TT sociology faculty at Messiah College

[jenell]

Position Announcement

Term tenure-track faculty - Sociology
The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice in the School of Business, Education and Social Sciences at Messiah College announces a term tenure-track faculty position in Sociology or related field beginning August 2014.

Responsibilities: The Department desires an energetic teacher-scholar who will contribute to the department’s majors in Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN) and Criminal Justice. A strong commitment to collegiality, undergraduate education, scholarship, and community engagement is required. Faculty will have advising and institutional service responsibilities as well as continuing in their own scholarship.

Qualifications: A Ph.D. or ABD in Sociology or related field will be considered, with the ability to teach courses such as Introduction to Sociology, Religion and Society, and Social Conflict and Peacemaking.

The Program: The Sociology and Anthropology program includes a major and a minor in Sociology and Anthropology. The program includes a faith-based commitment to community as well as a curriculum that emphasizes students learning scholarly research methods.
Emphasis is given to excellent teaching and learning that includes classroom activities, experiential learning and close faculty/student interaction. The program encourages students to become effective, compassionate agents of change in the world.

The Department: The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice offers several academic programs. Majors include Sociology and Anthropology, Criminal Justice, and a track within the Sustainability major. Minors include Sociology and Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Gender Studies, and Urban Studies. The department includes faculty in sociology, anthropology, and criminal justice.

The College: Messiah College is a Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences and has a student body of over 2,700 undergraduate students including over 10% of under-represented and 2.4% international students from 28 countries and over 300 graduate students including over 9.6% of students from under-represented populations.
The College is committed to an embracing evangelical spirit rooted in the Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian Church. Our mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society. Messiah College is a teaching institution that emphasizes instruction but values research and public service. Strong support is given to faculty development in teaching and scholarship.

Diversity: The College seeks to create a work environment and organizational culture that reflects and appreciates the uniqueness that the individual brings to the workplace while striving to provide an atmosphere of success. Messiah’s strategic plan includes a commitment to community engagement in diverse settings and the development of cross-cultural competencies as well as a commitment to developing a comprehensive and integrated approach to global engagement. As such, Messiah College is fully committed to a culturally diverse faculty and student body. Successful candidates will evidence similar commitments.

Location: Messiah College is located on a scenic 485-acre campus in Grantham, Pennsylvania just 12 miles from the state capital of Harrisburg. The surrounding area offers a wide variety of entertainment, recreational, and leisure options while also boasting a low cost of living when compared to other large cities on the east coast. The region’s central location means easy day-trips to major cities such as Baltimore (85 miles), Philadelphia (115 miles), Washington, DC (115 miles) New York City (180 miles).

Compensation: Salary and rank commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Applications and Nominations: Application materials will be reviewed upon receipt and will be accepted until the position is filled. Please provide a current curriculum vitae or resume as well as a letter of interest that clearly explains how your Christian faith represents a strong fit with the mission of Messiah College, which is “to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.” Also, please provide transcripts and a personal statement of faith. Additional supporting documents required for application are detailed in the link below.

To apply, please see: jobs.messiah.edu/postings/3036

Messiah College, a Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, ethnic/national origin, disability, race, gender or veteran status in its education programs, admissions or employment policies. Women and Minority candidates are encouraged to apply.

[annoyed]

How is it legal to discriminate on the basis of religion? The ad essentially says, 'Sorry Bhuddists, Muslims, Hindus, non-Christian religious people and atheists. You're ineligible.'

[perfectly legal]

Yes, it is legal for religious schools to discriminate by giving preference to those of particular religions. This was written into Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

APPLICABILITY TO FOREIGN AND RELIGIOUS EMPLOYMENT
SEC. 2000e-1. [Section 702]

(a) Inapplicability of subchapter to certain aliens and employees of religious entities

This subchapter shall not apply to an employer with respect to the employment of aliens outside any State, or to a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by such corporation, association, educational institution, or society of its activities.

www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm

In the case of "Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Amos, 483 U.S. 327 (1987)," the Supreme Court upheld this ability of religious organizations to set these standards.

As applied to nonprofit activities of religious employers, 702 is rationally related to the legitimate purpose of alleviating significant governmental interference with the ability of religious organizations to define and carry out their religious missions.

caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=483&invol=327

[ithink]

I think they can do it for the same reason that Baptist churches don't have to consider Buddhist applicants when hiring a pastor.

It's a private university, their students' parents pay a lot of money to send them to a Christian university, and so they generally try to avoid having radical atheists on faculty.

The academic environment at those places can be a bit unsettling to many sociologists, but there are plenty of these places out there. Some have some very good sociologists and plenty don't, but it is what it is.