Monthly Archives: August 2022

Prof. Margaret MacMillan to offer Cooper Series Lecture: “Friend or foe? War and Society” – September 7, 2022

We are excited to be a co-sponsor of this Cooper Series event featuring Professor Margaret MacMillan, emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford. Read more about the event below, and we hope to see you there.

“Friend or Foe? War and Society”
Wednesday 7th September 2022
7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Science Center’s Chang Hou Auditorium 101
Swarthmore College (map)
Reception to follow

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War is one of the most fundamental driving forces of human civilization. Today, prominent voices claim that we live in the most peaceful era in human history, but contemporary technologies such as artificial intelligence and cyberwar pose potentially existential threats. We should not turn away from the subject of war, however abhorrent we may find it. Rather, we must understand war to mitigate its effects, but also, vitally, because it is integral to understanding who we are.

Professor Margaret MacMillan is one of the world’s preeminent scholars of international relations. A best-selling author and frequent commentator in the media, she is known for her unparalleled grasp of her subject – war and peace – as well as her gift for vivid and powerful storytelling.  Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World (2001) is widely regarded as a masterpiece and was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize, Hessell-Tiltman Prize, and Samuel Johnson Prize. Other works include: Women of the Raj (1988); Nixon in China: Six Days that Changed the World (2006); The Uses and Abuses of History (2008); The War that Ended Peace (2014); History’s People (2015) and War: How Conflict Shaped Us (2020).   She is emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford, former Warden of St Antony’s College (University of Oxford) and visiting distinguished historian at the Council on Foreign Relations (2020-21).  In 2021, MacMillan won the Pritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. 

This event is co-sponsored by the departments of History, Political Science, and Peace and Conflict Studies.

We Are Hiring!: Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies (Open Rank)

The Peace and Conflict Studies Department of Swarthmore College invites applications for a full-time tenure track faculty position, beginning Fall 2023. Rank is open.

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Swarthmore College: Peace & Conflict Studies Department

Location

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Open Date

Aug 15, 2022

Description

The Peace and Conflict Studies Department of Swarthmore College invites applications for a full-time tenure track faculty position, beginning Fall 2023. Rank is open. Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information on Faculty Diversity and Excellence at Swarthmore, see https://www.swarthmore.edu/faculty-diversity-excellence.

Founded in 1864 by abolitionist Quakers, Swarthmore College seeks to provide learners of diverse backgrounds a transformative liberal arts education grounded in rigorous intellectual inquiry and to empower all who share in our community to flourish and contribute to a better world. A focus on the study and pursuit of peace and justice dates from the founding of the College, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Department began as a formal interdisciplinary program in 1991. We study violence, oppression, and powerful nonviolent ways to secure more just and peaceful futures, within an interdisciplinary learning community committed to equity and inclusion. The Swarthmore College Peace Collection, the Friends Historical Library, and the Global Nonviolent Action Database are also housed at the College. For more information about the department, please visit our website at https://www.swarthmore.edu/peace-conflict-studies

Qualifications

Candidates should demonstrate expertise in peace and conflict studies. We welcome applications from candidates in the humanities and social sciences with regional expertise in areas besides Europe. The successful candidate for the position will be expected to teach four courses per year in our interdisciplinary undergraduate program. We seek a candidate with a serious commitment to scholarship and a strong research agenda, robust teaching skills, and a passion for peace studies that will support student advising and contribute to the development of a dynamic department. Candidates with leadership skills and administrative experience are highly desirable. The strongest candidates will demonstrate a commitment to an active research program and creative teaching that speaks to and motivates undergraduates from diverse backgrounds. A terminal degree (PhD/MFA/DFA) in peace and conflict studies or in another discipline should be in hand by September 2023, accompanied by intellectual and professional engagement in the field of peace and conflict studies.

Effective July 21, 2021, Swarthmore is requiring all new employees to show proof of being fully vaccinated by their start date, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption. For more information about Swarthmore’s vaccine requirements, please visit the Swarthmore COVID-19 Response website.

Application Instructions

Full consideration will be given to all complete applications received by 11:59 pm October 21, 2022. Applications will be accepted thereafter until the position is filled but cannot be guaranteed consideration. Candidates should send the following:

  • a cover letter of 2-3 pages, including teaching philosophy, teaching experience, and research agenda. We invite applicants to discuss if and how they have addressed (or plan to address) issues of inequality, diversity, and inclusivity through their teaching, scholarship, or service activities.
  • a curriculum vitae
  • a writing sample of not more than 40 pages
  • three letters of recommendation.

Finalists may be asked to submit evidence of teaching effectiveness, along with course syllabi. 

Please apply at apply.interfolio.com/111487   Direct inquiries to the Department Chair, Lee Smithey, at lsmithe1@swarthmore.edu

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