Sociology Instructor Full-time Tenure Track (BC)

Below is our job description for this position. Please also review the Important Instructions & Additional Information section below, which contains valuable information about our application process.

Basic Function

Bakersfield College is seeking a faculty member for Sociology. If you are highly motivated, eager to engage a diverse student body, and passionate about teaching and learning, we highly encourage you to submit an application. Who We Are:We are a team of innovative, caring, and thoughtful faculty, staff and administrators who are passionate about contributing to the intellectual, cultural and economic vitality of our community. We embody six core values: Learning, Diversity, Integrity, Community, Wellness and Sustainability. These values frame our work as we provide opportunities for our students who come to us from diverse economic, cultural, geographical, and educational backgrounds.
We offer Associate and Baccalaureate degrees and certificates, workplace skills, and preparation for transfer. Our rigorous and supportive learning environment promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion and fosters students’ abilities to think critically, communicate effectively, and demonstrate competencies and skills to become productive members of our community and world.History of Bakersfield College:Bakersfield College is located in Bakersfield, California, in the heart of the Central Valley. Established in 1913, Bakersfield College is one of the nation's oldest continually operating community colleges. The college serves 33,000 students annually on the 153-acre main campus in northeast Bakersfield, at the Delano Campus (35 miles north of Bakersfield), the Weill Institute (downtown Bakersfield), and BC South-West (southwest Bakersfield). We also offer classes at several alternative locations, including Shafter Learning Center, Arvin/Lamont, McFarland, Olive Drive Training Facility, Wasco and other regional community locations.As a recognized and highly awarded Hispanic Serving Institution, Bakersfield College students are diverse and represent the communities we serve.On Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:We are sincere about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, faculty, staff and administrators. We believe every member of our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. Bakersfield College has sharpened its focus on removing institutional barriers in access, momentum, and completion.
We pledge to address systemic issues of environmental microaggressions, implicit bias, and racism through intentional learning. We commit to strengthening our campus culture so that students, faculty, and staff and our partners are aware of and equipped to change policies and practices that disproportionately affect marginalized students.About the Bakersfield Community:Situated in the south San Joaquin Valley, Bakersfield has a rapidly growing economy in a location that is central to some of California’s best places to visit. Fresno, Los Angeles, the mountains and several great beaches are less than two hours away, and San Francisco is less than four hours away. Known for hot, dry summers and mild winters, Bakersfield has deep roots in the energy (oil, solar and wind), agriculture, and logistics industries. Despite its growth, Bakersfield has maintained the “small town feel” that residents here love. With a relatively low cost of living, plenty of community events, and availability of housing, the City of Bakersfield is a great place to live.

Representative Duties

Who We Are Looking For:

We are seeking Sociology faculty who demonstrate excellence in their discipline and who are passionate about the community college mission of access, equity, and student success. Ideal candidates value sound pedagogy, creativity, and innovation in teaching. We are committed to fostering meaningful connections with students, colleagues, and our diverse local community.

Our department is known for its collaborative culture and its commitment to innovative approaches that improve student success, persistence, and retention. We are especially interested in applicants who are reflective practitioners—faculty who are motivated to continuously refine their teaching strategies and who welcome opportunities to contribute through committee work, engaging campus events, and other collegial endeavors.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at Bakersfield College, and we strongly encourage applicants who demonstrate a thoughtful commitment to these principles and who are eager to contribute to an inclusive learning environment. This position includes teaching Sociology courses as well as courses in Human Services. If you are interested in modeling academic excellence, engaging in meaningful campus work, and joining a supportive and dynamic department, we invite you to apply and become part of a team that will both challenge and inspire you.

About the Department Behavioral Science:

The Behavioral Sciences Department is a large, multidisciplinary department comprised of 20 full-time faculty dedicated to providing high-quality instruction across a wide range of behavioral science disciplines. The Sociology program has four full time faculty and serves approximately 700 Sociology majors, 43 Social Justice majors and 400 Human Services majors. The program offers 30 to 50 class sections each semester, supporting transfer, career pathways, and general education. Courses are taught across a multitude of locations and programs, and are delivered in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online modalities to meet the diverse needs of students. Faculty are committed to student success, equity, and innovative teaching practices, and actively collaborate to support interdisciplinary learning, curriculum development, and continuous improvement of programs and instruction.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in the field of Sociology, Social Work, or Human Services with the ability to mentor students interested in mental health and related fields.
• Experience working in Human Services.
• Experience supervising students.
• Experience contributing to or supporting equitable student outcomes through teaching, mentoring, or program involvement that effectively serves a diverse student population.
• Desire to continue to grow as a professional; committed to excellence and lifelong learning.

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s in sociology

OR

Bachelor’s in sociology AND Master’s in anthropology, any ethnic studies, social work or psychology

OR – The equivalent. Certain combinations of education, experience, and other accomplishments in the field may be judged as equal to the stated minimum qualifications for these positions. Candidates who feel they possess such equivalent qualifications must request and submit an form. Supporting documents must be included with the completed form.ANDA demonstrated sensitivity to students with diverse academic, socio-economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilitiesNote: Degrees and credits must be from accredited institutions (Title V Section 53406). Any degree from a country other than the United States, including Canada and Great Britain, must be evaluated by an evaluation service.

Note: The screening of candidates will be conducted by a screening committee. The screening committee reserves the right to limit the number of interviews granted. Meeting the minimum qualifications for a position does not assure the applicant of an interview.

Knowledge & Abilities

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate that they are broadly prepared and have a depth of knowledge in the discipline. In addition, the successful applicant will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and abilities:

• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with colleagues in an environment that promotes innovation, teaching, learning and service to diverse student population;
• Ability to effectively work with students with a wide range of skills, motivations, academic and vocational goals;
• Ability to develop curriculum, including curriculum delivered via different modalities; -Ability to participate in recruitment and articulation activities with local schools, colleges and universities;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to maintain subject matter currency;
• Ability to assess student, program, and institutional learning outcomes;
• Knowledge of computers and willingness to adopt new technologies that support student success. Knowledge of and commitment to the California Community College mission.

SALARY RANGEKern Community College District

$ 89,080.98 - $ 116,884.82 annually

Maximum Placement Level Salary: $ 116,884.82 annually

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONSFirst Review of Applications: Complete application packets will be accepted until the position is filled; but those received by January 21, 2026,are assured consideration. The College reserves the right to extend time limits or reinitiate the recruitment/selection process at any point.Completed application packet MUST include:

• Completed Online Application for Employment form
• Current resume
• Letter of interest (Cover Letter)
• Statement of personal philosophy of teaching
• Copy of legible transcripts
• Copy of sample syllabi
• List of five (5) professional references – Listed on application form

It is the applicant's responsibility to redact (or remove) any personal information from all documents prior to uploading. This includes Social Security Numbers, Date of Birth, and any photos of the applicant.

Foreign Degree: Applicants with foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your on-line application.

Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. Note: The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal employment opportunity. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, color, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, or because he/she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law, in any of its policies, procedures or practices. The District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.

Important Instructions & Additional Information

Complete applications received by the "assured consideration date" above are guaranteed to be reviewed by Human Resources. If you apply after this date, there is no guarantee that your application will be reviewed. However, we still recommend that you apply because recruitments remain open and are posted until filled. The District and/or College reserves the right to extend time limits and/or repost or restart recruitments at any point.

Completed applications must include the following.

• Completed online application for employment
• Current resume
• Letter of interest (cover letter)
• List of 5 (five) professional references (entered in online application)
• Copy of legible transcripts (if required for the position)

It is the applicant's responsibility to redact or remove any personally identifiable information from all documents prior to uploading. This includes Social Security Numbers, Date of Birth, photos, etc.

International or Foreign Degrees

Applicants with international or foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your online application.

Accommodations

Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. (For more information, see our .)

Discrimination Free Work Environment

Discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation of any person, military and veteran status, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics is illegal and violates Kern Community College District policy.

The Kern CCD Equal Employment Opportunity Plan guides the development, implementation, and monitoring of the District's efforts to foster equal employment opportunities and workplace diversity.

See our for more information.

Work Authorization

Kern Community College District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.

E-Verify

The Kern Community College District participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, please visit .

Helpful Links

Full-time permanent employees (20+ hours per month) are eligible for health benefits:

• Health

• Dental

• Vision

• Life Insurance

• Long-term Disability

In addition to the above benefits, the District also offers a robust voluntary benefits selection:

• Flex 125

• Additional products and services through American Fidelity

• Supplemental Voluntary Life Insurance

• Tax Shelter Annuities

The District participates in CalPERS Retirement System and Social Security benefits for Classified and Management employees. Employees covered under the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.

The District participates in the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS) for faculty. Employees covered under the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.

All coverages begin on the first of the following month after the hire date.

The following classifications are eligible for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health benefits at the employee expense offered through SISC:

• Permanent Employees (19 hours or less)
• Adjuncts
• Temporary Hourly
• Professional Experts

For additional information, please visit our .