Assistant Professor of Judicial Politics - Department of Political Science

The Department of Political Science at West Virginia University seeks to hire a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor with a specialization in judicial politics, law and courts, and/or public law. The preferred start date is August 13, 2027. We welcome applications that can contribute broadly to the judicial politics curriculum.

The Department of Political Science offers a full range of academic programs (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D.) and has 14 full-time faculty, 36 graduate students, and about 400 undergraduates, many of whom are in the Pre-Law Area of Emphasis. The department faculty are active in research on American and state politics, class politics, comparative elections, computational methods, conflict analysis, congressional politics, international relations, political and economic inequality, public opinion, public policy, racial and ethnic politics, religion and politics, representation, and state courts. The department’s methodologically rigorous doctoral program offers fields in American politics, comparative politics, international politics, and public policy. Additionally, the department houses the International Studies program, which is an interdisciplinary undergraduate major focusing on national security, diplomacy, and development.

Responsibilities:

The person hired in this position will maintain an active research agenda that advances the department’s program in the area of judicial politics. They will be expected to regularly publish in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. The teaching load is two courses per semester. The successful candidate will be expected to teach classes that complement the department’s current offerings at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, develop new course offerings, and mentor students. They must have the ability to teach effectively the department’s undergraduate judicial politics introductory course and advanced undergraduate courses on constitutional law and civil liberties. They may also be asked to develop advanced undergraduate judicial politics classes in their area(s) of expertise. The candidate will also be expected to serve the department, university, and profession.