Imam Ali Chair for Shi‘i Studies to Open at Hartford Seminary

Hartford Seminary announces an opening for a Shi‘i scholar with a distinguished record that includes an academic doctorate, religious training and lived religious commitments to occupy the newly endowed Imam Ali Chair for Shi‘i Studies and Dialogue among Islamic Legal Schools.

Imam Ali Chair for Shi‘i Studies and Dialogue among Islamic Legal Schools — Hartford Seminary

Hartford Seminary announces an opening for a Shi‘i scholar with a distinguished record that includes an academic doctorate, religious training and lived religious commitments to occupy the newly endowed Imam Ali Chair for Shi‘i Studies and Dialogue among Islamic Legal Schools.

The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in Shi‘i Islam and its relation to other traditions of Islam, Christianity and other religious traditions, and may be grounded in one of a number of academic disciplines. The candidate must be able to teach courses at both introductory and advanced levels, have the intellectual depth required to direct Ph.D. students and the interpersonal skills for student advising and mentoring. The appointment begins in fall 2019.

The appointment is to the core faculty of the seminary and will be a member of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. It carries the full-time teaching load of four courses per year including online, student advising and mentoring as expected of all faculty, and regular faculty committee and administrative responsibilities to be determined in relation to the candidate’s gifts and the seminary’s needs. Scholarly research and productivity are priorities in light of the school’s history as a place of advanced learning and publication. Hartford Seminary is a religiously diverse community and expects its faculty to appreciate and respectfully engage views and traditions that are different from one’s own.

Hartford Seminary is an innovative institution that has long led the way in new directions for theological education. Its small size and ample resources make it a place for close personal engagement with colleagues, coupled with nimble and creative approaches to exploring the emerging dynamics in American religious life. Both teaching and scholarship are balanced, realistically supported in the faculty workload.

The seminary is a distinctive institution that combines two features not typically found together in theological education. One feature is a longstanding commitment to use grounded research to examine and understand the wide variety of faith communities and patterns of belief. There is significant capacity at Hartford to explore the practical realities of American religious life, both sociologically and theologically. Another feature is a serious engagement with multifaith concerns and religious pluralism, especially through a long involvement with Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations. Faculty and students typically come from different strands of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, both domestically and internationally, mutually committed to fostering interreligious dialogue for the sake of a more faithful and peaceful world.

Rank is open; Ph.D. or its equivalent is required. Review of applications will begin on 15 February 2019 and will continue until the position is filled. A complete application should be submitted electronically to Ms. Lorraine Browne at lbrowne@hartsem.edu and includes a letter of application, a current curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference submitted directly by the recommenders. For further information, please contact Scott Thumma, Chair of the Imam Ali Chair Search Committee at sthumma@hartsem.edu.