Job Opening: Social Theory and the Digital Study of Religion

The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the area of Social Theory and the Digital Study of Religion, beginning August 2020.

The area of specialization (historic period, region, or group studied) is open; however, the successful candidate must complement and enhance the current specialties of the Department by using social theory to understand religion as an element of culture. The specific research area is thus part of the scholar’s attempt to answer broader, cross-cultural questions related to identity, power, and discourse. This position will supplement the Department’s B.A. curriculum (which now includes a digital humanities course) and will be of primary importance to the Religion in Culture M.A. program (which requires students to be familiar with a variety of digital skills). While a variety of digital specialties are potentially relevant, the Department is especially looking for a scholar with demonstrated expertise in digital humanities research methods (e.g., computational text analysis, data visualization, network analysis, GIS, etc.) and public humanities (e.g., digital collections, digital curation, podcasting, etc.)

The successful candidate will teach courses ranging from introductory/lower- and upper-level B.A. courses to graduate seminars on a variety of analytic topics related to the successful candidate’s historical and/or ethnographic area(s) of specialization. Additionally, the candidate will contribute to the department’s establishment of interdisciplinary digital humanities courses. All faculty are also expected to supervise M.A. students in the social theory of religion when student interests intersect with faculty expertise.

At the time of hire, a Ph.D. is required. The committee welcomes applications from candidates with training in the academic study of religion as carried out in a public university, but will also entertain training in related fields (literature, history, anthropology, etc.), as long as expertise in studying and teaching social theory and digital methods in the study of religion are evident. Applicants should demonstrate an active and ongoing research agenda, highlight their teaching experience, and make readily apparent their ability to contribute to the life of an academic department in the areas of service and collaboration.

For further information, see: https://facultyjobs.ua.edu/postings/45867