Ethnic & Gender Studies/Political Science (Tenure Track)

Open until filled. Priority consideration for applications received by January 24, 2025.

Founded in 1961, Highline College was the first community college to be established in King County and is one of 34 community and technical colleges. More than 350,000 alumni have graduated from Highline over the years. Nestled between Seattle and Tacoma, we are located on the traditional village sites of the Muckleshoot, Puyallup and many other Coast Salish tribes.

Highline prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and access for all students, staff, and faculty, which is evident in our Mission, Vision, and Values. We are proud to be one of the most diverse colleges in the state and stand committed to the well-being of our global community. Those who come to our college bring unique personal experiences, beliefs, and perspectives and make us better. We strive to provide and highlight resources to support our students, staff, and faculty by fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. Highline offers a unique variety of affinity groups for faculty to join; including, the Faculty and Staff of Color Group and LGBTQ+ Task Force.

We honor and value the dignity of all individuals and encourage all qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to apply.

Professional Responsibilities

Please address the following responsibilities in your cover letter. If you don’t have experience in an academic setting, please address them within the context of your professional experience:

• Teaching: Teach courses in Ethnic & Gender Studies and Political Science. Teaching assignments may include evening/weekend, online, hybrid, and off-campus sections. Create a welcoming and supportive learning environment and use evidence-based practices to improve the success of diverse students; in collaboration with colleagues, identify and implement strategies designed to close equity gaps experienced by students from historically minoritized groups. Engage in self-reflective practice. Full-time faculty typically teach the equivalent of 15 credits per quarter. 

• Advising/ Coaching/ Mentoring: Work with students outside of class to help them choose courses and get connected with campus and community resources. Participate in professional learning opportunities focused on culturally responsive advising and establishing relationships with students;

• Collaborate with colleagues/participate in shared governance: In collaboration with colleagues, engage in continuous improvement through college-wide assessment processes. Participate in department, division, and other College activities, including College governance. Establish and maintain respectful, ethical, and professional relationships with students and colleagues;

• Professional development/ ongoing professional learning: Engage in ongoing professional learning. This includes remaining current in your discipline and evidence-based practices for culturally response, inclusive, and anti-racist pedagogies.

Minimum Qualifications:

• MA or PhD in Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, related subfields (i.e. Black Studies, Queer Studies, Chicane/Latine Studies, Asian American Studies, American Indian Studies), or Political Science.  

We desire a candidate with one or more of the following qualifications.  We expect the successful candidate to have only some of these qualifications. If these are not evident in your resume, be sure to discuss them in your cover letter:

• Experience with duel-enrollment or high school instruction;

• Ability to teach courses for Highline College’s Cultural Learning Communities (see below);

• Ability to teach Political Science courses (i.e. American Government, Introduction to Political Science);

• Working knowledge of the politics of social groups historically alienated from American political systems (i.e. immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ, working class);

• Working knowledge of regional/local politics;

• Proficient in a language(s) in addition to English. 

ABOUT THE ETHNIC & GENDER STUDIES DEPARTMENT:

This position will be housed in the Ethnic & Gender Studies (EGS) Program in the Highline College Social Sciences Division.  

The Highline College Ethnic and Gender Studies (EGS) program aspires to create spaces for all students to interrogate systems of power, oppression, and acts of resistance and to develop their potential as agents of social change in an increasingly diverse and stratified society. Drawing on our curricular emphasis in comparative Ethnic Studies, we work with and for a number of community partners (including but not limited to Washington State Ethnic Studies Now and Black & Brown Male Summit) to confront systematic oppression and build sustainable achievement pathways for the diverse South King County communities we serve. 

In particular, EGS enjoys a strong partnership with Highline College’s Cultural Learning Communities, and the successful candidate will be expected to teach courses for and with the CLC’s annual student cohorts.

• Robust support for innovative teaching, learning, and scholarship;

• A friendly, supportive, and highly engaged work environment with diverse colleagues;

• Support for continued professional growth, including conference funding, internal curriculum development grants, annual professional development events, and established community partnerships. 

All Highline College faculty have the opportunity to engage labor issues and collectively bargain through the Highline College Education Association, a faculty union affiliated with the Washington Education Association.

We welcome applications from outside of Washington State. Applicants invited to an on-campus interview may be eligible for a stipend to help offset the cost of travel. 

1. Cover Letter: Letter of formal application that addresses how your experience and education qualify you to perform the professional responsibilities listed above.

2. Supplemental Question: Tell us about an experience you have had in the classroom or in your workplace where you were made uncomfortable by circumstances surrounding diversity. How did you handle it? Reflect on your discomfort using your own, and your student or colleagues’ social identities as context. What changes did you make to your practice or work strategies based on that experience? How did it help you grow in your teaching and /or broaden your perspective? Effective responses will demonstrate awareness of your social identities, knowledge of students or others with whom you've worked, and examples of strategies you have used to support equitable and inclusive classrooms or places of work.

Note: If your previous experiences do not involve working with students, you are encouraged to frame your responses to this question using your experiences working in the field and/or how this informs your vision of becoming an educator.

3. Curriculum Vitae: Detailed curriculum vitae (resume) of all relevant educational and professional experience, including a listing of courses taught. Be sure your resume demonstrates that you meet the minimum qualifications.

4. Transcripts: Unofficial copies of all college and university transcripts that include degree received and confer date. International transcripts MUST include a foreign transcript evaluation by an approved credential evaluation service: https://www.naces.org/members. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for your application;

5. References: A list of four current professional references with name, relationship to candidate, address, email address, and telephone number. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted in lieu of a list of professional references. References should not include immediate family members.

All correspondence regarding your application status will be sent to the email address associated with your NeoGov account. Please make sure to check your spam folder periodically, in the case of an incorrect delivery.

Should you have any difficulties uploading your documents or navigating the application process, please contact NEOGOV Technical Support at 1-855-524-5627, Monday - Friday 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Time.

Highline College is an equal-opportunity employer. The College is committed to enhancing the diversity of our faculty and staff, as well as our student population. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientations, and gender identity diversity. We strongly encourage applicants to apply without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

The College complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Applicants needing accommodations in the application process in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources office at (206) 592-3812. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may dial 711 to place a call through Washington Relay, the state's free telecommunication access service.

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The college provides equal opportunity in education and employment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, creed, religion, or status as a veteran of war. Prohibited sex discrimination includes sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual conduct of various types). 

The Title IX Coordinator, Danielle Slota, can be reached at (206) 592-3600 or DSlota@Highline.edu.  2400 S. 240th St. Des Moines, WA 98198.  Building 12, President’s Office.

The 504 Coordinator, Jenni Sandler, can be reached at (206) 592-3474 or JSandler@Highline.edu.  2400 S. 240th St. Des Moines, WA 98198.  Building 25, 5th Floor.

The Chief Human Resources Officer, Melanie Lawson, can be reached at (206) 592-3320 or MLawson@Highline.edu. 2400 S. 240th St. Des Moines, WA 98198.  Building 12, Human Resources.

You can receive this information in an alternate format by contacting Access Services (206) 592-3857; TTY (206) 870-4853.