Job Description

Political Science - Non-Tenure Track Faculty Vacancy Pool

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Department of Political Science has 14 full-time tenured and tenure track faculty members and approximately 340 majors and minors. Our work encompasses American politics, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, and political theory. We bring cross-cultural and intersectional knowledge to bear on all of our course offerings.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Political Science Department support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

For more information about the department, please visit: https://chss.wwu.edu/political-science

The Political Science Department maintains a vacancy pool of qualified persons interested in temporary part-time teaching positions. In anticipation of possible openings throughout the academic year, applications are accepted continuously. Positions may become available at any time and are typically filled on a quarterly basis.

Position Responsibilities: The department, college and University value teaching, and we expect you to be an excellent teacher; to be current in your discipline; to engage students actively in their own learning including discussion, writing, and analysis; and to set high standards regarding course content. You are expected to provide students with feedback on their coursework and examinations, and to be available to students through regularly scheduled office hours in keeping with department policy. You must have your students evaluate your course(s) using the standard University evaluation forms, or others approved by the provost, and you must make those evaluations available to the department chairs and faculty for annual review.

• ABD or MA in Political Science or related field
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to cultivating learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities and backgrounds

• Ph.D. in Political Science or related field
• Preference will be given to those with teaching experience

All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Benefits Information

United Faculty of Western Washington

Please log in and submit your application via Western PageUp. A cover letter and curriculum vitae are required and should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.  Additional materials are required as outlined below. Please upload your materials as noted in Western PageUp.

You will be asked to provide names and contact information of three professional references.

Sample syllabi and teaching evaluations are required.

Applications to the Vacancy Pool can be submitted for consideration from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2026.

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