Assistant Professor of Critical Indigenous and Environmental Studies

The Departments of Environmental Studies and Race, Ethnic, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at St. Olaf College invite applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Critical Indigenous and Environmental Studies at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2026.

This position will be jointly appointed to the Departments of Race, Ethnic, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (REGSS) and Environmental Studies. The departments seek a teacher-scholar of Critical Indigenous Studies focusing on environmental themes and topics and with a demonstrated commitment to environmental justice and in forging relationships with Indigenous communities. Candidates with demonstrated experience in or potential to develop teaching and research that engages with public-facing scholarship are particularly encouraged to apply.

Primary teaching responsibilities in Environmental Studies include teaching at least one core course (ENVST 137, 237, and 399) in addition to elective courses in the candidate’s area of expertise in Environmental Studies. Primary teaching responsibilities in REGSS include introductory core courses (RACE 121: Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies; RACE 252: Race, Ethnicity, and Indigenous Studies) and additional mid- and upper-level courses in the candidate’s areas of expertise. Specialized areas of particular interest to the departments include, but are not limited to: indigenous feminisms, migration and diaspora, sexuality and gender studies, reclamations/decolonizations, food sovereignty, climate justice, and Indigenous geographies. 

Salary: $74,190 - $79,000

Qualifications 
Ph.D. in Critical Indigenous Studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, or a related field, such as American Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, and Geography. ABD candidates are welcome to apply and will receive full consideration, but must have a Ph.D. by the start date of the appointment. 

About the Department
Our Environmental Studies and Race, Ethnic, Gender, and Sexuality Studies are both central, robust, and growing departments at St. Olaf. Located within our Interdisciplinary and General Studies faculty division, they draw upon a wide variety of faculty and students who are invested in interdisciplinary methods that address major scholarly and social questions that impact communities and people. These departments are well supported and strongly positioned as the college redoubles its efforts in sustainability, equity, and inclusion. Faculty across both departments seek to create communities of critical thinkers and agents committed to reconciliation and reparation addressing the legacies of both environmental exploitation and colonization in the homelands of the Wahpekute Band of the Dakota Nation.

For more information about the departments, visit wp.stolaf.edu/environmental-studies/, and wp.stolaf.edu/race-and-ethnic-studies/.

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 St. Olaf 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 Community and Belonging webpage to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts. 

How to Apply 
Throughout your materials, include how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. A complete application includes the following: