Position Details

Title
Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese Domestic Politics

Appointment Status
Non-Tenure Track

Department
IU Bloomington East Asian Langs & Cultures

Location
Bloomington

Position Summary
Indiana University-Bloomington’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies seeks applications for a full-time visiting assistant professor (VAP) of Japanese domestic politics to begin January 1, 2027. The position is for up to three consecutive teaching semesters (Spring 2027, Fall 2027, and Spring 2028), subject to campus approval.

This non-tenure-track VAP position is based in Indiana University’s renowned multidisciplinary Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) and partially funded by the Japan Foundation. The teaching load is two courses per semester—including one course each semester focusing specifically on some aspect of contemporary Japanese politics (broadly defined).

Eligible candidates will have a PhD in political science (or related field) in hand before January 1, 2027, and combine disciplinary rigor and area studies expertise to analyze Japan and East Asian politics. Candidates whose research agenda extensively utilizes Japanese-language sources and who demonstrate an interest in contributing to Hamilton Lugar’s 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (21JPSI) will be particularly competitive. 21JPSI expects to be able to provide the successful candidate with a funded manuscript workshop and a research trip to Japan in summer 2027.

This is an exciting moment to join the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies as it leads Indiana University’s international and area studies research and teaching missions. Hamilton Lugar’s EALC department boasts a robust and multidisciplinary Japan studies program, including faculty teaching on cinema, foreign affairs, history, language pedagogy, literature, music, religion, society, and visual culture. It also teaches Japanese language to over 300 students each semester. Established more than sixty years ago, the EALC department has a long history of interdisciplinarity and boasts faculty strengths in a wide array of the humanities and social sciences. The department’s mission related to research and teaching on East Asia is complemented by Hamilton Lugar’s East Asian Studies Center, the Institute of Korean Studies, and 21JPSI. Learn more at https://ealc.indiana.edu/; https://hls.indiana.edu/; and https://jpsi.indiana.edu/.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a brief description of four possible course offerings on Japanese and/or East Asian domestic politics (broadly defined), and a list of at least two references who may be contacted about the application. Sample syllabi—especially for a Japanese domestic politics course—are welcome but not required.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, with all applications received by August 9, 2026 being assured full consideration.

Basic Qualifications

PhD in political science (or related field) in hand no later than December 31, 2026

Ability to teach courses on issues related to Japanese domestic politics

Additional Qualifications

Preference will be shown to candidates expressing interest in teaching courses with a more regional or comparative (e.g., East Asia-wide) focus and which complement existing EALC department offerings, a demonstrated track record conducting research using Japanese-language sources, and interest in contributing to the mission of 21JPSI.