Assistant Professor - Medieval Studies - Comparative Literature and Spanish & Portuguese at UC Berkeley (Job ID: JPF05509)
Salary range: The current salary range for this position is $84,100–$132,900 (9-month academic year salary), however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.
Anticipated start: July 1, 2027
APPLICATION WINDOW
Open date: October 13, 2026
Next review date: Sunday, Nov 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
Final date: Sunday, Nov 15, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
The Departments of Spanish & Portuguese and Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley seek applications for an Assistant Professor specializing in Medieval Literature and Culture. The successful candidate will have a rigorous grounding in Medieval Studies, with specialized training in Spanish and another language and the ability to work across languages and traditions. This broad, interdisciplinary field can include the study of literary history, social history, intellectual history, religious history, or linguistic history. Additional areas of specialization that would be welcome are Portuguese, Arabic, Hebrew, Latin, Catalan, Occitan, Mediterranean Studies, gender studies, race studies, and material culture studies.
The successful candidate will teach a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses that are central, both to the majors and to general education in the Division. The appointee will also advise undergraduates and graduates and supervise student research, develop a successful and original research program, and provide service contributions. The appointee will be encouraged to contribute to the department’s diverse and inclusive community through their research, teaching, and/or service.In addition to a strong grounding in literary and/or cultural history, we would welcome secondary training in areas such as gender studies, historical linguistics, critical race studies, material culture studies, classical reception studies, or Mediterranean Studies.
The Iberian peninsula in the Middle Ages was characterized by a rich and fascinating intersection of cultures using Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic. Work that takes this complexity and diversity into account would be of special interest to us. Beyondthat, we are looking for creativity, rigor and distinction in the candidates’ written work and oral presentations—and, not least, their ability to develop new strands of research that will continue to shape the field going forward.
About the Departments: The departments of Comparative Literature and Spanish and Portuguese provide faculty with the opportunity to teach and mentor both graduate and undergraduate students. Faculty members teach on a wide variety of topics and approaches. UC Berkeley values the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples, single parents, or those who may have taken time off for family reasons. For information
about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit the Office for Faculty Equity and Welfare's website.
QUALIFICATIONS
Basic qualifications (required at time of application): Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.
Additional qualifications (required at time of start):
Native or Near-native English and Spanish language proficiency is required to conduct courses in English, as well as in Spanish.
Evidence of ability to conduct research in more than one language, literature, and culture, working with texts in the original languages of the relevant literature/cultures.
Preferred qualifications:
Evidence of broad competence in literary studies and in critical approaches to theoretical frameworks, demonstrated through formal study and/or publication record.
Evidence of ability to teach a range of graduate and undergraduate courses and to teach in broadly based undergraduate courses with a trans-historical or multilingual dimension.
Evidence of ability to attract undergraduate and graduate students to the departments, mentor them, nurture their research interests, and work dynamically in a variety of pedagogical contexts, both individually and collaboratively.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Document requirements
• Cover Letter - A cover letter that outlines current and future research plans, service, and teaching experience.
• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Writing Sample - A writing sample of no more than 30 pages (double spaced), demonstrating your best work as a scholar and critic.
• Teaching Statement - A two-page reflection on your approaches and experience with teaching. This need not be a traditional “Teaching Statement,” but should be something that will help our committee understand your values and interests in the classroom.
- Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through classroom environment and pedagogy. Please also discuss your mentoring approaches.
• Research Statement
- Please discuss research accomplishments and plans––past, current, and future. This can include, for example, an extended summary of dissertation/book project, as well as broader research profile, including essays, presentations, other research practices that promote the excellence of research, and areas for future research.
• Service Statement - In a document of no more than one page, please discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities.
- This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase participation of academics in your field.
• Authorization to Release Information Form - An institutional reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information form.
Reference requirements
• 3 letters of reference required
Apply link: https://apptrkr.com/9900867
Help contact: [email protected]