Professor Critical Disability Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Position Title Critical Disability Studies - Non-Tenure Track Faculty Vacancy Pool About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

Western Washington University's Bellingham Campus sits upon the unceded ancestral lands of the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe. We affirm that indigenous communities are still here and still provide leadership in our shared communities. 

About the Department

The Institute for Critical Disability Studies (ICDS) was established in 2022.  It is a cross-disciplinary initiative, drawing faculty from across the humanities, sciences, performing arts, and beyond. The ICDS offers a minor in Critical Disability Studies, which consists of three core courses and electives from across the university. We are committed to an ethos of disability justice, which means we are devoted to social justice and leadership of those most impacted by disability issues, meaning disabled, d/Deaf, queer, and BIPOC people themselves. We encourage applications from women, trans and queer people, people of color, disabled people, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

About the Position

The Critical Disability Studies program maintains a vacancy pool of qualified persons interested in teaching with the program. In anticipation of possible openings throughout the academic year and summer sessions, applications are accepted continuously for temporary part-time non-tenure track teaching positions with occasional opportunities for temporary, full-time appointments. Positions may become available at any time and are typically filled on a quarterly basis.

The position is responsible for teaching a subset of courses in the Critical Disability Studies program, which currently consists of DISA 201 (Stories of Disability in the World), DISA 330 (Critical Disability Studies), DISA 350 (Topics in Critical Disability Studies), and DISA 450 (Capstone in Critical Disability Studies). Other experimental courses and electives may be added in the future. All courses require expertise in the field of critical disability studies, and in the case of DISA 350, expertise in a disability-related topic. The holder of this position will be responsible for:

• Teaching one or more DISA classes, bearing between 3 and 5 credits (typically 4 or 5 credits)
• Utilizing online teaching technologies, including Canvas LMS
• Holding at least one regularly scheduled weekly office hour per DISA course (holding variable or on-demand office hours is optional)

The position is open to face-to-face teaching or teaching in remote online, or hybrid formats. Hybrid or remote work must be in accordance with the University's Policy on Managing Telework Arrangements, which limits remote work to individuals who are residents of Washington state or Canada upon job start.  

The ICDS values teaching, and we expect you to be an excellent teacher; to be current in your discipline; to engage students actively in their own learning including discussion, writing, and analysis; and to set high standards regarding course content. You are expected to provide students with feedback on their coursework and examinations, and to be available to students through regularly scheduled office hours in keeping with department policy. You must have your students evaluate your course(s) using the standard University evaluation forms, or others approved by the provost, and you must make those evaluations available to the ICDS co-directors for annual review.

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree or higher in fields related to critical disability studies, accessibility, or disability culture and identity; and/or expert knowledge in a special topics area
• Demonstrated potential as a teacher
• Knowledge of critical disability studies and/or lived experience with disability culture
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with diverse students, faculty, and staff, including a commitment to cultivating learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching critical disability studies courses at the college level
• Experience developing critical disability studies coursework and curriculum at the college level
• Specialty in a discipline-specific topic related to disability (for instance disability applied to dance or disability applied to literature)
• Scholarly research and publication in the area of critical disability studies

Conditions of Employment All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

$1,200-$2,200 per Credit, Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Benefits Information Benefits Overview for Faculty Positions

Bargaining Unit

United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

A cover letter and curriculum vitae are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Also submit two additional documents:

1. a 1-page statement explaining your commitments to Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in your teaching, and
2. a brief description of how you would approach the courses you intend to teach, including sample readings and assignments.

You will be asked to provide contact information of three references. They will receive an automatically-generated request to provide a reference letter as soon as your application is submitted through the PageUp hiring portal.

Applicants who have prior college teaching experience should submit evidence of effective teaching practices as supplemental information, one or more of the following: course syllabi, student course evaluations, and/or peer observation letters.

Closing Date Notes

While this pool is listed as "Open Continuously" please note this does not indicate there is a current opening.  Applications are accepted continuously for potential NTT faculty openings; please apply at your earliest convenience.  Applicant materials are reviewed on an as-needed basis, and you will only be contacted if an opportunity is available.

This vacancy pool is refreshed annually; please see applicable close date information below.  Applicants who continue to remain interested in being considered for on-going opportunities should re-submit updated materials to the new pool, once posted.  Vacancy pool closes no later than August 31, 2027.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU's Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes a sexual misconduct background check.