University of Maryland - Baltimore County, Africana Studies

Assistant Professor, Black Comparative Literature

The Department of Africana Studies, in affiliation with the Department of English, at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) invites application for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level, for scholars with expertise in Black Comparative Literature (i.e., Black American, Anglophone or Francophone African, Caribbean, or African Diaspora), to begin August 2014. The teaching load is five courses a year and four out of the five courses will be taught in Africana Studies (the home Department). The successful candidate will be expected to teach one undergraduate or graduate course each year in the Department of English. We are searching for an excellent teacher and a productive researcher whose interests include a comparative examination of literary traditions within and across African American, African, and Afro-Caribbean communities; of black literary criticism; of post-colonial theory; and of transnational circulations of black diasporic culture, performance writing, and poetics. The successful candidate should have a strong interest in interdisciplinary teaching and research, in advising individualized undergraduate research projects, in offering writing intensive (or WID) courses, and in advancing the field(s) of Africana Studies, Black Literature, and/or Comparative Literature. Moreover, the candidate will be expected to teach our undergraduate introductory course in Africana Studies and to work with the Center for Africana Research, an interdisciplinary research unit housed in the Department of Africana Studies dedicated to addressing the ways in which race, ethnicity, and culture impact communities of African descent within and beyond the continent of Africa. UMBC is a nationally recognized leader in research and teaching innovation and highly values undergraduate teaching, research, and mentoring. The suburban campus is located just south of Baltimore and provides close proximity to the research, cultural, policy, and public service resources within the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor.  UMBC is especially proud of the diversity of its student body and we seek to attract an equally diverse applicant pool for this position. We have a strong commitment to increasing faculty diversity. Please note: Only electronic applications will be accepted. Applications will be accepted until November 8, 2013. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in African American/Africana/Black Literary Studies, or Comparative and English Literature by the time of appointment. To apply, candidates must submit a cover letter of interest describing their teaching experience and research agenda, a current curriculum vitae, two writing samples, and teaching evaluations. Candidates should arrange for three letters of reference to be sent separately with the candidate’s name in the subject heading.  Materials must be submitted electronically to Dr. Tyson King-Meadows, Search Committee Chair, Department of Africana Studies, at afstblkcomplitsearch@umbc.edu. Questions should be directed to the same email address. UMBC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.