Great Books in Literature of the Modern Period (Associate/Full Professor)

Great Books in Literature of the Modern Period (Associate/Full Professor) . The University of Texas at Austin . College: School of Civic Leadership . Location: The University of Texas at Austin .

Opens: Oct 26, 2026 .

Description

The School of Civic Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, invites applications for full-time tenured faculty positions at the associate or full professor level in the Great Books, with a field in literature. Exceptional candidates will be eligible for endowed chairs and professorships. Successful candidates’ primary appointments will be in the School of Civic Leadership, with affiliations in the Thomas Jefferson Center. The possibility of partial appointments in the disciplinary department may also be explored.

Appointments will begin in Fall 2027. Successful candidates will combine teaching in the School’s discussion-based Great Books curriculum, centered on close reading of primary texts, with teaching in the University’s core curriculum. Courses are conducted as small seminars and discussion sections in which students engage directly with foundational, wisdom-seeking works in and between a range of disciplines: political thought, philosophy, literature, religious studies, history, and the liberal arts broadly. Instruction emphasizes careful textual analysis, sustained inquiry into enduring questions, and thoughtful conversation among students and faculty.

The School of Civic Leadership is a new interdisciplinary school at UT Austin dedicated to preparing students for leadership in a free society. Its dual mission is to equip students with the knowledge and aptitudes necessary to lead the public and private institutions of a free society, and to produce academic research at the highest levels of scholarly excellence. The School of Civic Leadership is expanding its major offerings. In addition to the Civics Honors major, in Fall 2027 the School is starting a Great Books major in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson Center.

It is developing a conceptually interdisciplinary PhD program in Civic Thought. The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas, situated in the College of Liberal Arts, sustains the tradition of close reading of foundational texts through its Jefferson Scholars Program, its Core Texts and Ideas Certificate, and endeavors such as the Civic Thought Initiative. Its work is to help students become more reflective about their own beliefs, more capacious in their sympathies, and better prepared to engage in civil and respectful dialogue. . Application instructions: The School of Civic Leadership and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas invite applicants to submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae, along with the names of three recommenders; letters will be requested at a later stage.

Cover letters should give a brief overview of the candidate’s research agenda, highlight areas of teaching competence, and concisely describe how the candidate would contribute to developing the School of Civic Leadership and the study of the Great Books at the University of Texas.