Lecturer/Teaching Assistant Professor, Sociology and Cultural Analysis

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or jobs@unr.edu.

Job Description

The Department of Sociology and Cultural Analysis within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a Lecturer or Teaching Assistant Professor position to begin July 1, 2027. This is a 9-month, non-tenure-track, continuing appointment with opportunities for promotion. This position carries an 80% teaching responsibility, with the remaining 20% dedicated to service and professional development.

 

We are seeking candidates with a demonstrated record in teaching excellence to teach core courses in LGBTQ+, Latinx-identity, Native American Culture, Sociology, and/or Women’s Studies. We seek candidates to teach our foundation courses: WMST 101: Intro Women’s Studies; ETS 280: Native American Culture; GRI 103: Power, Identity, & Social Justice; GRI 230: Intro to LGBTQ Studies; GRI 216: Thinking Sex and Gender; GRI/SOC 272: Latinx Identities and Cultures; GRI 360 LGBTQ Community Histories; SOC 101 Prin of Sociology; SOC 235 Climate Change; SOC 250 Sociology of Sexualities; and/or CH 203: American Experiences and Constitutional Change. The position carries a 4/4 teaching load, though there may be course release opportunities for significant service duties. There are also opportunities for off-term teaching for additional compensation.

The Department of Sociology and Cultural Analysis equips students with the critical thinking, persuasive writing, and analytical skills necessary to engage thoughtfully with issues of public concern through rigorous sociological and interdisciplinary inquiry. Our curriculum prepares students for careers in education, social services, public policy, nonprofit leadership, law, health, and community advocacy. The department offers courses in sociology, gender and women’s studies, LGBTQ+ studies, ethnic studies, and race and identity, with particular attention to power, inequality, and social justice. Our courses draw on a range of theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, and many center the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of communities that have been underrepresented in higher education. Faculty in the department teach and conduct research in social movements, religion and globalization, health and well-being, families and masculinities, gender-based violence and reproductive justice, race, ethnicity, and immigration, Indigenous and decolonial studies, law and justice, and social research methods.

Lecturer Statement

The University of Nevada, Reno reserves the right to hire at any level of Lecturer (II) or Teaching Assistant (terminal degree candidates) that is appropriate for the hire.  If you have questions about title, please inquire during the interview process.

 

Required Qualifications

• Lecturer - MA in Feminist Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Native American Studies or a related field; OR
• Teaching Assistant Professor - PhD. in Feminist Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Native American Studies or a related field
• Demonstrated excellence or clear evidence of potential for excellence in teaching at least some courses or equivalent: WMST 101: Intro Women’s Studies, ETS 280: Native American Culture, GRI 103: Power, Identity, & Social Justice, GRI 230: Intro to LGBTQ Studies, GRI 216: Thinking Sex and Gender, GRI/SOC 272: Latinx Identities and Cultures, GRI 360 LGBTQ Community Histories, SOC 101 Prin of Sociology, SOC 235 Climate Change, SOC 250 Sociology of Sexualities; and/or CH 203: American Experiences and Constitutional Change.
• Candidates must possess experience working with diverse and underrepresented students at the college level.
• Successful candidates must demonstrate an ability to collaborate with others on curriculum design and implementation while supporting the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and social justice.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience and promise as an excellent teacher
• Interest in developing a pedagogical agenda
• A track record of campus programming and/or community engagement
• Experience working with and teaching diverse groups of students, including evidence of a commitment to a broad involvement with diversity work on campus

Compensation Grade

Lecturer/Teaching Assistant Professor (9-month, B-contract). Salary is competitive with a range of $63,000 to $65,000 and commensurate with related education and experience.

Remarkable Retirement!

Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University.  With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested on your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow!  All permanent employees on an annual "A" or "B" contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada.

 

Perks of working at UNR

• Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance
• Generous sick leave, long term disability and life insurance – Faculty Benefits
• E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers annual or semester memberships and spouse/domestic partner membership options.  E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center
• Reno is proud to be a University town! Many local businesses offer discounts to WolfCard holders
• Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
• Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University. Faculty Senate
• No state income tax!

Grants-in-aid for Faculty Employees

The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner.  Faculty Grants-in-Aid

Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program

The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada. Dual Career Assistance Program

Department Information

The Department of Sociology and Cultural Analysis examines how societies are organized, how they change, and how systems of power and inequality shape everyday life. Bringing together two longstanding strengths of the College of Liberal Arts – the empirical study of social life and the critical study of identity and power – we offer students an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the contemporary world.

 

Sociology and Cultural Analysis, together, allow students to ask not only how the social world is organized but also how it is experienced, interpreted, challenged and changed. We believe scholarship should extend beyond the university and contribute meaningfully to public life.

 

Our students learn to study society with both rigor and care. They develop research skills to investigate inequality and critical frameworks to analyze culture and power, and communication skills to engage diverse audiences in classrooms, communities and policy settings. Graduates leave prepared for careers and advanced study in education, law, healthcare, research, public policy, advocacy, community organizing and many other fields.

Additional information about the Department can be found at https://www.unr.edu/sociology-cultural-analysis.

 

College and University Information

As Nevada’s flagship institution, the University of Nevada, Reno is a public Research 1 land-grant institution of the Nevada System of Higher Education with a student population of approximately 21,000, including over 3,000 graduate students with a campus also at Lake Tahoe. We are a comprehensive, doctoral university that has been designated as a Carnegie R1 institution with very high research activity and a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Nearly half of our students are students of color, and we are considered a Hispanic Serving Institution. In accordance with the University’s land grant tier-one research institution mission, our faculty are expected to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service in a pluralistic environment.

The University has dynamic Intellectual, artistic and sports life, and a close relationship to the city of Reno Located in one of the nation’s fastest-growing innovative economies, Reno is home to a thriving technology ecosystem, attracting leading companies in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, logistics, artificial intelligence, and data infrastructure. It is a growing tech and innovation hub with a diverse population and a rich cultural history that hosts an active art, music and festival scene. Known for its proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Reno is a vibrant, diverse and growing city located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, about 200 miles east of San Francisco, about 100 miles east of Sacramento and 30 miles north of the state capital, Carson City. Combined with the neighboring city of Sparks, the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area has a population of more than 500,000. Reno is only 30-45 minutes from Lake Tahoe and major ski resorts and is rated one of the top locations in the United States for living and outdoor recreation. It has an international airport with direct flights to many U.S. transportation hubs and to Mexico. For more information about the city and the surrounding area, please visit www.cityofreno.com and www.visitrenotahoe.com.

 

The College of Liberal Arts is home to the humanities, social sciences, and arts, offering 13 academic units and 8 additional programs, museums, and centers, including the Center for Constitutional Law and the Center for Basque Studies, that foster creativity, critical thinking, and engaged citizenship. As one of the largest academic units on campus with just under 4,000 students and 240 faculty, the College combines a strong liberal arts tradition with innovative and interdisciplinary teaching, research, and community engagement, preparing students for meaningful careers and lifelong learning in an interconnected world. The College emphasizes inquiry, discovery, and openness to new ideas and perspectives and supports major scholarly research and creative activity in the three disciplines and offers a number of programs at the Lake Tahoe campus. Visit www.unr.edu/liberal-arts for more information about the college, faculty, and students.

 

Contact Information for this position

Search Chair: Prof. Lydia Huerta Moreno lhuertam@unr.edu          

Search Coordinator: Tanya Nawrocki tnawrocki@unr.edu

Exempt

Yes

Full-Time Equivalent

100.0%

Required Attachment(s)

Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at jobs@unr.edu.

 

Please attach the following documents to your application:

• A complete Curriculum Vita
• Cover letter outlining qualifications, experience, teaching experience, and how they would contribute toward the college’s mission.
• Reference contact information for three professional references.
• Teaching Philosophy Statement outlining evidence of teaching excellence and engagement with diverse student populations, and community engagement.
• Four Sample Course Syllabi
• Finalists will be asked to share recent teaching evaluations.

 

This posting is open until filled

Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. First review of applications will begin December 11, 2026. This search will close without notice when a sufficient number of applications are received or a hiring decision has been made.

Posting Close Date

Note to Applicant<