Theology, Assistant Professor in Islamic Studies, Tenure Track

The Department of Theology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago seeks qualified candidates for an appointment as Assistant Professor beginning Fall 2025. The department serves the university's undergraduate core curriculum and offers undergraduate majors and minors in Theology and Religious Studies. The department also offers an M.A. in Biblical Languages and Literature, Bioethics and Healthcare Policy, Christian Ethics, and Theological Studies, and Ph.D. concentrations in New Testament/Early Christianity, Christian Ethics, and Theology. For more information about the department visit www.luc.edu/theology.

We welcome candidates with strong research and teaching profiles in Islamic Studies, Islamic theology, comparative religion, and theory and method in the study of religion.

This search is part of a College-wide, multiyear hiring initiative designed to hire outstanding researchers and teachers who are reflective of our diverse student body, committed to interdisciplinarity, dedicated to the pursuit of external grants, and appreciative of a Jesuit, Catholic education. As a university that is situated in the world-class, multicultural city of Chicago and dedicated to mentoring a diverse student body, many of whom come from underrepresented and underserved populations, we especially encourage applications from candidates from underrepresented groups.

This position involves teaching undergraduate courses in the core curriculum such as Islam, Quran, Topics in Islam, and Introduction to Religious Studies, as well as more specialized courses for majors and minors that serve the department's diverse multi-cultural and multi-religious student body, in addition to potentially offering courses from a comparative religions perspective that would serve the department's graduate students in their various programs. Candidates for the position must demonstrate a record of active scholarship, strong competencies in the languages relevant to their areas of specialization, and overall excellence in teaching and student mentorship (or the potential for such). A willingness to be engaged in the academic life of the department and to support its interdisciplinary conversations is expected. Special attention will also be given to candidates with research interests that are in conversation with one or more areas of study in the department. In addition to a strong program of scholarship, the successful candidate must be committed to the teaching mission of the department and engage in service at the department level or above.

The candidate will have a PhD in Islamic Studies or a cognate field with expertise in Islam at the time of appointment. Candidates for the position must demonstrate clear potential for excellence in research and teaching, obtaining external funding, and student mentorship. The candidate must be willing to support the mission of Loyola University Chicago and the goals of a Jesuit, Catholic education.

The candidate will have a PhD in Islamic Studies or a cognate field with expertise in Islam at the time of appointment. Candidates for the position must demonstrate clear potential for excellence in research and teaching, obtaining external funding, and student mentorship. The candidate must be willing to support the mission of Loyola University Chicago and the goals of a Jesuit, Catholic education.

This salary range is for a nine-month academic appointment. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on a range of factors including, but not limited to, the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including years since terminal degree; training; field or discipline; budget availability; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs. Salaries higher than the published maximums may be offered in limited circumstances.

Applicants should submit to www.careers.luc.edu (1) a letter of interest; (2) a current Curriculum Vitae; (3) a statement outlining the applicant's research agenda; (4) a statement on teaching philosophy and experience; (5) a statement addressing past or potential contributions to mentoring a diverse student body and engaging a diverse community through teaching, scholarship, and service; and (6) names and email addresses of three individuals prepared to provide letters of recommendation (letter writers will receive an electronic prompt asking them to submit their letters).

Please direct inquiries to:

Dr. Robert A. Di Vito, Chair

Department of Theology

Loyola University Chicago

1032 West Sheridan Road

Chicago, IL 60660

rdivito@luc.edu

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Applications received before January 15, 2025 will receive full consideration.

As a Jesuit, Catholic institution of higher education, we seek candidates who will contribute to our strategic plan to deliver a Transformative Education in the Jesuit tradition. To learn more about Loyola University Chicago's mission, candidates should consult our website at www.luc.edu/mission/. For information about the university's focus on transformative education, they should consult our website at www.luc.edu/transformativeed.

Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is the largest of twenty-seven Jesuit colleges and universities (https://ajcunet.edu/) and one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Loyola enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including over 11,000 undergraduates, across its three campuses in the Chicago metropolitan area: Lake Shore Campus on Chicago's north side; Water Tower Campus near the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago; and Health Sciences Campus in the western suburb of Maywood. The University has over 1,600 full-time and part-time faculty. It also operates a study abroad center - the John Felice Rome Center ( JFRC) - in Rome, Italy. Loyola offers programs in a variety of disciplines through thirteen schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences (founded in 1870), the School of Law (1908), the Stritch School of Medicine (1909), the School of Social Work (1914), the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (1914), the Graduate School (1915), the Quinlan School of Business (1922), the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (1935), the School of Education (1969), the School of Communication (2008), Arrupe College (2014) which operates as a two-year college and confers associates degrees, the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health (2019), and the School of Environmental Sustainability (2020).

As one of the nation's largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, Loyola University Chicago fosters a transformative cultural experience that honors diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to not only recruiting, but also retaining a diverse, mission driven workforce and enabling a culture of inclusiveness in an environment that values service excellence, stewardship, personal well-being, and professional development for all of our employees. Loyola University Chicago supports its staff and faculty with a wide array of affordable, comprehensive and competitive benefits centered on health and wellness, financial security, equity, and work-life balance. We actively seek those who wish to join our faculty, staff, and students in a community of diverse opinions, perspectives, and backgrounds supporting our Jesuit mission and striving toward the same goal of being persons for and with others.

The Loyola University Chicago community acknowledges its location on the ancestral homelands of the Council of the Three Fires (the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes) and a place of trade with other tribes, including the Ho-Chunk, Miami, Menominee, Sauk, and Meskwaki. We recognize the tragic legacy of colonization, genocide, and oppression that still impacts Native American lives today. As a Jesuit university, we affirm our commitment to issues of social responsibility and justice. We further recognize our responsibility to understand, teach, and respect the past and present realities of local Native Americans and their continued connection to this land.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Loyola University Chicago is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer with a strong commitment to hiring for our mission and diversifying our faculty. The University seeks to increase the diversity of its professoriate, workforce and undergraduate and graduate student populations because broad diversity - including a wide range of individuals who contribute to a robust academic environment - is critical to achieving the University's mission of excellence in education, research, educational access and services in an increasingly diverse society. Therefore, in holistically accessing the many qualifications of each applicant, we would factor favorably an individual's record of conduct that includes experience with an array of diverse perspectives, as well as a wide variety of different educational, research or other work activities. Among other qualifications, we would also factor favorably experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career or degrees.