Professor, Social Studies Education (Open Rank)

General Description/Primary Purpose:

The Department of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum at the University of North Florida (UNF) invites applications for a full-time, 9-month, tenure-track position in Social Studies Education at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Professor (Open Rank), beginning in August 2026 (or as negotiated).

We seek a collaborative and reflective educator-scholar who possesses deep knowledge of both social studies content and pedagogy across P–12 settings, and who understands the components of high-quality teacher education programming. In addition to strong pedagogical knowledge and research expertise in social studies education, the successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to school-university partnerships, particularly in supporting the connections between theory, research, and practice in teacher preparation.

This position will play an essential role in preparing teacher candidates to bring rich, rigorous, and relevant social studies learning to students in elementary and/or secondary settings. The ideal candidate will also have substantial experience with supervision and clinical practice, ensuring that candidates are supported in applying what they learn in coursework to authentic school environments.

Responsibilities:

Teach undergraduate courses in elementary and/or secondary social studies education, integrating both strong content knowledge and effective pedagogy.

Collaborate with school partners to strengthen school-university relationships and enhance clinical learning opportunities for teacher candidates.

Collaborate with school and university-based teacher educators to build a local network of social studies teacher educators.

Supervise teacher candidates during clinical field experiences, ensuring meaningful integration of theory, research, and classroom practice.

Teach graduate-level courses in Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, including master’s and doctoral seminars related to social studies education and teacher development.

Contribute to the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of teacher preparation programs, emphasizing program coherence and quality.

Advise and mentor graduate students, serving on thesis and dissertation committees.

Maintain an active scholarly research agenda related to social studies education, curriculum and instruction, or teacher education.

Potential for securing external funding related to social studies education

Engage in service to the department, college, university, and professional communities.

Participate in other duties as assigned.

Supervisor: This position will report to the Department Chair.

Working Hours:  Varies

Supervision Exercised: This is not a supervisory role.

Required Licensure: N/A

Anticipated Start Date: The position is expected to begin on August 3, 2026.

Required Qualifications:

Earned doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, Teacher Education, Social Studies Education, or a closely related field.

Demonstrated expertise in both social studies content and pedagogy for P–12 levels.

Experience supervising teacher candidates or mentoring novice educators in clinical settings.

Evidence of or potential for a productive research agenda.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience teaching or mentoring graduate students in Teacher Education, Curriculum and Instruction or related fields.

Experience designing, coordinating, or improving clinically based teacher preparation programs.

Experience fostering strong school-university partnerships to enhance teacher candidate learning.

Commitment to integrating theory, research, and practice within teacher preparation.

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with schools to support teacher candidate development.

Additional Application Materials Required:

Cover letter addressing qualifications, professional goals, and alignment with the position.

Curriculum vitae.

A statement of no longer than two double spaced pages on how the candidates integrate teaching (including clinical work), research, and service.

Name, phone number, and email address of three professional references will be requested during the application review stage.

The selected candidate will be required to submit official transcripts (and, as applicable, U.S. degree equivalency evaluations) documenting the conferral of their qualifying academic credentials by the date of hire. 

Additional Requirements:

Applicants may be required to upload additional documents based on their responses to the Foreign Influence Review questions.

Passport (all pages including blank pages) and

Form DS-160 (if ever submitted. If not, upload an explanation)

Application Review Date: Initial review of applications will begin on October 15, 2025.

Job Posting Close Date: Open until filled.

How to Apply: Applicants must submit an online application that includes all required application documents. If you have any questions about this position, please contact Dr. Christian Winterbottom at c.winterbottom@unf.edu.

About the Department: The Department of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum, through teaching, research and public service, and its commitment to leadership and excellence, strives to enhance the quality of education in its varied forms and settings in Florida, the nation and the world.

For more information about the Department of Teaching, Learning & Curriculum visit: UNF: Department of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum.

Statement(s) of Understanding

This position requires a background check. In conjunction with the University's policy, this position may also require a credit check.

The holder of this position is designated as a “Responsible Employee” pursuant to their role under Title IX. Therefore, the incumbent must promptly report allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual violence, and child sexual abuse by or against any student, employee, contractor, or visitor to the University’s Title IX Administrator or any divisional Title IX Coordinator

Pursuant to Florida Statute 1010.35, this position requires additional information from all applicants seeking research or research-related positions prior to an interview or offer of employment. Applicants MUST fully complete the Foreign Influence Review section of their application. Additional documents (e.g., passport) may be required based on form responses.

Equal Opportunity

The University of North Florida (UNF) is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community. In building this environment, we strive to attract students, faculty and staff from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences. The University of North Florida does not commit or permit discrimination or harassment on the basis of genetic information, race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, marital status, national origin, or veteran status in any educational, employment, social, recreational program or activity that it offers. In addition, UNF will not commit or permit retaliation against an individual who reports discrimination or harassment or an individual who cooperates in an investigation of an alleged violation of university regulation.

Carnegie

UNF is a Carnegie Community Engaged Institution. This designation celebrates the University’s collaboration with community partners from the local to the global level. It reflects UNF’s mission to contribute to the public good and prepare educated, engaged citizens.