Open Rank Professor or Lecturer in Intellectual Heritage

Position

Open Rank Professor or Lecturer in Intellectual Heritage

Department

Undergraduate

Position type

Full-time

Location    

Tokyo (City Campus in Sangen-jaya station / Hillside Center in Mizonokuchi station) or Kyoto (Fujinomori station)

Period

Desired Start Date: July 2027

TUJ full-time faculty contracts are for fixed terms and may be extended after a successful review. In accordance with university standards and Japanese law, successful full-time faculty are eligible for an indefinite contract after five years and a positive fourth year review.

Visa Requirement

Temple University Japan (TUJ) is able to sponsor a visa for this position.

Salary & Benefits

Subject to pay scale of this program and experience. Support is also offered for conferences, travel, and other research/creative related expenses. Annual bonuses may be  possible.

OVERVIEW OF TUJ

Based in Philadelphia, Temple University is a public Carnegie-designated R1 research university, ranked in the top 50 public US universities by U.S. News and World Report for 2027. With approximately 30,000 students, Temple maintains a multi-campus system extending from Pennsylvania to Rome to Japan. 

Temple University Japan (TUJ) is the oldest and largest branch campus of a foreign university in Japan, offering a dynamic, multicultural academic environment in both Tokyo and its newly opened Kyoto campus. As part of Temple University in Philadelphia, TUJ delivers world-class, American-style education to a diverse student body representing over 70 countries. Between Fall 2020 and Fall 2026, undergraduate enrollment has tripled to over 4,000 students. The new Kyoto campus, launched in January 2025, expands TUJ’s reach into the Kansai region, offering innovative programs like the hybrid Master of Science in Communication Management. The Hillside Campus in Kawasaki, opened in Fall 2026, offers an immersive first year experience. With record-high undergraduate enrollment and a growing portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree programs, TUJ is a leader in international education in Asia and an exciting place to build your career in higher education.

We offer fourteen full undergraduate majors ranging from Art to International Business to Psychology. Our faculty and staff are international, with more than 130 full-time faculty joined by experienced administrators and many part-time adjunct faculty from the professions, business, and the arts. TUJ holds classes in the fall and spring semesters (15 weeks) and over a well-enrolled 10-week summer semester. 

OVERVIEW OF POSITION

The Intellectual Heritage (IH) program invites applications for full-time positions in Tokyo or Kyoto to begin in the Fall term of 2027. We invite applications from experienced and passionate teachers with a background in the humanities or social sciences, especially candidates who have worked with international student populations.

We seek instructors to teach the pair of core courses all Temple undergraduates take, IH 1: The Good Life and IH 2: The Common Good. These classes are the foundation of Temple’s General Education curriculum. In these discussion-based seminars, students read primary texts of world literature, philosophy, and religion while investigating important questions of human life, society, and experience. IH invites students to share ideas, ask and debate questions, and actively listen to and engage with their peers’ diverse viewpoints. In the process, they make connections between the course texts and current moral, social, and political issues and beliefs.

All IH sections share common texts, though instructors are welcome to include other material as desired. The current required texts for IH 1 are the Daodejing, Sappho’s poetry, Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal, and Alexandra Chang’s Tomb Sweeping. IH 2 instructors cover the Analects of Confucius, bell hooks’ Feminism Is for Everybody, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, and Kohei Saito’s Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto.

Additional information about the IH program is available here:

https://liberalarts.temple.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/intellectual-heritage/undergraduate

Applicants who hold terminal degrees may be considered for rank-appropriate professorships. These positions teach at least six courses per year with research and institutional service required. Candidates who hold a master’s degree are instead appointed as lecturers, teaching ten yearly courses and contributing to service but with no expectation of research.

The successful candidate will also be able to teach courses relevant to their academic specialization as part of the institution’s broader General Education curriculum.

Faculty members at TUJ teach a diverse student body from around the world. Candidates may be asked to teach traditional in-person classes, online classes, or Hyflex classes. The successful candidate will collaborate with the IH Coordinator and Director of General Education on the yearly course offerings.

Qualifications & Experience

• Assistant/Associate/Full Professor: PhD or terminal degree in a relevant field of the social sciences or humanities. A solid record of research, a strong publication profile appropriate to rank and an on-going research agenda preferred.
• Applicants with a master’s degree may be hired at the rank of Lecturer with no research expectations.
• Experience and excellence in teaching; experience teaching in an American university setting is preferred.
• Commitment to students and their success.
• Experience using educational technologies.
• TUJ is an English-speaking workplace and classes are taught in English; fluency in English is required.

Application Process

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by November 30, 2026, will receive fullest consideration.

Required application materials:

• A cover letter highlighting relevant experience and what appeals to you about the position
• A curriculum vitae with three references and their contact information
• A representative writing sample of approximately 10-20 pages
• A teaching portfolio that includes:

1. A statement of teaching philosophy
2. A sample syllabus
3. A summary of course evaluations
4. A list of courses previously taught, as well as a list of courses the candidate is qualified to teach

Only those applicants who make it past the initial review will be contacted.

Long-listed candidates may be asked to submit an introductory video addressing questions from the committee for further review.  

Temple University Japan is committed to equal opportunity employment, and to increase diversity and inclusivity in both its community and curricula. All qualified applicants shall receive full and equal consideration for employment. The university does not discriminate against candidates and employees because of their disability, sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other protected status under the law. Candidates who can contribute to the institution's goals are strongly encouraged to apply.