The Department of Anthropology at Southern Methodist University,
Dallas, Texas, invites applications for a career track Lecturer in cultural anthropology. The
position will start August 1, 2026 and is renewable in future years with possibilities for
advancement on the Lecturer track. We are looking for a cultural anthropologist to complement
existing department teaching strengths that include: environment, health, economics, and
heritage. The ideal candidate will have a track record of excellence in teaching. Typical teaching
load is 4:4 teaching load with no contractual obligations for research or service. This is a
renewable position with a promotional ladder. Teaching will be largely undergraduate with some
graduate level teaching possibilities. Teaching faculty have access to internal conference funds
and competitive research funds upon submission and approval. Candidates should have PhD in
hand by August 1, 2026.
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter addressing their teaching experience relative
to the areas noted above; their curriculum vitae; the names and contact information of three
references; and a teaching portfolio, which includes: a statement of teaching philosophy,
course evaluations for past courses taught, and three syllabi, including one syllabus for
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Please submit these materials via Interfolio to
https://apply.interfolio.com/171432.
For full consideration, please submit your required materials by November 1, 2025. Review of
applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Successful
candidates will be invited for a teaching demonstration via Zoom.
Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check.
Questions should be directed to Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Nia Parson,
nparson@smu.edu.
Southern Methodist University is a secular, R-1 University growing in exciting ways with a new
$100 million Moody Graduate School offering enhancements for our graduate students and
faculty, a new $30 million Peter O’Donnell Data Science Institute, and a new membership in the
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for college athletics. We have an intellectually vibrant
community of internationally recognized scholars across the humanities, social sciences,
mathematical sciences, engineering, law, fine arts, and business. SMU offers excellent benefits. In
Anthropology, our faculty advance intellectual frontiers, both ancient and modern, through
groundbreaking interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching, and community outreach, aimed
at bringing insight and understanding to issues around global health and development, migration
and borderland communities, and human impacts on and responses to environmental challenges.
Anthropology has long been one of the strongest programs at SMU and we have one of the oldest
graduate medical anthropology programs in the U.S. Our undergraduate, Masters’ and PhD-level programs help students build a complex understanding of difference, critical thinking, and global
reach to best prepare them for life after graduation in academia and industry. Faculty currently
hold competitive federal research grants from the National Institutes of Health and National
Science Foundation, among others.
The City of Dallas is one of the nation’s most cosmopolitan commercial and cultural centers, and
the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex is the fourth largest in the US. SMU faculty enjoy a relatively
low cost of living despite easy access to two major airports, a full range of cultural offerings,
professional sports teams, and a lively and innovative restaurant scene. Explore Dedman College
at https://www.smu.edu/dedman, and SMU at http://www.smu.edu.