This site is for current SJSU employees only.

Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor in Aesthetics

School/Department Name: Philosophy

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $88,000 - $90,000.

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 18, 2025

Application Deadline: December 1, 2024 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The Department of Philosophy at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for a full-time assistant professor (tenure-track) position in Aesthetics beginning in August 2025. The department especially welcomes candidates whose research and teaching engage with questions about how new technologies like “generative AI” impact the creation, consumption, and appreciation of works of art.

The College of Humanities & the Arts, and the University more broadly, actively pursues the theme of the intersection of arts with technology; given our location in Silicon Valley and our commitment to developing ethical technologies through our new Institute of Ethical Technology      there are significant collaborative opportunities for a faculty member exploring these issues through aesthetics. The Institute, in the process of being formed, pursues the need for human-centered technology that values privacy and ethical decision-making. The department also welcomes candidates with expertise in non-western aesthetics and/or whose research puts western and non-western approaches to aesthetics in conversation with each other.

The Department of Philosophy is one of ten departments and schools in the College of Humanities and the Arts and offers Philosophy BA and MA programs.  We value and engage with a plurality of philosophical traditions and styles, as well as the perspectives of our diverse community of faculty and students.  We are committed to creating learning environments, a departmental culture, and a larger philosophical community that welcomes all who want to explore philosophy.

The Department of Philosophy and San José State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Philosophy prior to appointment, with a focus on aesthetics.
• A demonstrated record of effective teaching.
• Evidence of the ability to publish and engage in professional activities in the area of specialization.
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Candidates whose research engages with impacts of AI on the creation, consumption, and appreciation of works of art.
• Candidates with expertise in non-western aesthetics.
• Candidates who pursue cross-tradition engagement in doing philosophical work on aesthetics.
• Candidates who could contribute to interdisciplinary research and teaching through the Deep Humanities and the Arts initiative.
• Candidates who could contribute to the department’s teaching needs in history of philosophy, ethical theory, phenomenology, Africana philosophy, and applied ethics (e.g., science, technology, and human values, professional and business ethics).
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• In addition to teaching courses in area of specialization, including Intro to Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art, the candidate will be expected to teach general education courses that could include Science, Technology, and Human Values; Computers, Ethics, and Society; Introduction to Philosophy; Logic and Critical Reasoning; Moral Issues; Asian Philosophy; and Professional and Business Ethics. 
• The candidate will develop and sustain an ongoing record of research, scholarship, and/or creative activities, as well as other professional engagement.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
•  Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
  
  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• diversity statement (2 pages)
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy (2 pages)
• evidence of teaching proficiency (e.g., student evaluations)
• research plans (2 pages)
• writing sample (preferably 5000 words or less)
• three references with contact information

Inquiries may be directed to the Department Chair, Prof. Janet D. Stemwedel (janet.stemwedel@sjsu.edu)

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.