Assistant Professor of African American Literature

Minimum Qualifications:

1) An earned doctorate (Ph.D) in English or closely-related discipline from an accredited institution (or equivalent) is required. Applicants nearing completion of the doctorate (ABD) may be considered; however, the doctorate must be completed by the date of appointment (8/18/22). 
2) Evidence of successful teaching experience at the undergraduate level.
3) Evidence of scholarly activity in the field of African American Literature.

Preferred Qualifications:

1) Evidence of successful teaching experience in African American Literature.
2) Evidence of work in and/or commitment to community engagement and social justice.
3) Evidence of secondary interests in one or more of the following fields:  action research, community-based research, creative writing, critical race theory, gender and sexuality studies, transatlantic studies.

Duties:

The primary professional responsibilities of instructional faculty members are: teaching, research, scholarship and/or creative activity, and service to the University, profession and to the community.  These responsibilities generally include: advising students, participation in campus and system-wide committees, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participation in traditional academic functions.

We seek a colleague committed to exploring the intersections of scholarly work, lived experience, and community engagement.  The successful candidate will have opportunities to contribute to the department’s emergent Engaged English initiative; will teach lower-division, upper-division, and graduate courses in the department; and will design new courses in their area of expertise.  

The successful candidate will be committed to the academic success of all of our students and to an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates diversity and differences. To this end, the successful candidate will work effectively, respectfully, and collaboratively in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings. In addition, the successful candidate will be ready to join faculty, staff, students, and administrators in our University’s shared commitment to the principles of engagement, service, and the public good.

Required Documentation:

Please submit the following to the Search Committee Chair at the email address below:
1) A cover letter specifically addressing minimum and preferred qualifications.
2) A narrative statement describing your commitment to working effectively with faculty, staff, and students in a multicultural/multiethnic urban campus environment with a substantial population of students who are among the first-generation of their family to attend a college or university.
3) A curriculum vitae.
4) A list of three professional references.
5) A University Application for Employment Form

Finalists will be required to submit:
Official transcripts.
Two current letters of recommendation.
A writing sample, not to exceed 15 pages, demonstrating the candidate’s recent research interests.

Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States. 

Application:

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.

Please email all application materials in a single PDF to: ENGLsearch@calstatela.edu. Please type “African American Literature Search” in the subject line.

Please address all questions to the search committee chair, Dr. Andrew Lyndon Knighton, at: aknight@calstatela.edu.

For more information, please review the full position announcement: https://www.calstatela.edu/2021/college-arts-letters/al-engl-ttf2