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

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

College/School/Unit: School of Civic Leadership

Department:

Posted: Oct 26, 2026

Apply By: Open until filled

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.

Qualifications

We seek outstanding candidates with a Ph.D. in a field related to
the Great Books whose pedagogy and scholarship speak to the School
of Civic Leadership's core mission of educating citizens for
freedom in its multiple senses: economic, political, and
intellectual. We are especially interested in work on the
literature of the modern period, from the early modern era to the
present, read as wisdom-seeking inquiry into enduring human
questions, and we welcome work across the full range of modern
literary form - drama, lyric and narrative poetry, the novel, the
essay, and philosophical and political prose - in English and the
other modern languages. More broadly, we are interested in work
that inquires into expressions of Western civilization that have
become central to the American civic experience: the roots of the
West in Athens and Jerusalem; Roman law; American letters; works of
literature, art, architecture, music, and science; reflections on
politics and civic life; and moral reflection.

Ideal candidates will (1) demonstrate a commitment to the
pedagogical idiom of discussion oriented toward clarifying
fundamental questions, along with evidence of exceptional teaching,
(2) have excellent records of scholarship with robust research
agendas, (3) show a readiness to contribute to the intellectual
life, governance, and programmatic development of the School of
Civic Leadership and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of
Core Texts and Ideas, and (4) show a readiness to teach in the
University's renewed core curriculum, focusing on the Great
Questions of Human Life and inviting students into a deeper
engagement in the pursuit of wisdom, and to build partnerships
across the University, including with other relevant departments
and programs.

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal
opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all
applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and
affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of
equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability,
religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and
activities, and admissions.

To apply, visit https://faculty.utexas.edu/career/195039

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