The Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs seeks to hire a tenure-track faculty member at the rank of Assistant Professor in the area of Social Welfare, Black Life, and Racial Justice. This search is a partnership between the Department of Social Welfare and the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies as part of the campus-wide effort to rise to the challenge of racial and social justice at UCLA, sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor and the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost.
We seek a scholar who studies the U.S. Black experience and whose research and teaching has direct relevance for social welfare policy, practice and/or theory. In particular, we wish to recruit a scholar whose research focuses on one or more of the following areas: the impact of policing and criminal justice policies on Black communities, the welfare state and the impact of welfare and other social programs and economic policies on Black families, economic and community development in relation to Black neighborhoods; Black health and wellness. We are especially interested in a scholar who brings a critical perspective to research, teaching, and service -- including but not limited to Black feminism, abolitionism, critical race theory, Black diasporic studies, Black history -- and whose work has the potential to dismantle systems of anti-Blackness and white supremacy and advance racial justice policies and practices.
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Social Welfare, African American Studies, Sociology, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Gender Studies, History, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health, or a related social science discipline, have a robust research agenda, and be prepared to teach and mentor students at the undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D. levels. A MSW degree is welcomed but not required.
Applicants are asked to submit a cover letter, CV, a research statement of less than 500 words highlighting scholarly contributions of recent research and plans for the near future, one publication or writing sample, a teaching statement of less than 500 words outlining teaching experience and philosophy, a statement that addresses past and/or potential contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and three references. In such material, we hope to see evidence of a career trajectory with robust potential for scholarship and teaching, a demonstrated commitment to Black studies and racial justice, and an active interest in sharing such scholarship and/or working with Black communities, movements and community organizations.
The Department of Social Welfare currently hosts 19 tenured/tenure-track faculty, 4 adjunct faculty, and 6 full-time Field Education faculty. It serves approximately 200 MSW students and 40 doctoral students. Department faculty also teach undergraduate students in the Luskin School’s major in Public Affairs. The Department has a proven track record of social and racial justice pedagogy. Most recently, in collaboration with the UCLA Luskin Black Caucus, students and faculty in the department have created, and are now implementing, an Action Plan to Address Anti-Blackness and Racism.
The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs is an interdisciplinary school with highly ranked departments of Urban Planning and Public Policy. All faculty in the Luskin School of Public Affairs (including the Departments of Social Welfare, Urban Planning, and Public Policy) have opportunities to participate in current school initiatives in race, class, and inequality; global public affairs; digital technologies and data science; environment; and inequality and democracy. This position joins two other recently filled positions in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs concerned with Black life and the Black experience: Critical Black Urbanism in the Department of Urban Planning and the Black American experience in the Department of Public Policy. Faculty in the school and department have ongoing collaborations with ethnic studies departments and centers at UCLA. We expect that the faculty member who holds this position will benefit from, and strengthen, existing linkages to the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, the Department of African American Studies, and other relevant units.
UCLA offers competitive salary and attractive benefits packages, including a housing assistance program for new faculty members. The University of California seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.
The expected start date is July 1, 2022. All materials must be submitted via UCLA Academic Recruit by October 1, 2021, to be guaranteed full consideration. Questions about the search should be directed to Professor Ananya Roy, chair of the search committee: ananyaucla@ucla.edu.
The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy, see: UC Nondiscrimination & Affirmative Action Policy
