Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor, Political Science: Comparative or American Politics (Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Technology Policy)

School/Department Name: Political Science

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range:
$ 86,000 - $ 90,000    

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 2025

Application Deadline: October 11, 2024 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The Political Science Department at San José State University seeks qualified candidates for a full-time, tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level in comparative or American politics with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology policy. We highly encourage candidates whose research specializes in any of the following areas including, but not limited to, the role of AI and misinformation, disinformation or manipulation in elections; comparative public policy investigating different government approaches and regulatory systems with respect to AI research and deployment in the public and private sectors; human oversight including the need for international collaboration and standards around AI; examining how the adoption of AI technologies affects employment, inequality, and privacy across different national contexts; and implicit bias within Large Language Models (LLMs), ethics, social justice, and AI.

The Political Science Department at SJSU was founded in 1962 and currently has 25 full and part time faculty and approximately 400 majors and minors. The undergraduate program offers a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and three minors: Political Science, Public Administration and Public Policy, and Applied Research Methods. The Political Science major provides students with an understanding of politics and government, prepares them to be active, engaged, and informed citizens, and further develops skills in critical analysis and communication. The degree in Political Science prepares students for a wide variety of professional careers, including public service, the law, public policy, teaching, and business.

The Political Science Department and San José State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

The Political Science department is part of the College of Social Sciences, which is committed to equitable and inclusive teaching and learning. The College sees faculty and student success as inextricably linked, and strives to provide culturally-sustaining, and academically-affirming approaches to supporting and engaging students and faculty. We provide opportunities for faculty development around asset-based, holistic student success, and support scholarship of engagement that addresses issues that affect our campus and community. In all of our endeavors, we strive to build leadership capacity and foster a culture of support and belonging for faculty, staff, and students.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in political science at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated teaching experience or potential to teach effectively in comparative politics, technology policy, and political science.
• Demonstrated ability or strong potential to develop and maintain an active research agenda with publications appropriate to the political science discipline.
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Broad knowledge and preparation in comparative politics (especially African and/or Middle Eastern politics) or American politics (with an emphasis in American public policy).
• Experience working with Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other historically underserved students in the classroom, and an understanding of how historical patterns of exclusion of these groups within higher education and the field of political science shape patterns of participation and outcomes.
• Willingness to examine and re-mediate one’s instructional, relational, and classroom practices to more effectively engage and support historically underserved students.
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will support enrollment growth through new curriculum development in AI and comparative and/or American politics, while also teaching political science courses commensurate with the successful applicant’s area of expertise and department needs.
• The candidate will develop and sustain an ongoing record of research, scholarship, and/or creative activities, as well as other professional engagement.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution. 

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents.

• Letter of interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diversity statement
• Statement of research outlining current and future research plans
• Statement of teaching interests/philosophy and evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g. teaching evaluations and/or sample syllabi)
• Three reference letters

Inquiries may be directed to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Garrick Percival (garrick.percival@sjsu.edu).

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification 

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.