Career Center

The Law, Justice, and Society (“LJS”) Interdisciplinary Program at Washington and Lee University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin July 1, 2022.

The successful candidate will be the inaugural hire into the LJS Interdisciplinary Program, and will work with current LJS faculty who are primarily appointed in other undergraduate academic departments and the law school.  W&L is ranked in the top fifteen national liberal arts institutions, and the relatively new LJS is one of the University’s fastest growing minors. The LJS program engages undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary exploration of the nature of law and justice, challenges students to think freely, critically, and humanely about the role of law at a variety of levels from local to global, and equips students to critically examine law and justice across cultural, chronological, topical, and institutional settings. 

The position would involve teaching the introductory course of the LJS program, as well as teaching either a research capstone and/or guiding the participation of undergraduate students in law school clinics.  The hired candidate will also have the opportunity to teach electives that support the program’s interdisciplinary curriculum, thereby contributing to course offerings by other departments.

In addition, the successful applicant will be in the inaugural class of “DeLaney Center Faculty.”  Named in honor of the late Professor Theodore DeLaney, the new center will open in 2022 and embody an unwavering investment by the University in researching the racial issues, culture, and governing practices that have defined and continue to shape the U.S. South.  As W&L’s new intellectual hub, the DeLaney Center will provide research support, opportunities for rich faculty engagement among Center faculty as well as with prominent visitors, and an array of vibrant student events that will reflect the Center’s mission.

We welcome applications from scholars studying law and jurisprudence whose research interests dovetail with the mission of the DeLaney Center. Substantive areas could include civil rights; bias in the administration of justice; social inequality and discrimination; environmental justice; law and social movements; and other interdisciplinary areas of study related to the mission of the DeLaney Center.

The successful applicant will teach five undergraduate courses over two 12-week terms each year, plus one 4-week intensive May term course every other year.  The position will not require any summer teaching. Support for research includes conference funding, summer research funding, and pre-tenure leave, as well as opportunities to present to faculty cohorts and seminars across campus.  Teaching support is available through a university-wide teaching center. 

The LJS Program is committed to the development of an inclusive environment and strives to advance diverse perspectives and approaches within the LJS program and its curriculum. In keeping with the University Strategic Plan, we welcome applications from underrepresented minority candidates and members of other communities that are traditionally underrepresented in academia.

The university requires employees to become fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and new employees must provide proof of at least their first shot prior to the first day of employment. Individuals may seek a medical or a religious exemption to the vaccination requirement.

Applicants should have completed a Juris Doctor degree, or an equivalent, prior to appointment.  Candidates holding an additional advanced degree in Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Environmental Studies, or similar related field are preferred.

Applications will be accepted online through the Interfolio portal: apply.interfolio.com/97320.

Candidates should submit:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Writing sample
• Research statement
• Teaching statement
• Contact information for three professional references
• Applicants with teaching experience are invited to submit a teaching portfolio as well.

Review of applications will begin as early as December 20, 2021, and continue until the position is filled.