Faculty Position
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies
Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Open Rank Position (Tenure-Track) in Peace, Conflict, & Development
The School of Peace and Conflict Studies (SPCS) invites applications for an Open Rank position beginning in August 2021.
SPCS is an important part of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s institutional responses to the shootings of May 4, 1970, when Ohio National Guardsmen killed four and wounded nine Â鶹ÊÓƵ students during a demonstration against the US wars in Vietnam and Cambodia. The School’s predecessor, the Center for Peaceful Change, was founded in 1971 as Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s original living memorial to the killed students. The creation of SPCS in August 2017 denotes a strong Â鶹ÊÓƵ commitment to growth in the area of peace and conflict studies. This latest appointment is part of a series of strategic appointments designed to grow both the critical mass of the School and its intellectual footprint.
We seek applicants whose research examines the intersection of peace, conflict, and development, broadly considered. We are particularly interested in candidates with a focus on environmental conflict, sustainability, and conflicts connected to climate change, but are open to a broader perspective on the interrelationship between peace, conflict and development. This includes (but is not limited to): the relationship between licit or illicit political economies and dynamics of peace and conflict; the interaction between governance (local, regional or global) and peace, conflict and development; the political economy of aid; the role of gender in peace, conflict and development; and the intersection between health, human security and development. This is an Open Rank position, but we are particularly interested in candidates at the advanced Assistant or Associate Level.
Applicants should have a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies or cognate field at the time of hire (August 2021). Applicants should have a record of research, teaching and applied work (appropriate to the level of appointment) that engages with the broad field of peace, conflict and development. The person appointed will be able to demonstrate the potential to make an outstanding contribution to the research, teaching and applied work of the School. Competitive candidates will have:
- A demonstrable record of research excellence (appropriate to the level of appointment).
- A record of active participation in the peace and conflict studies epistemic community (appropriate to the level of appointment).
- A demonstrable ability to contribute to the collegiate academic management of the School, including serving on appropriate committees, engaging with necessary university processes, and supporting the overall mission of the School and the University.
- Candidates at a more senior level will be able to demonstrate a strong record of academic publications (including in peer reviewed refereed journals) and a record of external funding for research and/or applied work.
- Applications will be accepted from candidates whose work in the field of peace, conflict and development is rooted in disciplines including (but not limited to): politics, international relations, sociology, geography, history, development studies, economics, and anthropology.
- Applications will be accepted from candidates working in any methodological and theoretical tradition, including those from less mainstream theoretical approaches such as critical theory, feminism, and postcolonialism.
First established in 1973, the School’s robust undergraduate degree enrolls over 1,000 students per year. School faculty also teach graduate courses in the Conflict Analysis and Management track in the Political Science program. We seek scholars who want to join our expanding School of Peace and Conflict Studies and who are dedicated to the peaceful resolution of deep-rooted social conflicts and the creation of a more just society. A feature of the SPCS approach is our emphasis on a normative commitment to the promotion of modes of governance, economy and human interaction that facilitate the attainment of positive peace, as well as a collective concern to ensure research is disseminated to both the academic community (via academic publications) and the wider user community (via policy and practice-orientated outputs).
Â鶹ÊÓƵ, located 30 minutes from the Cleveland and Akron metropolitan areas and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, enrolls more than 29,000 undergraduate and graduate students on the Kent campus. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is ranked among the top 100 national public universities in U.S.
Review of applications will begin March 1st 2021 and will continue until the position is filled. All applications must be submitted to:
Submit a curriculum vitae, a letter of application, a research plan, a teaching statement, samples of publications, teaching evaluations, representative course syllabi, and names and contact information for three references. Questions regarding the position can be directed to the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Landon Hancock, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at lhancoc2@kent.edu .
Kent State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages
applications from candidates who would enhance the diversity of the University's faculty.