Afro-American Studies

Contemporary African American Cultural Studies
Assistant Professor, Tenure-track
Cluster Hire

African Diaspora / Pan-African Studies
Assistant Professor, Tenure-track

 

Contemporary African American Cultural Studies
Assistant Professor, Tenure-track
Cluster Hire

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has significant strengths in Afro-American Studies, with well-established focus areas in the humanities including historical, political, literary, and cultural research, as well as linguistic studies of African American English. The University has the second oldest and the largest number of full-time faculty dedicated to a Ph.D. program in Afro-American Studies in the U.S. and is a leader in the exploration of new media and the digital humanities in the context of the African American experience. The UMass Amherst W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies invites applications for a tenure-track assistant or associate professorship full-time position in Contemporary African American Cultural Studies with a special interest in the reciprocal relationship between African American artists and artistic movements and mass social and political movements since 1945. Part of a cross-disciplinary cluster hire involving five new faculty members, this appointment is part of an effort to build a team of researchers with complementary strengths across several key interdisciplinary areas that will support the Afro-American Studies Ph.D. program as it enters its second decade of growth and development. Correspondingly, these hires will occur in several departments, including Afro-American Studies, English, History, Theater, and Art/Art History. Ideal candidates for the cluster position in the Afro-American Studies department itself should have expertise in specializing in one or more fields specified below:

  1. African American Cultural History since 1945
  2. Afro-Caribbean and/or Afro-Latin American Cultural History since 1945
  3. Comparative study of the Afro-American experience in at least two countries in the Americas

Qualifications

Candidates must have an earned Ph.D. degree in, or related to, one of the areas mentioned above with exceptional potential for world-class research, and a commitment to both undergraduate and graduate education. Scholars with research, pedagogical training or demonstrated interest in some aspect of the Digital Arts and Humanities and Arts and the digitization of the African American experience will be accorded special consideration.

Application Procedure

Review of applications will begin on January 4, 2008, and continue until position is filled. Please send letter of application, curriculum vitae, evidence of teaching ability, and three letters of recommendation to African American Studies Cluster Search Committee, W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, 325 New Africa House, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-6210. Electronic applications may be sent to jsmethur@afroam.umass.edu; please specify “Cluster Search” in the e-mail subject header. The Afro-American Studies Department is committed to developing a more diverse faculty, student body, and curriculum. UMass Amherst is a member of the Five-College consortium, along with Amherst, Hampshire, Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges, and is also a member of the Academic Career Network, a resource for dual career couples. The University of Massachusetts is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.

W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies Search Committee
325 New Africa House
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003 -6210 USA

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African Diaspora / Pan-African Studies
Assistant Professor, Tenure-track

The W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst seeks applicants for a tenure-track assistant professorship in African Diaspora / Pan-African Studies. Starting date is September 1, 2008. Candidates having a foundation in the development of African cultures from the 15th through the 20th centuries and knowledge of African retentions in the cultures of peoples of African descent in the U.S. will receive priority. We are particularly interested in candidates who present a fresh perspective in their research agenda and who have an active research interest in women in the African Diaspora. Successful candidates will teach existing undergraduate courses and eventually will be expected to develop new courses that fit our undergraduate and graduate curricula. We require the Ph.D. in hand at time of appointment. Salary is competitive. Review of applications will begin on December 3, 2007 and continue until position is filled. Please send letter of application, curriculum vitae, evidence of teaching ability, and three letters of recommendation to Diaspora Search Committee, W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, 325 New Africa House, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-6210. Electronic applications may be sent to tlovelan@afroam.umass.edu; please specify “Diaspora Search” in the e-mail subject header.

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UMASS Amherst is a member of the Academic Career Network, a resource for dual-career couples (http://acn.fivecolleges.edu) and is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with Amherst, Smith, Hampshire, and Mount Holyoke colleges. The Department is committed to developing a more diverse faculty, student body, and curriculum. UMass Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.