Visiting Lecturer/Assistant/Associate/Professor -Political Science/ Law & Legal Studies

Position description

The Center for Civics, Culture, and Workforce Development is seeking a Constitutional Law specialist to assist in developing and administering the Civic Foundations initiative. The term of the position is approximately three years. The position is open to applicants at all academic ranks (Lecturer, Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor). The desired start date is January 2026; however, candidates who can start in summer 2026 will also be considered.

Wright State University’s Center for Civics, Culture, and Workforce Development is launching a transformative initiative-Civic Foundations: Equipping K-12 for America’s Next 250 Years-to strengthen civics instruction and engagement across a 16-county region of Southwest Ohio. The initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s American History and Civics Education National Activities grant.

The Civic Foundations project will deliver in-person civics seminars for K-12 educators, produce civic-education resources, and host immersive summer camps for students. The program’s mission is to elevate teacher knowledge, instructional quality, and student civic participation-answering the urgent call to rebuild civic understanding and strengthen democratic engagement as America approaches its 250th anniversary.

The Center for Civics, Culture, and Workforce Development at Wright State University is dedicated to advancing civic literacy, democratic participation, and workforce readiness through innovative education, professional development, and community engagement. As Ohio’s only civic center founded voluntarily by a university, the Center serves as a regional hub for evidence-based civics instruction, credentialing, and leadership development.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in history, Political Science, or a closely related field.
• Ability to teach American Constitutional Law.
• Ability to teach foundational civic principles, U.S. founding documents, and constitutional themes.
• Able to work effectively with K-12 teachers, school administrators, and university staff across a multi-county region.
• Capacity to facilitate large-scale, in-person workshops and summer camps.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and willingness to implement feedback mechanisms.

Preferred Qualifications

• J.D.
• Ph.D. in History, Political Science, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in American Constitutional Law.
• Experience teaching foundational civic principles, U.S. founding documents, and constitutional themes.
• Experience developing and delivering curriculum for professional development seminars.
• Ability to create and support interactive online learning modules.
• Ability to create standards-aligned lesson plans, interactive activities, and multimedia resources for educator workshops.
• Skilled in managing logistics, classroom setup, AV support, and participant engagement for events with up to 180 educators or 150 students per session.

Essential Functions and percent of time

50% Seminary Delivery, Civic Instruction, Curriculum Development, & Resource Creation

• Develop and deliver bi-weekly professional development seminars for K-12 educators focused on American history, civics, and government.
• Facilitate interactive sessions including keynote presentations, small-group discussions, and civil discourse activities.
• Collaborate with legal experts and practitioners to present layered instructional content.
• Design standards-aligned civics curriculum modules and instructional materials for seminars and the Civic-Quest online platform
• Create multimedia resources, simulations, and primary source activities for classroom use.

20% Summer Camp Leadership

• Lead immersive summer civics camps for middle and high school students, incorporating simulations, civic action projects, and leadership development.
• Coordinate camp logistics, student engagement, and instructional delivery.

20% Outreach & Community Engagement

• Conduct outreach to schools and districts to promote seminar participation and civic programming.
• Build relationships with educators, administrators, and community partners across the 16-country region.
• Participate in marketing and recruitment efforts for seminars and camps.

Essential Functions and percent of time (cont’d)

10% Other related duties

• Collect and analyze participant feedback and assessment data to inform program enhancements.
• Contribute to performance reporting and impact documentation for grant compliance.

Working Conditions

This position is funded by an external grant awarded for 3 academic years. It is an annual appointment and continuation beyond 3 years subject to additional funding.

Application instructions

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