Swarthmore College: Modern Languages & Literatures Department
Location
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Open Date
Oct 16, 2026
Description
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Swarthmore College invites applications for a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 academic years. The position will start in August 2027 and carries a 2/2 teaching load. Responsibilities include a combination of Japanese language teaching, courses in Japanese literature and culture taught in English, and assistance with administration of the Japanese Section.
Experience teaching Japanese language in a North American college or university is expected. We welcome candidates with research and teaching interests in a variety of subfields within Japanese studies, including modern and classical Japanese literature and Japanese linguistics.
The Japanese program is a vibrant component of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, offering students four years of rigorous Japanese language instruction, courses in Japanese literature, film, and linguistics, and numerous co-curricular study opportunities.
Located in the suburbs of Philadelphia and near Wilmington DE, Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity. We welcome applications from all candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable experience effectively supporting, teaching, and engaging a highly diverse student body. For more information available to all faculty at Swarthmore, see https://www.swarthmore.edu/provosts-office/welcome-to-provosts-office
Qualifications
College-level Japanese-language teaching experience and fluency in both English and Japanese is expected. The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in hand at the time of the appointment; candidates at advanced ABD status may also be considered.
Application Instructions
Please send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, graduate transcript, three letters of reference, and a statement of teaching philosophy detailing language teaching experience. Candidates are also welcome to include a link to a video demonstrating language teaching with their teaching statement, if available. Apply via Interfolio: apply.interfolio.com/195700.
Questions may be directed to Professor Will Gardner, Search Chair, wgardne1@swarthmore.edu.
Review of applications will begin on February 8, 2027 and continue until the position is filled.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity. We welcome applications from all candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to working effectively supporting, teaching, and engaging a highly diverse student body.
