Lecturer on Social Studies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Job Description:

Harvard University


Title: Lecturer on Social Studies

School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department_Area: Committee on Degrees in Social Studies

Position Description: The Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, an interdisciplinary honors program in the social sciences at Harvard College, seeks applications for full-time or part-time lecturers to teach in our intellectually vibrant undergraduate program. Our faculty are drawn from disciplines across the social sciences, history, and philosophy and share a commitment to the pedagogical goal of equipping our students with the critical capacity to investigate and analyze human action in social contexts. Central to this endeavor is the study of social theory. All of our students have a shared foundation in understanding how major thinkers over time have grappled with central questions of how societies are produced and transform. Additionally, all Social Studies students write a senior honors thesis and center their academic inquiries around a primary topic, idea, or social phenomenon that they explore through interdisciplinary coursework and develop in discussion with their academic adviser.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, we anticipate openings in Social Studies 10, our yearlong course for sophomores on social theory, and Social Studies 98s, which are semester-long junior seminars ('junior tutorials') focused on social scientific or historical topics that also provide instruction in primary source research. We prioritize candidates who can teach both courses, so most appointments will be made at 0.75 FTE or higher, which includes health and dental benefits. This is an open search, but we are particularly interested in sociologists and anthropologists as well as other candidates who both have a strong background teaching social theory and are able to teach and/or advise students on how to conduct empirical research on topical areas including social movements, education, inequality, postcolonialism, AI, and race.

The appointment is expected to begin on July 1st, 2025. In addition to teaching, responsibilities include contributing to the academic needs of the program, such as attending faculty meetings and departmental events, advising students, and providing support for senior thesis writers.

Lecturer positions are for one year, with the possibility of renewal for three additional years. For more information about Social Studies, please visit our website: https://socialstudies.fas.harvard.edu.

We anticipate several openings for lecturers for the 2025-26 academic year. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis until positions are filled. The exact number of openings will be finalized in late 2024 or early 2025.

Basic Qualifications: Doctorate in the Social Sciences, History, or Philosophy required by the time the appointment begins.

Additional Qualifications: Demonstrated excellence in teaching and advising undergraduate students is desirable; previous experience as instructor of record is preferred. Candidates whose research covers transnational approaches or global perspectives are particularly welcome.

The health of our community is a priority for Harvard University. With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up-to-date on CDC -recommended vaccines.

Special Instructions: Please submit the following materials through the ARIeS portal (https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/14445) by January 16th, 2025.

1. Cover letter: please indicate in bold on the first page which course or courses you are applying to teach (Social Studies 10, 98, or both).
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. At least one and up to three junior tutorial proposals (if the candidate is applying to teach a junior tutorial). Each proposal should include a course title, 2-3 paragraph description, and a course reading list.
4. A full set of teaching evaluations for at least one course, including a summary page if available. Please limit total teaching evaluations to 10 pages.
5. Names and contact information of three referees (three letters of recommendation are required, and the application is complete only when all three letters have been submitted).
6. If you have not yet completed your PhD, one of your letters of recommendation must come from your dissertation chair, who must confirm that you will receive your PhD by June 30th, 2025.

Contact Information: Sarah Helmar
Committee on Degrees in Social Studies
William James Hall, Third Floor
33 Kirkland Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Contact Email: shelmar@fas.harvard.edu

Equal Opportunity Employer: Harvard is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.

Minimum Number of References Required: 3

Maximum Number of References Allowed: 5

Keywords: Faculty, instructor Boston, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MA, Northeast, New England Social theory, political theory, political science, sociology, anthropology, history, intellectual history, philosophy, economics

Supplemental Questions: Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

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