Assistant Professor of Spanish

The Department of Spanish and French Studies at Occidental College seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Modern Spanish Peninsular literatures and cultures, starting in August 2025. The new hire’s primary contribution to the department will be to teach courses on the literatures and cultures of 20th- and 21st-century Spain and contribute to our language program. We would particularly welcome applicants with backgrounds in one or more of the following areas: Spanish film or visual cultural studies, the Spanish Civil War and the Dictatorship, migration, regional diversity, Spain within the global society, and gender and sexuality.

The Spanish and French Studies department houses two majors (Spanish Studies, French Studies), the Linguistics minor, and contributes to the unique Group Language major, a combination of two languages or a language and linguistics. The Spanish major has three potential concentrations: literature, culture, and linguistics, but requires all majors to have a background in all three areas. We are fortunate to have a strong balance of Peninsular and Latin American literatures and cultures, as well as a strong linguistics program. The department offers our students a global, critically engaged educational experience that is enriched by the inclusion of underrepresented voices and traditions.

We also collaborate frequently with other departments such as Latinx/Latin American Studies, Education, Cognitive Science, and History, as well as other offices and programs around the college such as the Center for Community Based Learning, the Hameetman Career Center, and the International Programs Office by way of supporting students to participate in both semester- and summer-long study abroad programs, as well as via faculty-led research and study experiences abroad. All members of the department are encouraged to explore these and other opportunities for collaborative engagement across campus, within the city of Los Angeles, and internationally.

Occidental faculty are committed teacher-scholars who bring research and creative discovery to life for students in classrooms, labs, studios, and mentored projects. They teach broadly in the curricula of their departments, advise students, carry out research and creative work, and provide departmental, college-wide, and external service. In this position, your primary responsibilities will include the development and teaching of introductory and core courses in the discipline, including courses in your area(s) of specialization. Specific courses that you will teach include introductory and intermediate Spanish language, upper-division courses on Modern Spanish literary and cultural studies, the senior seminar, and courses in English in the College’s First-Year Seminar program. You will also be responsible for producing scholarship commensurate with the requirements for tenure and will be expected to develop a program of research that engages undergraduate students. You will also be expected to contribute to and participate in the life and development of the department, advise students, serve on committees, and participate in the broader college and disciplinary communities.