Visiting Assistant Professor of Latin

Job Description

Latin is the only foreign language taught at Wyoming Catholic College. The College requires all freshman and sophomore students to complete two years of coursework in the language, followed by two semesters of guided practice in reading in the junior and senior years. The purpose of this requirement is to equip all students with practical language skills which facilitate and encourage firsthand encounters with the Catholic and Western cultural tradition through Latin texts of varied types and periods. We seek a Latinist whose professional interests harmonize with this purpose.

While this is a one-year position for the 2026-27 academic year only, we anticipate running a search to find a regular Assistant Professor of Latin in the Fall of 2026. The Visiting Assistant Professor is welcome to apply for this position.

About the College: Founded in 2005, Wyoming Catholic College is a private, four-year, Roman Catholic Liberal Arts college located in Lander, Wyoming. It is Wyoming's first private, four-year undergraduate institution and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The College exists to exemplify and promote education of the whole person in three aspects: body, mind, and spirit, and it strives to form vigorous and imaginative generalists. All students take a pre-set, integrated curriculum which is firmly rooted in the Western tradition, based on the Great Books, and leads to the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts.

About the Latin Program: The founding principle of the WCC Latin Program is the often-sidelined truth that Latin is fully a language, valuable because practical competency in Latin makes possible direct access to much of the seminal thought and literary art of Western Civilization. The Program is committed to teaching Latin as a language. Instructors do not reduce Latin to mere matter for analysis, but make abundant use of experiential, communicative teaching strategies inspired by modern-language classrooms. Latin itself is the normative language of instruction in freshman and sophomore Latin language classes. Teachers in the Program are expected to ensure that the conduct and content of their courses support the overall goals of Wyoming Catholic College and engage other areas of its curriculum.

Guidelines for Applicants: All candidates are encouraged to review the WCC Course Catalog and Philosophical Vision Statement on the College's website at www.wyomingcatholic.edu.

The successful applicant will:

* demonstrate competence in speaking Latin at a level permitting him/her to teach in it.
* demonstrate competence in applying communicative language pedagogy to Latin.
* demonstrate effectiveness in teaching young people.
* possess a graduate degree in Latin or a related subject (e.g. Medieval Studies, or Classics with an emphasis on Latin).
* (ideally) be able to teach another subject in addition to Latin
* articulate a clear understanding of the mission and unique integrated nature of the WCC educational model, and of the role of Latin within it.

The duties of the successful applicant will include:

* teaching freshman and sophomore Latin language classes
* leading junior and senior Latin Reading Groups focusing on a variety of different texts.
(Examples of recent Reading Group topics are selections from Augustine's Confessions, selections from Ovid's Metamorphoses, and the Vulgate's Song of Songs).
* facilitating occasional Latin immersion activities such as a weekly Latin lunch table
* ensuring that the conduct and content of his/her courses are consonant with the overall goals of the College.
* fulfilling normal administrative obligations, such as attendance at weekly faculty meetings, writing course evaluations, etc.

Application Procedure:

Candidates must apply for this position by writing to the Academic Dean, Dr. Scott Olsson at scott.olsson@wyomingcatholic.edu. Attach a letter of application, current CV, and the names and current telephone numbers of three professional references.

Application Deadline: Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Start Date: August 2026

Salary commensurate with professional qualifications and experience.

About the Employer

WCC's calling, its charge as a college, is to ennoble its students, to prepare them for the heroism and humility they will need in order to bear witness to the complex nature of the truths they learn.
Wyoming Catholic College's mission is to provide students with a liberal arts education that immerses them in the Catholic Church's spiritual heritage, the Western tradition, and the mountain wilderness. The college's philosophical vision statement aims to develop students' physical, moral, and intellectual virtues, and to acculturate them into Western culture. The college also seeks to help students achieve happiness through liberal education.