Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies

Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $88,000 – $92,000. Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector. See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

About the Role

The Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) program in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at San José State University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies with expertise in Indigeneity, artificial intelligence, media studies, and Indigenous technologies and futurisms. We seek a teacher-scholar whose research, teaching, and community-engaged work examine the implications of emerging technologies for Indigenous peoples: including sovereignty, data governance, cultural knowledge, representation, ethics, and justice.

Located in Silicon Valley, SJSU is uniquely positioned to bring Indigenous Studies into direct conversation with artificial intelligence, digital media, data systems, and emerging technologies. This position offers the opportunity to help shape rights-based, community-accountable approaches to technology while strengthening NAIS curriculum, research, and public engagement.

Successful candidates will be grounded in Native American and Indigenous Studies and engage one or more related areas, such as Indigenous approaches to artificial intelligence, Indigenous data sovereignty and governance, Indigenous media and digital cultures, Indigenous technologies and futurisms, ethical and community-accountable technology design, digital repatriation and cultural heritage technologies, or the social, legal, and political implications of AI for tribal and urban Indigenous communities. A history of working with tribes, Indigenous organizations, urban Indigenous communities, or Indigenous-led technology, media, cultural heritage, or data initiatives is strongly desired.

The Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences is part of the College of Social Sciences, which is committed to equitable and inclusive teaching and learning. The College sees faculty and student success as inextricably linked and strives to provide culturally sustaining and academically affirming approaches to supporting and engaging students and faculty. We provide opportunities for faculty development around asset-based, holistic student success and support scholarship of engagement that addresses issues that affect our campus and community.

Responsibilities

• Teach undergraduate courses in Native American and Indigenous Studies and develop new curriculum related to Indigeneity, artificial intelligence, Indigenous technologies, media studies, data sovereignty, digital cultures, and Indigenous futurisms.
• Maintain an active research, scholarly, creative, or community-engaged agenda appropriate to a tenure-track appointment and aligned with Native American and Indigenous Studies.
• Advise and mentor students and develop cross-departmental, community, and institutional partnerships.
• Organize all assigned courses within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• Participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.

Requirements

• An earned doctorate in American Indian Studies, Native American Studies, Indigenous Studies, Ethnic Studies, Science and Technology Studies, or another relevant interdisciplinary field from an accredited institution (or equivalent) at the time of application. If ABD, degree requirements must be completed by the date of appointment.
• Potential for effective teaching, or teaching experience in Native American and Indigenous Studies or related fields.
• Record of, or potential for, research, scholarship or creative activity in Native American and Indigenous Studies and technologies such as sovereignty, self-determination, settler colonialism, or decolonization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience working with tribes, Indigenous communities, organizations, or Indigenous-led projects involving technology, media, data, cultural heritage, education, governance, or public policy.
• Evidence of the ability to communicate Native American and Indigenous Studies epistemological frameworks and the ethical implications of emerging technologies for Indigenous peoples.
• Demonstrated expertise in pedagogical approaches to artificial intelligence, Indigenous data sovereignty, Indigenous technologies, Indigenous media, digital cultures, or Indigenous futurisms.
• Evidence of research, teaching, creative activity, or community engagement addressing the ethical, cultural, political, legal, or social implications of emerging technologies for Indigenous peoples.
• Demonstrated ability to apply critical, Indigenous, decolonial, and culturally sustaining methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to develop new NAIS curriculum and build interdisciplinary, cross-departmental collaborations related to AI, media, technology, data governance, or Indigenous futurisms.
• Research background and community-practice experience in decolonizing methodologies.

Benefits

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector. See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Pay

Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $88,000 – $92,000.

Schedule

Target start date: August 2027.