Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Department of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Western Washington University invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor specializing in Black Feminist Studies beginning September 2025. This position is for a scholar who centers the knowledge production of women of color in ways that challenges historical inequities, state violence, and/or regimes of incarceration by encouraging Black Feminist Thought, visions of political and social transformation, and/or Black feminist collective organizing. Applicants from any discipline in the Humanities or Social Sciences will be accepted with a preference for candidates with a Ph.D. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or related interdisciplinary fields. We seek applicants with a well-established record of research and teaching that engages Black feminist themes in the field from a philosophical, racial, queer, trans, and/or comparative perspective.

The successful applicant will be expected to teach core and advanced undergraduate courses in the Department of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. This includes teaching at least one of our three core courses: Introduction to Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Introduction to Feminist Theory; and Introduction to Queer and Sexuality Studies. The candidate will also have the opportunity to teach upper-level classes including our required Queer Research Methods class and the Senior Seminar. Responsibilities for the position include teaching 2 courses per quarter (2-2-2 load); exemplary instruction; an active and successful research agenda; and service to the department, college, university, and profession through a range of activities. The successful candidate will be expected to provide equitable and inclusive learning environments for all students as they fulfill their teaching and mentoring responsibilities.   

The Department of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Western Washington University pursues praxis and critical inquiry that makes sense of how gender affects our world and shapes social, political, and cultural formations through feminist and queer scholarship, teaching, and activism. We are dedicated to teaching undergraduate majors and minors how to use critical thinking to bridge intersectional feminist theories and social justice practice. Our program values and promotes interdisciplinary analysis through a variety of lenses including feminism, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and queer and trans identity in transnational and multicultural contexts.   

• Ph.D. in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies or Ph.D. in Black Studies, Ethnic Studies, or other relevant field in the humanities and/or social sciences or ABD. If ABD, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15th of the first year of employment.  
• Specialization in Black Feminist Studies. 
• A commitment to excellence in scholarship and a strong record of research productivity commensurate with their experience. 
• Demonstrated ability to teach Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from the introductory to the advanced undergraduate level. 
• An ability to work effectively with diverse students, including a demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivating learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds.  
• Ability to work effectively with diverse colleagues, including a demonstrated ability and commitment to healthy communication and collaborative work practices. 

• Demonstrated commitment to collaborative and community-engaged research.  

Salary

Commensurate with experience and qualifications. The anticipated starting salary range for assistant professor appointment, tenure-track is generally between $71,500 – $74,500, with placement within the position’s salary range being based on qualifications and professional experience. The entire salary range for the assistant professor position is $71,500 - $80,500, with the upper end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments. Relocation assistance may be available per University guidelines. Salary and Start-up funds are to be determined upon being offered the position.

Bargaining Unit

 United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

To be considered for the position, application materials must be submitted via WWU’s PageUp, Western's online employment management system. Candidates should upload the following as part of a complete application:  

1. Letter of application that specifically addresses the qualifications. 

2. CV  

3. Writing sample or sample publication, maximum 30 pages.  

4. Graduate transcripts 

5. Names and contact information of three professional references. Do not send letters of recommendation; recommendations will be required, and these will be requested of candidates' referees via the PageUp system 

6. If ABD, include verification of status from graduate school office, advisor, or department chair.  

Finalists may be asked for evidence of successful teaching, including student course evaluations. For questions about the position, application process, or department, contact Dr. Rae Lynn Schwartz-DuPre Raelynn.schwartz-dupre@wwu.edu 

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policy on Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Prohibiting Discrimination and Retaliation. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services at vpsa.office@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes a sexual misconduct background check.