Assistant Professor of African Diaspora Studies, Africana Studies Department
Assistant Professor of African Diaspora Studies, Africana Studies Department
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Position number: 001502
The Africana Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte invites applications for an Assistant Professor position beginning August 15, 2024. The area of specialization is African Diaspora Studies broadly defined. We have a particular preference for a colleague whose research intersects with the College’s areas of excellence (Urban Health, Environment, Migration, and Socio-Economic Mobility).
The area of teaching competence is open but the department has teaching needs in the legacy and implications of the African diaspora experience, African diaspora theory, research methods, and popular culture. We have a preference for a colleague who would offer courses in one or more of the department’s concentrations (health and environment; social justice and the law; popular culture and digital media). The successful candidate also will be able to contribute to one or more of the following interdisciplinary programs: Latin American Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, Health & Medical Humanities, Capitalism Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Legal Studies, Film Studies. Workload for pre-tenure and for research intensive faculty is two courses per semester, at all levels from large general education classes to senior/graduate seminars.
Required qualifications. Candidates must (1) have a Ph.D. in Africana Studies, Diaspora Studies, or a related discipline at the time of appointment; (2) provide evidence of scholarly activity appropriate for a tenure-track position in the Africana Studies department; and (3) provide evidence of the ability to teach and mentor a multicultural student population at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We are seeking a candidate who demonstrates the ability to secure extramural funding for their research. Finalists will be asked to discuss how their teaching practices engage students of different ages, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, identities, and abilities, helping to remove barriers in order to ensure the success of all students regardless of their entry pathway into the university.
Africana Studies. Our Africana Studies Department embodies an interdisciplinary and transnational approach to the study of Africa and its descendants in the Americas and the world: we engage in work within and between disciplines and their considerations of the experience of persons of African descent but with an emphasis on four core areas: history, literature and culture, social policy, and entrepreneurship. The Africana Studies department offers a major and minor, and is scheduled to implement an M.A. program. It has connections to other units across the university, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. For more information on the department, including its vision for African diaspora studies, visit https://africana.charlotte.edu/.
University Setting. The Africana Studies Department is lodged in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences at UNC Charlotte. As the largest and most diverse college at UNC Charlotte, the new College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS) houses 15 departments, 18 interdisciplinary programs, and 6 applied centers. We offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs with extensive honors and early-entry options. The College plays a pivotal role in delivering on the university’s goals in the areas of research excellence, student success and experience, and community engagement. Through their scholarship and teaching, the College’s 350+ faculty members seek to deepen our understanding of complex problems and lead the university in interdisciplinary collaboration and equity and justice initiatives.
UNC Charlotte is the second largest institution within the University of North Carolina system. This past fall, the university enrolled 29,551 students and experienced record growth of its incoming first-year class and graduate programs. UNC Charlotte is also the fastest growing institution in the UNC System, comprising seven academic colleges offering 171 undergraduate majors in 77 programs leading to Bachelor’s degrees, 65 Master’s degrees, and 24 doctoral degrees. UNC Charlotte is proud to have 3,545 passionate and committed faculty and staff members and more than 120,000 living alumni.
Application. Applicants must apply electronically at https://jobs.charlotte.edu/ (position number 001502) and attach (1) a detailed application letter responding to the job qualifications and description and (2) a current CV. Additional materials will be requested at later stages of the search. For additional information, please contact Dr. Danielle Boaz (dboaz@charlotte.edu). Review of applications will begin on November 30, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled.
Note that the Africana Studies Department is searching for two new Assistant Professors this job cycle—this position as well as another position in African History, with a desired focus on African Civilizations (position number 006577). We strongly encourage any candidates who are suitably qualified to apply for *both* positions at https://jobs.charlotte.edu/.
As an EOE/AA employer and an ADVANCE Institution that strives to create an academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte encourages applications from all underrepresented groups. The candidate chosen for this position will be subject to criminal background checks.
