Assistant Professor Of German

The Department of German at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in German at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2025.

The position offers to a candidate committed to undergraduate liberal arts education the opportunity to teach in a content-based curriculum enhanced with interdisciplinary perspectives and robust co-curricular programming. Teaching responsibilities include all levels of German language and major-level courses in the cultures and literatures of the German-speaking world.

We seek candidates with expertise in one or more areas that complement the research and teaching specializations of the department's current faculty. We are especially interested in candidates who bring interdisciplinary perspectives from one or more of the following areas: second language studies; linguistics; environmental humanities; gender and sexuality studies; race and ethnic studies; film and media studies. The teaching load is five courses per year, one of which may be a four-week January term course taught on campus or abroad. Tenure-track faculty members also contribute courses to the college's First Year Experience curriculum.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in German completed by start of fall semester; native or near-native fluency in German; evidence or clear promise of scholarship; potential for innovation and excellence in teaching courses in the German major and beyond; demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion; interest in teaching off-campus courses; demonstrated excellence in teaching beginning through advanced German language courses. The person hired is expected to pursue high quality scholarly activity and contribute to the life of the department and the college.

About the Department

The St. Olaf German Department is committed to offering students critical, socially engaged, transdisciplinary and inclusive German Studies to meet global challenges.

Content-based instruction is the core of the German curriculum, which integrates culture and language learning across all course levels. The department also offers courses in English such as Germanic fairy tales, Germanic linguistics, modern German history, and German cinema, to which faculty may choose to add a German Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) section. The department strongly values faculty collaboration for curriculum design and teaching development, and has been recognized with national awards for curricular innovation.

St.

Olaf students can pursue a major in German or an interdisciplinary concentration in German Studies, and can choose from multiple off-campus study options in Germany and Austria. On campus, students enjoy a wide array of German co-curricular activities, including a German-speaking Wohngemeinschaft, German choir, weekly Stammtisch conversation table, and Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society.

For more information about the department, visit wp.stolaf.edu/german/.

Diversity

At St. Olaf, we are committed to equity and inclusion.

We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity-gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age-to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply

A complete application includes the following:

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship.

Supporting Documents and URLS:

• Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position

• Curriculum vitae

• Diversity statement (500 word limit): Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. Include examples of your contributions when possible.

• Graduate transcripts (unofficial)

• Teaching Statement (1000 word limit): Describe your conception of teaching and learning and how your approach is exemplified in the classroom, in other contact with students, and in curricular considerations.

• Professional Statement (1000 word limit): Describe your current and anticipated research program including the potential for undergraduate student involvement and publication.

Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration.

Finalist interviews are expected in late November. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Amanda Randall, Search Committee Chair, at tt2025germ@stolaf.edu.