The Department of Religion seeks a scholar of ancient Christianity for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor, beginning in July 2020. Within the last decade, Amherst College has profoundly transformed its student body in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality, among other areas. Today, nearly one-quarter of Amherst’s students are Pell Grant recipients; 44 percent of our students are domestic students of color. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will excel at teaching and mentoring students who are broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion. The candidate’s teaching interests should cover the historical sweep of Christianity in the ancient Mediterranean world. Specific areas of teaching expertise and areas of research might include Christian scripture (New Testament and Apocryphal literature), Christianity’s social and intellectual history, its practices of iconography and visual art, traditions of Biblical interpretation, hagiographical literature, artifacts, ecofacts, and archaeological evidence that bears on the written and non-written sources of religion in the ancient Mediterranean world. We seek a scholar and teacher who is familiar with Western and Eastern manifestations of Christianity, who is fully trained to handle the philological work required to navigate Greek, Coptic, Latin, and Syriac texts or some other combination of languages relevant to a specific field of research within ancient Christianity. We expect the successful candidate to possess both interdisciplinary dexterity and the ability to integrate research and teaching into a liberal arts education. Responsibilities of the position include establishing an active program of research and publication, teaching two courses per semester, and supervising senior projects. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in hand by the start of the appointment. An application letter, C.V., short writing sample, sample syllabus, teaching statement, and three confidential letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically to https://apply.interfolio.com/66813. Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2019, and continue until the position is filled. Learn more about the department at https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/departments/religion Amherst College is a private co-educational liberal arts college of 1,800 students and more than two hundred faculty located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts and participates with Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and with the University of Massachusetts in the Five-College consortium. Amherst College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages persons of all genders, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply. The college is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.
