Department: Sociology & Criminology - 32450

Brief Summary of Work for this position:

The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington is embarking on a (multi-year) cluster hire initiative to hire multiple faculty across a range of disciplines (History, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, Film Studies, and Religious Studies) whose scholarly/creative focus is in the area of Race, Racial Inequality, Social Justice, or Africana Studies. Our goal is to instantiate our values of diversity and inclusion as we build regional and national interdisciplinary strengths in these areas. Given our commitment to community engagement and engaged scholarship we seek to appoint faculty who are deeply imbedded in the communities they study. The open rank position of Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor of Criminology within the Department of Sociology and Criminology is part of this initiative.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology is seeking to hire a nine-month criminologist whose research focuses on the intersections of systemic racism, crime, and criminal justice. Academic rank at time of appointment is open to Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, commensurate with experience and scholarly achievement. This position carries a teaching load of three courses per term while maintaining an active research agenda in their specialization area. The position also includes the opportunity for additional summer school teaching. Selected candidate will be actively engaged in departmental meetings, committees, and special project work to further goals of the department.

Candidates interested in the position at the tenure-track Assistant Professor level should have potential for innovation and leadership in research. To be considered at the tenured Associate Professor or Professor level, candidates are expected to have an established record of teaching, scholarship, research, and service.

We seek to build a network of researchers, scholars, and artists that will support the ongoing work in which we are engaged and to set a path forward as we grow these areas of critical study into regional and national strengths. In addition to the standard diversity recruitment measures mentioned below, this hire will be advertised across diversity-platforms as a coordinated cluster hire that has as its ultimate goal to build recognized strengths these areas.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

PhD in  Criminology, Criminal Justice, or a closely related field such as Sociology, Africana Studies, and Legal Studies with at least 18 hours of graduate coursework closely related to the discipline at the time of employment.

Applicants who are ABD for the terminal degree may be considered depending on expected completion date.

Concurrent to fulfilling department needs, the position is expected to support the existing Africana Studies minor and contribute to the development of an Africana Studies major at UNCW.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills & Experience :

All applicants should show evidence of a strong, independent research program, a commitment to working with students from diverse backgrounds, and excellence in teaching. There is an expectation for teaching in our graduate program, as well as and contributing to our core undergraduate curriculum. Interest or experience in online teaching is also desirable.

Required Certifications or Licensure:

No Required Certifications or Licensure

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit:

The Department of Sociology and Criminology (www.uncw.edu/soccrm) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington has 22 full-time faculty members, roughly 350 undergraduate majors, and offers bachelor's degrees in sociology and criminology (general and public), including an online bachelor's degree in criminology, and an MA in Sociology and Criminology. The University of North Carolina Wilmington, the state's coastal university, is dedicated to learning through the integration of teaching and mentoring with research and service.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology is committed to providing quality undergraduate liberal arts education for its students, producing new knowledge through scholarship and research, and performing service to its profession, the university, and community.

As an academic unit within the College of Arts and Science, the primary department goal is the creation and transmission of knowledge through its two social science disciplines, sociology and criminology, with a particular strength in public sociology and criminology.

To this end, the department’s programs provide curricula that encourage critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and an understanding of the social science perspective. Through various and innovative instructional modes, including technologically enhanced and web-based courses, community engaged teaching, individualized instructions, interdisciplinary curricula, distance learning, internships, and practice, the department seeks to fulfill the university’s commitment to providing a quality learning experience for its students.
Excellence in scholarship and research is also viewed as essential to providing an effective and meaningful educational environment. Performing service in the region from the special perspective of sociology and criminology and providing students with the professional training necessary for success in applied settings is also a basic department responsibility.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology seeks to increase knowledge of human society from a global perspective and to enhance understanding of the various multicultural segments of American society.

College/School Information:

The College of Arts and Sciences is UNCW's largest academic unit, employing 450 full-time and 150 part-time faculty members and awarding approximately two-thirds of the university's academic credits. Ours is a comprehensive arts & sciences college comprising the arts, the humanities, the mathematical and natural sciences, and the social and behavioral sciences.
The College's twenty-five units offer a variety of undergraduate majors leading to the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Fine Arts, the Bachelor of Music, and the Bachelor of Science. The College also offers a full complement of minors, including interdisciplinary minors such as Africana studies, Asian studies, Forensic studies, Latin America studies, Middle East & Islamic studies, Native-American studies, and Women's and Gender studies, among others.
Applied learning is a hallmark of the student experience in the College of Arts and Sciences. Each of the College's departments requires an applied learning experience as a part of the curriculum for its undergraduate majors. Examples include faculty-directed research, internships, service learning, and capstone courses and projects, all of which challenge students to integrate various strands of knowledge and to apply that knowledge to broader, real-world or real disciplinary situations. Through applied learning, students in the College gain direct hands-on experience with the skills of their major fields as an essential part of their preparation for life and career.
In addition to its undergraduate major and minor programs, the College is chiefly responsible for the curriculum that comprises the UNCW's University Studies Program, through which all UNCW undergraduates gain a foundation in the liberal arts and develop the transferable skills essential for life in the twenty-first century. The College strives in its undergraduate programs and in its University Study offerings to nurture creative thinking, intellectual curiosity, diversity and inclusion, and academic integrity in students while providing them with a solid foundation of knowledge in their chosen fields. Upon completion of their undergraduate studies, College of Arts and Sciences students will have the necessary preparation for rewarding careers, advanced study, effective citizenship, and meaningful lives.
Graduate degrees awarded in the College of Arts and Sciences include the Master of Arts, the Master of Fine Arts, the Master of Public Administration, the Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy (Marine Biology and Psychology). In addition, the nationally awarded Graduate Liberal Studies program offers a personalized curriculum of interdisciplinary study leading to the Master of Arts. Post-baccalaureate certificates in Applied Statistics, Environmental Studies, Forensic Science, Conflict Management and Resolution, Gender Studies and Hispanic Studies are available. Graduate programs in the College are designed to develop intellectual competence and to prepare the student for careers in business, industry, government, teaching or for further study at the doctoral level.

Applicant Instructions:

To apply, please complete the online application available at https://jobs.uncw.edu/ by 11:59pm, January 1, 2021, the posting closing date and attach the following materials as an Adobe PDF document including:
1) Cover Letter, including a brief teaching philosophy, that demonstrates your interest in the position, addressed to Dr. Kim Cook, Chair of Criminology Search Committee
2) Curriculum Vitae
3) Statement of Diversity and Inclusion that addresses both past and potential contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion in the areas of advising, teaching, research and/or service.

Please note that a minimum of three professional references are required for all applications. Letters of reference will be requested during the screening process.

Please direct questions concerning the search to Dr. Kim Cook, Chair, Criminology Search Committee, at cookk@uncw.edu. For questions regarding the online application process, contact Ms. Kathy Parish at parishk@uncw.edu.

AA/EEO Statement:

At the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), our culture reflects our values of inclusion, diversity, globalization, ethics and integrity and innovation and we are committed to providing equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, sex (such as gender, gender identity, marital status, childbirth, and pregnancy), age, color, national origin (including ethnicity), religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, veteran status, military service member status, genetic information, or relationship to other university constituents – except where sex, age, or ability represent bona fide educational or occupational qualifications or where marital status is a statutorily established eligibility criterion for State funded employee benefit programs. UNCW believes that embracing the unique contributions of our faculty, staff and students is critical to our success and paramount in being recognized for our global mindset.