University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, American Studies

Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities in American Studies

The Department of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites applications for a tenure-track job at the Assistant Professor level.  This position carries a 2-2 teaching load with significant research expectations.

We aim to hire a promising scholar-teacher who will push the intellectual boundaries of our rich and diverse discipline and who appreciates the transformative potential of digital technologies for his/her own research and teaching agenda. Our new colleague will embrace the role digital technologies can play in expanding the audience for American Studies scholarship and in engaging a wider public. We expect his/her intellectual ambition, imagination, and resourcefulness to have a significant impact on our department, our university, and the field of American Studies.  He/she will contribute to the new PhD program in American Studies, our graduate program in Folklore, and to a broader graduate curriculum in digital humanities, training students both for traditional academic jobs as well as a variety of new professions in the public sphere; develop innovative graduate and undergraduate courses exploring the methodological and intellectual diversity of the field;  further the work of the department through effective engagement with cultural organizations and non-academic audiences, particularly around issues affecting the state and region;  and participate in interdisciplinary research collaborations.  

A Ph.D.in American Studies or a related field is required (degree in-hand by August 15, 2013).

Candidates should have demonstrable engagement with the application of digital technologies in research and teaching related to the study of the American experience.

Our new colleague will also contribute to the broader Carolina Digital Humanities Initiative.  Supported by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the CDHI is designed to offer an adaptable and sustainable model of transformative academic practice for the 21st century, which embraces research, teaching, engaged scholarship, and the dissemination of knowledge in the humanities. One of three new digital humanities hires in the College of Arts and Sciences anticipated over the next four years, he/she will contribute to and help shape the direction of the Digital Innovation Lab.  The position carries a $50,000 start-up fund with the expectation that the candidate arrive on campus prepared to pursue a robust and innovative digital research agenda.

The Department of American Studies is an inclusive and dynamic fellowship of interdisciplinary interests devoted to the integrative study of the American experience. In addition to long-standing prominence in the historical study of cultural forms and practices, we offer distinctive strengths in American Indian Studies, Southern Studies, International/Comparative American Studies, Folklore, and material culture.  We enjoy robust collaborative relationships across the University, including the Ackland Art Museum, Carolina Performing Arts, Center for the Study of the American South, Renaissance Computing Institute, and the University Library’s Southern Historical and North Carolina Collections, as well as with local, regional, and global partners.  Our new PhD program will emphasize collaborative, interdisciplinary work that will train students for multi-pronged career options, both within and beyond the Academy.

Candidates must apply online via http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/9129.  Applications should include:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Statement of teaching philosophy and demonstration of teaching effectiveness
• A portfolio (uploaded as a single “other document”) that contains: dissertation abstract, research statement, example of recent written scholarship (no more than article/chapter length), and evidence and discussion of engagement with digital technologies

At the time of application candidates will be required to identify the names, titles, and email addresses of four professional references who can speak specifically to their qualifications, experience, and interests as they relate to the special role this position will serve for our department and university.  The recommenders candidates identify will be contacted via email with instructions for uploading their recommendation letters.  Please note that only individual reference letters will be accepted; recommendation letters sent via Interfolio or other reference services will not be accepted.  Applications with less than four recommendation letters will be considered incomplete. 

Preliminary interviews with job applicants attending the American Studies Association meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico can be arranged.  Please contact the search committee chair for more information.

Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The University of North Carolina is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.