidates.

Together-we-will Statement

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