Women's History/Catholic History: New Initiatives at the Cushwa Center

Benjamin J. Wetzel

Although women's history is inseparable (or should be!) from our national narratives, the month of March serves as a time to reflect specifically on women's contributions to American history.  Even more specifically, this month provides a special occasion to reflect on the history of women religious, and to announce some current and forthcoming scholarly initiatives from the Cushwa Center in this area.



1) The center has launched the Mother Theodore Guerin Research Travel Grant Program.  This program memorializes the historic connection between Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and the University of Notre Dame by supporting researchers whose projects seek to feature Catholic women more prominently in stories of the past.  Grants of up to $1,500 will be made to scholars seeking to visit any repository in or outside the United States, or traveling to conduct oral interviews, especially of women religious.  An inaugural round of grants will be awarded in late spring 2018 (application deadline: May 1, 2018).  Thereafter, applications will be due December 31 each year for research in the subsequent calendar year.  More info here!

2) Please find a call for papers for the Eleventh Triennial Conference on the History of Women Religious here.  The conference theme is "Commemoration, Preservation, Celebration," and will take place June 23-26, 2019 at Saint Mary's College (Notre Dame, IN).  All details can be found here.  The deadline to submit a paper or panel proposal is June 1, 2018.

3) The Center recently concluded a conference at Kylemore Abbey, Ireland, entitled "A Pedagogy of Peace: The Theory and Practice of Catholic Women Religious in Migrant Education."  For more context on the history of Kylemore's Benedictine nuns, see this article by Jack Rooney.

4) Watch for a new edition of the American Catholic Studies Newsletter, to be published soon.  For now, here is a sneak peek at the most recent article in the series, "Why I Study Women Religious," by Marie Marmo Mullaney (Caldwell University).

Finally, the Cushwa Center will be hiring an in-residence postdoctoral research associate for academic year 2018-2019.  Find the job ad here!  Applications due April 15!

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Job Announcement: Religions in the Americas at University of Chicago Divinity School

The University of Chicago Divinity School seeks to make an appointment in Religions in the Americas, effective July 1, 2018.  Rank and salary are open.  Junior candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Religions in the Americas is an interdisciplinary area of graduate study that investigates religious ideas, practices, institutions, and movements in North and South America. The area brings together faculty and students with historical, sociological, ethnographic, literary, legal, demographic, comparative, and theoretical interests in religions in the Americas. 

The candidate for this position must hold the Ph.D. by the time of the appointment, and must be qualified to teach and to direct research in religious history broadly construed. Area of specialization, both in terms of religious traditions or movements, chronological periods, and disciplinary focus, is open. A coherent and creative agenda for research and publication, and a capacity for intellectual leadership, are essential.  Familiarity with issues of theory and method in the study of religion is desirable.

The Divinity School is the graduate professional school for the academic study of religion at the University of Chicago, a private research university.  Faculty in the School teach Ph.D. students in 11 different areas of study, and master’s level students in M.A. and M.Div. programs, offering courses at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels.  Many faculty hold associate appointments in other departments and schools of the University; such associations are encouraged.  A normal teaching load is 4 courses per year on a quarter system; in most cases that leaves one quarter open for research in residence (in addition to summer free for scholarship).

Applications will be accepted until November 12, 2017.  Application should be made online, at https:\\academiccareers.uchicago.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=55286  

Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, a teaching statement, a research statement, and a writing sample of 25-40 pages. Three reference letters are required.  Reference letter submission information will be provided during the application process.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination at http://www.uchicago.edu/about/non_discrimination_statement/. Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-0287 or email ACOppAdministrator@uchicago.edu with their request.


Religion in American History received the above job announcement from the University of Chicago Divinity School to share with its readership. For those on or following the 2017-2018 job market, you may have seen a previous version of this job announcement; please note the updated deadline above.

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Job Announcement: Faculty Director, Black Church Studies

Duke University Divinity School is seeking a Director for the Office of Black Church Studies, effective July 1, 2018.  The position is for a regular-rank member of the Divinity School faculty with the possibility of tenure at the associate or full professor level, who will teach in residential and hybrid programs, two courses engaging the intersection of Black Church Studies with at least one other scholarly field related to one of the academic divisions of the Divinity School (biblical, historical, theological, ministerial). 

The central responsibility of the director of the Office of Black Church Studies (OBCS) is to provide intellectual and strategic leadership by guiding the overarching planning and program development of the Office, supporting student formation, organizing events and lectures, partnering with the Center for Reconciliation on visioning and collaborative projects, and fostering and strengthening community relations and connections with the wider Duke University and Durham communities.

Faculty rank and salary will be set according to qualifications and experience. A Ph.D., Th.D., or the equivalent is requisite. The M.Div. degree (or equivalent) is strongly desirable, as is lay or ordained ministerial experience within the black church.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and names of three persons from whom letters of reference may be obtained. Women, ethnic minorities, and persons from the Methodist/Wesleyan tradition are strongly encouraged to apply. Nominations and applications should be sent to https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/9697  Review of applications and nominations will begin November 1, 2017.

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, or disability.

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History Department Job Postings in U.S. Religious History

Andrea L. Turpin

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For job-seekers in U.S. religious history, Dickens seems to describe the history department market this year. The best of times: there is more than one tenure-track job specifically dedicated to U.S. religious history. The worst of times: no tenure-track job not specifically dedicated to this field lists it as a desired specialty. And it’s worth noting that most of the jobs in the field are at religiously affiliated institutions, albeit quite different ones. I would love to see history departments at a wide variety of institutions explicitly seeking coverage in this area. Still, I have to assume religious history remains a desirable subfield for at least some of these other jobs, considering that a mere 8 years ago the American Historical Association reported that religion was the largest subfield within the profession (with 7.7% of members listing it as one of three specialties).

So without further ado, here are the jobs (with links to the full posting) that would be of particular interest to readers of this blog:

TENURE-TRACK (AND TENURED)

1. Assistant or Associate Professor of History of American Christianity, Department of History and Ecumenics, Princeton Theological Seminary. A bit of online investigation turns up that the standard teaching load for the seminary is 2/2. It does not manage to turn up whether any sort of faith commitment or affiliation is required for the position, though PTS is affiliated with the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA), and the position calls for ability to teach Presbyterian history specifically. Application review begins October 6.



2. Assistant Professor of American Christianity, Department of History, Wheaton College (IL). Teaching load is 3/3. Wheaton requires adherence to a statement of faith and lifestyle expectations covenant. Application review begins October 9.

Side note: Wheaton is going to town. More advanced scholars in the field of U.S. religious history who can sign Wheaton’s statements would be eligible for two other positions currently advertised there: the Arthur F. Holmes Chair of Faith and Learning (applications reviewed immediately) and the Dean of Humanities and Theological Studies (applications reviewed September 30).

3. Assistant Professor of Muslims/Islam in North America, Joint Appointment between College of Liberal Arts (department flexible, with History listed as a desirable one) and Religious Studies Program, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Teaching load is 2/2. Application review begins October 15.

Bonus Position:

Come be my colleague! This job does not specifically ask for a specialty in U.S. religion, but many readers of this blog would find the Baylor history department an agreeable home as our Ph.D. program focuses on religion and culture.

4. Assistant Professor of U.S. South (19th Century/Antebellum Preferred), Department of History,
Baylor University. Teaching load is 2/2. Baylor hires faculty who are active in any faith community associated with the Judeo-Christian tradition, broadly defined. Application review begins November 1.

NON-TENURE-TRACK (AND VISITING)

OK, so these two aren’t in history departments, but they are too good not to mention, and would be welcoming to scholars trained in history departments because both institutions chose to list these positions on the AHA job website:

1. Postdoctoral Research Associates in Religion and Politics (in the U.S.), John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, University of Washington-St. Louis. One year appointment renewable for second year. Teaches 1-2 courses/year. Three positions available. Application review begins January 8.

2. Research Associates and Visiting Faculty, Women’s Studies in Religion Program, Harvard Divinity School. Teaches 1 course/year. Five positions available. Application review begins October 15.

Since I’m a historian and all, I’ll cite my sources: the AHA job site, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) job site, the history jobs wiki, and h-net. If I’ve missed any history department positions that specifically ask for U.S. religious history, please add them to the comments section!

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