Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor (tenure track): Theatre, Performance Studies

Position Type:
Assistant Professor (tenure track): Theatre, Performance Studies

Position Type:
Regular

Salary Range:

The salary range for this position is $83,771 to $93,107, depending on the successful candidate's years of teaching experience at the college-level. The position comes with generous benefits ), including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, and university contributions toward retirement. Recognizing the high cost of housing in the local area, there are two University housing assistance programs: Rental assistance to ease the transition into the local housing market, and housing purchase assistance for tenure-stream faculty. For details, go to

Purpose:

The Department of Theatre and Dance at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit, Catholic university located in Silicon Valley on the land of the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Theatre, Performance Studies. The successful candidate will start on September 1, 2025, and be expected to teach, engage in a scholarship program, and do service for the Department, College, and University. We seek a teaching-scholar who will conduct applied research at the intersection of Theatre and Gender and Queer Performance Theory, Trans Theory in Performance, Critical Race Theory, Social Justice, and/or Decolonial Praxis. Other areas of expertise might include: African American/Black, Latin/x, or Asian American Theatre, Digital Humanities, Feminist Theory, and Indigenous and/or Diasporic Theatre. SCU is on the quarter system and tenure-track faculty are expected to teach 6 courses per year (2 each quarter), and engage in an active scholarship program.

The Department of Theatre and Dance at SCU is composed of artist-scholars and arts practitioners who produce a fully staged season of mainstage performances from a varied and diverse canon of plays, musicals, and originally choreographed dance concerts. The Department is revising its approach to teaching theatre history and historiography by decentering Eurocentric and/or Western chronologies and developing more thematic modules within which students can consider a range of historical and cultural interpretations of performance within a more global context. We aspire to sustain and develop this academic balance between theatre history, historiography, and performance studies by continuing to invest in the study of gender, sexuality, and race in performance. The successful candidate will be expected to teach the university's core writing and culture sequence, Cultures and Ideas 1 & 2, which introduces first-year students to the usefulness of performance studies methodologies in analyzing contemporary culture as well as the usefulness of theatre history and historiography to develop intercultural competencies for global citizenship. Other courses might include upper division courses in performance studies or electives in the candidate's area of expertise.

This position is part of an LGBTQ+/Queer Studies Cluster Hire in the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University. The College of Arts and Sciences is building a cohort of critical LGBTQ+/queer teaching and scholarship as part of an intersectional body of research, teaching and mentoring at SCU to contribute to the broader social and political good in light of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ policies and efforts across the US and in varied global contexts.

Departments participating in the LGBTQ+/Queer Studies Cluster Hire are Public Health, Women's and Gender Studies, Theatre and Dance, and English.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages applications from members of historically excluded groups, including people of color, women, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. Over the last decade, Santa Clara University has recruited an increasingly diverse faculty, enrolled more diverse and low-income students, and recently committed to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution. For more information about our programs and faculty see

Basic Qualifications:

Applicants must have a PhD (completion required by the time of appointment) in Theatre and/or Performance Studies or closely related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Evidence of inclusive pedagogical practices that would advance SCU's goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Evidence of experience teaching and mentoring a diverse population of undergraduates.
• Post-doctoral research and/or undergraduate teaching experience are highly valued, as is community-engaged research that is published in peer-reviewed outlets.
• The candidate should have a five-year research plan that could be supported by external funding and provide opportunities for involvement by undergraduates.
• Specific expertise in the area of Queer Performance Theory desired.

Responsibilities:

Tenure track faculty at SCU are teaching scholars who are expected to balance teaching, research and service. This is an in-person position. More specifically, duties include but are not limited to:

TEACHING

1. Areas of teaching will include courses in the first-year core required Cultures and Ideas sequence; courses in the Theatre History sequence; upper division courses such as Performing Identities: Staging Gender, Race, and Sexuality (or Feminism RemiXed), and other advanced courses in their area of specialty for the Department of Theatre and Dance. SCU is on the quarter system and the assigned teaching load is 6 courses/year Teaching responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• a. Conducting and appearing at all assigned class meetings in a timely and prepared manner that demonstrates a command of the discipline and skill in presenting it effectively.
• b. Assigning and evaluating written work, projects, and exams that align with course or core learning objectives and providing timely feedback to students.
• c. Holding weekly office hours at times reasonably convenient to students.
• d. Assigning and submitting student grades that are appropriate, accurate, and fair measures of student performance to the Office of the Registrar by the designated deadline.
• e. Administering numerical and narrative evaluations in each section for all courses.

2. Develop and teach courses that contribute to curriculum development in the relevant degree program and/or the university core. Faculty teaching university core courses should follow an approved syllabus or work with the chair to design an appropriate syllabus for submission for approval from the relevant Faculty Core Curriculum Committee.

3. Participate in assessment of student learning for courses in the department.

4. Provide informed advice and mentoring to undergraduate students.

5. Fulfill other instructional or academic duties as may be assigned by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or by the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance.

RESEARCH

1. Develop a research program at SCU that will result in peer-reviewed publications, monographs, and/or creative work per the department scholarship standards.

2. Preference will be given to candidates with a research program that can accommodate participation of undergraduates.

SERVICE

Provide effective service to the Department of Theatre and Dance, the College of Arts and Sciences, the University, and the external professional community through contributions other than teaching and scholarship such as service on committees, participation in professional organizations and activities, leadership, and community service performed by virtue of professional expertise or association with the university as appropriate to rank and experience.

Additional Information:

Course descriptions can be found at:

Please contact Kimberly Mohne Hill, Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, at with any questions.

Work Authorization:
A foreign national who is appointed to a tenured or tenure-track faculty position is eligible for sponsorship by Santa Clara University.

Special Instructions to Applicants:
Application deadline: September 15, 2024. To ensure consideration, applications must be completed/submitted by midnight on this date. Applications must be submitted using the university's online application process.

Letters of recommendation (if requested) and additional documentation should be sent to Ruth Mikusko, Department Manager at

Required documents:

Submit the following in PDF form in the Workday application portal:

• Letter of application, including a statement/information regarding:
  a. applicant's teaching experience and philosophy,
  b. research interests (including how they foster collaboration with students),
  c. experience working with people of diverse cultures and identities.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Evidence of teaching excellence/performance (e.g. sample syllabi, faculty and/or student teaching evaluations/peer teaching evaluations from recent position)
• Three references with contact information (phone, email)
• A representative sample of scholarship (pdf or url)
• Graduate transcripts (unofficial, with official available upon request)

Santa Clara University is committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging among faculty, staff, and students. Candidates are encouraged to address in the letter of application their professional interest in and/or experiences relevant to achieving this goal. EO/AA employer.

COVID-19 Statement

The health and safety of the University community is a top priority. The University strongly recommends that all employees are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as the vaccination and boosters are safe, effective tools that significantly minimize the chances of serious illness and hospitalization. Please contact Human Resources if you have any questions.

Telecommute

Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.

Work Authorization:

A foreign national who is appointed to a tenured or tenure-track faculty position is eligible for visa sponsorship assessment by Santa Clara University together with its legal counsel.

EEO Statement

Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and California State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Information about Title IX can be found at Information about Section 504 and the ADA Coordinator can be found at , , Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Santa Clara University affirms its' commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the Department of Human Resources, and and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at or by email at

To view the full job posting and apply for this position, go to

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