Three Positions in Black Literature and Culture

The Departments of English and Black Studies at Amherst College invite applications for multiple full-time appointments in the field of Black literature and culture, to begin on July 1, 2022. We define this field broadly to include work in any genre or medium produced by people from Africa, the Caribbean, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other centers of Black Anglophone culture around the world. This is an open-rank search that may include one or more tenure-track appointments at the rank of assistant professor and at least one tenured appointment at the rank of associate or full professor. Within the last decade, Amherst College has profoundly transformed its student body in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality, among other areas. Today, nearly one-quarter of Amherst’s students are Pell Grant recipients; 43 percent identify as domestic students of color; and 10 percent are international students. We seek candidates who will excel at teaching and mentoring students who are broadly diverse in regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.

 

We aim to hire as many as three specialists in Black literature and expressive cultures. Successful candidates may be jointly appointed between the Department of English and the Department of Black Studies or be appointed fully in English. The teaching load is two courses per semester, and successful candidates will be expected to advise honors theses. The college provides an annual allocation to support conference travel and research. The college and departments also provide additional funding for course development and support.

 

We welcome a broad range of applicants, both by subject matter and methodology. For the joint position(s) in English and Black studies, geographic areas of specialization might include, but are not limited to the following: Caribbean, African Diaspora, and African literatures. For the position(s) in English, we welcome candidates whose research and teaching engages literature, expressive cultures, media, and/or rhetorical traditions across the Black Diaspora. For all three positions, we are interested in scholars whose work is transnational and comparative, as well as those who focus on a particular nation or region.

 

Any appointment with tenure will be contingent upon a positive tenure review. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in English, comparative literature, Africana studies, or a related field in hand by the start of the appointment. Candidates are asked to apply electronically to http://apply.interfolio.com/95012. Please include in the application a cover letter, curriculum vitae, writing sample (fifteen to thirty pages), as well as the names and contact information for three references. Applications received by November 1, 2021, will be guaranteed full consideration. The search will continue until the positions are filled.

 

Amherst is a private undergraduate liberal arts college, with 1,800 students and more than two hundred faculty members.  Located in the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts, Amherst participates with Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts in the Five-College Consortium.  Amherst College is an equal opportunity employer and encourages persons of all genders, persons of color, and persons with disabilities to apply. The college is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration, and staff.


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