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Position Announcement
Position Details
Proposed Start Date
09/16/2026
Working Title
Black Studies Adjunct Pool , Academic Year 2026-27
Department
220400 - BST Black Studies Prgm
Position Number
D97758
Representation
AP - AFT, Local 3571
Position Summary
Brief Description of PSU/School/Dept
A thriving campus in the heart of the city, Portland State University is Oregon's most affordable public research university, offering tremendous opportunity to over 20,000 students from all backgrounds. Our mission to "let knowledge serve the city" reflects our dedication to finding innovative, sustainable solutions to local and global problems. Our location in one of America's most dynamic urban centers gives our students unmatched access to career opportunities, community engagement, and cultural resources. PSU is the only Oregon university to offer a four-year degree guarantee.
The School of Gender, Race, and Nations (SGRN) creates new intellectual and community connections among its founding partners-Black Studies; Indigenous Nations Studies; Chicanx/Latinx Studies; and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies-to better understand and advocate for historically under-served populations crucial to Oregon's success.
Black Studies at PSU is one of the country's oldest and most innovative Black Studies departments, established in the late 1960s. The department's teaching and research foreground the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of people of African descent locally, nationally, and globally. Black Studies faculty lead interdisciplinary, community-engaged scholarship while providing students with the critical tools to engage issues of race, equity, decolonization, and social transformation. Our curriculum spans the humanities, social sciences, and the arts, centering Black intellectual traditions, creativity, and resistance.
Position Summary
The Black Studies Department in the School of Gender, Race & Nations at Portland State University invites applications for adjunct instructors to teach Black Studies courses during the 2025-2026 academic year. We are especially interested in Oregon-based scholars, educators, and practitioners deeply engaged with the histories, religions, cultural production, and lived experiences of people of African descent.
Join a dynamic and diverse department dedicated to fostering critical dialogue, community engagement, and interdisciplinary approaches. Adjunct instructors may teach in-person, online, or hybrid modalities in collaboration with the Office of Academic Innovation.
We specifically seek instructors to offer courses in the following areas:

• Vodoun, Rasta, and Islam in the African Diaspora
• African Women in Film
• Black Popular Music in Context
• Black Feminism/Womanism
• Race, Justice, and Punishment
• Contemporary African American Experience
• Additional areas relevant to Black Studies, depending on departmental curricular needs

Successful candidates will demonstrate experience teaching diverse student populations and a commitment to culturally sustaining, community-engaged pedagogy.
Minimum Qualifications
Advanced degree(s) or comparable knowledge base in Black Studies, Africa Studies, or closely related fields, and prior teaching experience.
Preferred Qualifications
Terminal degree(s) in Black Studies, African Studies, or closely related fields.
Prior teaching or instructional experience at the college/university or equivalent educational/community-based level.
Experience with interdisciplinary, community-based, or public-facing scholarship and practice.
Key Cultural Competencies
• Creates an environment that acknowledges, encourages and celebrates differences.
• Functions and communicates effectively and respectfully within the context of varying beliefs, behaviors, orientations, identities and cultural backgrounds.
• Seeks opportunities to gain experience working and collaborating in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings with a willingness to change for continual improvement
• Adheres to all PSU's policies including the policies on Prohibited Discrimination & Harassment and the Professional Standards of Conduct.
Environmental Stewardship
Contributes to a culture of environmental stewardship, practices resource conservation, and actively works toward achieving long-term sustainability goals.
Required Professional Standards of Conduct
At Portland State University, all employees are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner which maintains a safe, respectful, and productive environment for faculty, students, administrators, and staff. It is the responsibility of every member of the Portland State University community to conduct themselves in accordance with our PSU Professional Standards of Conduct which are available at www.pdx.edu/hr/professional-standards-conduct.
Compensation
Adjunct faculty members are paid per credit hour per the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement which can be found at https://www.pdx.edu/academic-affairs/academic-unions#psufa
Application Instructions
Additional Information
A background check is required for adjunct faculty who have not taught in the department during a previous academic year.
Local applicants are strongly preferred. Candidates whose teaching includes in-person or hybrid courses will be expected to reside in or relocate to the Portland metropolitan area for campus-based instruction.
Please submit the following:

1. A cover letter listing desired Black Studies courses (see above) you would like to be considered for, along with your availability for fall, winter, spring quarters. Please indicate what course delivery methods you're available to teach, as well as available days and times (approximate times are fine). Please find PSU's descriptions of course delivery methods here: https://www.pdx.edu/registration/guide-course-delivery-methods
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. The names and contact information for three professional references.

You may choose to upload an optional teaching portfolio that includes:

1. statement of teaching philosophy
2. sample syllabi

Does this position require the employee to drive a motor vehicle?
No
Background Check Required
Yes
Search Details
Posting Close Date
Projected Close Date for Posting
Open Until Finalists Identified