Closing Date: 30th June, 2026

Description:

Position Description:
The Legal Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for the position of Teaching Professor (open-rank) in Legal Studies. The successful candidate will be a faculty member in the Politics Department and have primary teaching responsibilities in the Legal Studies Program.

The Legal Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major, administered by the Politics Department, which seeks to integrate the study of law and legal issues through the contributions and insights of the diverse disciplines of the social sciences and humanities. While the specialization is open, we welcome candidates in law and society whose education, professional activities, and teaching combine law and policy from a comparative or international perspective, or with a focus on the United States.

The selected candidate will offer six courses per year across three quarters, including a mix of introductory and upper-division lectures, core courses, electives, and seminars. The teaching professor will also mentor undergraduates in Legal Studies, sustain research or other professional activity, and contribute service to the Legal Studies Program and the wider profession. The teaching professor may have the opportunity to serve on PhD committees in Politics and, if they wish, teach up to two courses for additional compensation during Summer Session.

UC Santa Cruz is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) (https://hsi.ucsc.edu/) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) (https://aapirc.ucsc.edu/about/aanapisi/) with a high proportion of first-generation students. We welcome candidates who understand the historical barriers that exist in higher education and who can clearly articulate how their teaching, mentoring, creative/professional activity, and service contribute towards building a just scholarly community.

The Assistant Teaching Professor title confers the rights and responsibilities of membership in the UCSC and UC Academic Senates. Appointees to this title are eligible for promotion to Security of Employment, which is analogous to tenure. The Associate Teaching Professor and Teaching Professor titles confer the rights and responsibilities of membership in the UCSC and UC Academic Senates, and appointees to these titles have Security of Employment which is analogous to tenure.

Legal Studies Program: https://legalstudies.ucsc.edu/

Politics Department: https://politics.ucsc.edu/

Qualifications:

Basic qualifications (required at the time the application is submitted)

JD/PhD or PhD in legal studies, law, law and society, political science, or a related field in the social sciences or humanities. Equivalent foreign degrees are applicable. For applicants to the Assistant Teaching Professor rank, your application materials must document that your projected date for completing your degree will be on or before June 30, 2026.
Demonstrated record of teaching that includes a minimum of one year of college-level teaching (three quarters or two semesters) in legal studies, law, law and society, political science, or a related field in the social sciences or humanities.
Professional and/or scholarly record that includes publications; grants; awards; fellowships; organizing workshops; and/or participation in conferences, workshops, or summer schools.

Your application must document that you meet all basic qualifications at the time of submission. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
Cover Letter
Teaching Statement - Statement of teaching experience, interests, and plans appropriate for the students at UC Santa Cruz . Refer to the teaching statement guidelines (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XgL_DIo7HZdiWYtIpIPdD7cDy1B1BJ6chchP_VTwTtY/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.itsxl1xomet9) and evaluation criteria. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qaLxbvxFLZ_YDh6GrypWYsCJ885VeWffaOYdITu4yEE/edit?tab=t.0)
Statement of Professional Activity and/or Scholarly Activity - A statement that summarizes your professional and research/creative activities and plans relevant to the advertised position.
Sample Course Syllabus (1 required)
Sample Course Syllabus (1 of 2 optional) (Optional)
Sample Course Syllabus (2 of 2 optional) (Optional)
Course Evaluations (1 required)
Course Evaluations (1 of 2 optional) (Optional)
Course Evaluations (2 of 2 optional) (Optional)

Reference requirements

3-5 required (contact information only)

Applicants must provide the names and contact information of their references (a minimum of three [3] are required and a maximum of five [5] will be accepted). The hiring unit will request confidential letters* from the references of those applicants who are under serious consideration. Please note that your references, or dossier service, will submit their confidential letters directly to the UC Recruit System.

All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. For any reference letter provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service, career center), direct the author to UCSC's confidentiality statement at https://academicpersonnel.ucsc.edu/confidentiality-statements/.