Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow, Continental Philosophy

George Mason University seeks to hire a postdoctoral teaching fellow in continental philosophy with a specialization in Phenomenology, including an ability to teach one or more of such figures as Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas or Merleau-Ponty. We welcome applications from candidates who undertake phenomenological analysis of pressing issues of social, political, or global concern, as well as those engaged in critical phenomenology or pursuing phenomenology as it has been taken up in nonwestern traditions. An ability to teach Ancient Philosophy at undergraduate level would be of interest. The standard teaching load for this position is 2:2.

The position offers the opportunity to undertake postdoctoral research while developing a multifaceted teaching portfolio. The successful candidate will be assigned a selected set of mentors, to offer support in research, teaching, and professional development; will have access to professional development funds; and will be part of an interdisciplinary cohort of postdoctoral fellows supported by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. They will have opportunities to engage with colleagues in other departments and programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, including through George Mason’s Center for Humanities Research, and will have access to faculty mentors with expertise in public philosophy, including members of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy.

The position will begin August 2024. This is a 12 month position. The appointment is for one year, renewable up to three years.

George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff, and strongly encourages candidates to apply who will enrich Mason’s academic and culturally inclusive environment.

If you believe you meet the overall criteria for this position, but don’t necessarily check every box, please submit an application.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will: 

• Develop a robust research agenda and produce outstanding scholarship in continental philosophy with a particular emphasis on phenomenology, including interdisciplinary approaches where appropriate.
• Teach at undergraduate and graduate level to include courses in phenomenology that encompass both key historical figures and recent developments. As examples, we welcome syllabi that introduce students to the ways in which phenomenology has been taken up in nonwestern traditions or in Meso- and Latin American philosophy; or that foreground  the value of phenomenological methods for the critical analysis of social, political and global issues, such as for instance the environment, disability, carcerality, borderlands, race, gender and sexuality.
• Develop a multi-faceted teaching portfolio with the support of faculty mentors.
• Engage in professional development in collaboration with faculty mentors and participate in the Postdoctoral Fellows Workshop Series hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Undertake selected mentoring of student research at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Required Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in Philosophy: applicants must have completed the successful defense of their dissertation (or equivalent) by the time of appointment and received their doctorate within 5 years of the start date of August 2024.
• A research trajectory commensurate with an early career researcher in Philosophy, with a specialization in phenomenology.
• Evidence of teaching experience with a commitment to diversity in the classroom.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An ability to teach ancient philosophy at undergraduate level.
• An interest in public philosophy.

Information about the University and Department:

George Mason University is a Carnegie Tier 1 Research [R1] institution located in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and is the largest public university in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with a diverse student body. The University’s location facilitates faculty and student work linked to policy and other areas of public concern, as well as links to major cultural institutions and numerous non-profit organizations and NGOs.

The Department of Philosophy at George Mason is a pluralistic program that offers courses and produces scholarly research and public philosophy drawing on diverse philosophical approaches and traditions, including continental, Anglo-American and applied philosophy, and with a focus on social, ethical and political thought. The program offers a Masters degree, a major, and multiple minors including in Philosophy of Law, Ethics and AI, and Philosophy for Social Change. Our mission is to put philosophy to work to address key contemporary issues and enduring philosophical questions, to foster critically engaged citizens, and to enable students and faculty to engage with pressing matters of global and public concern. The department is also host to the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy.

Faculty in Philosophy are affiliated with other departments and programs across Mason, including: African and African American Studies; the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership; the Center for Humanities Research; Cultural Studies; the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences; the Honors College; Philosophy; Politics and Economics; the Schar School of Policy and Government; Women and Gender Studies. To review potential faculty mentors, please visit the faculty profiles on our website.