Assistant Professor of Political Science - Public Law

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Closing Date:

Type of Position:

Faculty - Tenure/Tenure TrackNo

Job Type:

RegularYes

Institution Name:

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas is a land grant institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the nation’s top 2 percent of universities with the highest level of research activity. The University of Arkansas works to advance the state and build a better world through education, research, and outreach by providing transformational opportunities and skills, fostering a welcoming climate, and nurturing creativity, discovery, and the spread of new ideas and innovations.

The University of Arkansas campus is located in Fayetteville, a welcoming community ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. The growing region surrounding Fayetteville is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation’s strongest economies. Northwest Arkansas is also quickly gaining a national reputation for its focus on the arts and overall quality of life.

As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment and a workplace culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary.

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions, you should review before applying for the opening.

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Department:

Department of Political Scienceshttps://politicalscience.uark.edu

Summary of Job Duties:

The Department of Political Science in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Political Science to start in August 2027.

We are particularly interested in candidates whose research and teaching interests lie in the field of public law, with preferred specializations in jurisprudence, immigration law, family law, environmental law, or political theory. The expected teaching load for the position will be two courses per semester. Duties will include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, performing research in their area of expertise, and contributing to the service needs of the department.

Faculty hired in this position will have an opportunity to be a part of Fulbright College’s multidisciplinary Democracy as a Public Good cluster hire at the University of Arkansas. Through its Democracy as a Public Good Initiative, the College will advance the University’s land-grant mission by expanding capacity to generate knowledge that informs public understanding, contributes to policy and practice, and connects Arkansas to national and international conversations about societal good. Building on existing campus expertise in issues ranging from norms of democratic communication, free speech, media ethics and literacy, humanitarian governance and civil society, risks that AI poses to democratic governance, immigration, and public law, new faculty members participating in the cluster will advance their research agendas through mentoring and opportunities for collaboration—both with other scholars and with communities in the state—that may result in peer-reviewed publications, external funding, and new approaches to the pressing challenges that democracy faces. The successful candidate for this position will have an opportunity to join a community of scholars committed to confronting major issues, generating new knowledge, and providing research-based solutions that investigate and strengthen democratic culture for people living in Arkansas and beyond.

This is an in-person position. Most university classes are offered face-to-face, and extensive in-person engagement in such activities as office hours, student advising, and departmental, college, and university committee meetings is essential to advancing student success and departmental effectiveness.

Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.

About the Department:

The Department of Political Science currently consists of 22 full-time faculty and is committed to strengthening its faculty, student body, and curriculum. For more information about our department, please visit https://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/political-science.

Duties will include:
• 40% Teaching or Professional Performance
• 40% Research/Scholarly and/or Creative Activities
• 20% Academic Service Activities

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. degree in Political Science or a closely related field from an accredited institution of higher education conferred by August 2027 from an accredited institution of higher education

• A record of publication or submission of research in reputable scholarly outlets

• Demonstrated evidence of effective teaching in teaching evaluations, sample syllabi, or a teaching portfolio

• Demonstrated ability to teach an undergraduate Introduction to American Government course

• Demonstrated ability to teach undergraduate coursework in at least two areas of public law

• A well-defined and coherent research agenda

Preferred Qualifications:

• A strong and active research agenda that is well-grounded in political or legal theory, backed by advanced analytical, methodological, and empirical skills and focuses on some aspects of public law

• Demonstrated potential for publishing in top-tier outlets

• Demonstrated commitment to undergraduate and graduate education and a willingness to contribute to the department’s existing strengths in teaching and research

• Demonstrated ability to teach undergraduate coursework in political theory

• Demonstrated potential to secure external grant funding

• Demonstrated potential for national and international scholarly reputation

Qualification Equivalencies:

Additional Information:

This position is a Designated Research Position and is regulated by the Arkansas Research Education Protection Act of 2025.  Prior to issuance of an offer of employment, the University is required to request and obtain additional information about an applicant’s background and, if required, conduct an additional review of that background information.

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.Cover Letter/Letter of Application, Curriculum Vitae, List of three Professional References (name, email, business title), Other (see special instructions for details)Proof of Veteran StatusDr. Andrew Dowdle, professor, [email protected]

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Site https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS  

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Completed applications received by October 12, 2026, will be assured full consideration. Late applications will be reviewed as necessary to fill the position.

For additional inquiries, please contact the search committee chair, Andrew Dowdle, at [email protected].

To complete the application, candidates will need to submit:
(1) a cover letter indicating interest and qualifications;
(2) a current curriculum vita;
(3) a research statement;
(4) a teaching statement describing approach to instruction, assessment of learning, and means of including students from different backgrounds and with different learning abilities;
(5) evidence of teaching effectiveness, including teaching evaluations (when available) demonstrating excellence in instruction;
(6) unofficial graduate transcripts;
(7) one single-authored writing sample; and
(8) names of three academic references (only finalists will be asked to submit letters of recommendation).

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Pre-employment Screening Requirements:

Criminal Background Check, Sex Offender Registry

The University of Arkansas is committed to providing a safe campus community. We conduct background checks for applicants being considered for employment. Background checks include a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check. For certain positions, there may also be a financial (credit) background check, a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) check, and/or drug screening. Required checks are identified in the position listing. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas seeks to attract, develop and retain high quality faculty, staff and administrators that consistently display practices and behaviors to advance a culture that embeds equal opportunity, educational excellence and unparalleled access for all.

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity institution. The University does not discriminate in its education programs or activities (including in admission and employment) on the basis of any category or status protected by law, including age, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, sex, sexual preference, or pregnancy. Questions or concerns about the application of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, may be sent to the University’s Title IX Coordinator and to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All Application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Constant Physical Activity:

N/A

Frequent Physical Activity:

N/A

Occasional Physical Activity:

N/A

Benefits Eligible:

Yes