African American Literature Assistant Professor, Tenure-track

The English Department at Tufts University invites applicants for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor in 20th-21st century African American Literature to begin September 2023. This position is the John Holmes Assistant Professorship in the Humanities, established in 2020 with a trust distribution from Winslow Duke, A53, in honor of his favorite English professor, John A. Holmes, Jr., a noted poet and author who taught literature and modern poetry at Tufts for 28 years.

Candidates for the position may have a research focus on any aspect of 20th-21st century African American Literature, but we are especially interested in those with demonstrated expertise in African American women’s writing. Candidates should have the ability to teach a broad range of courses, including surveys in 20th and 21st C African American Literature (fiction, poetry, non-fiction prose), special topics in the field, and graduate seminars. The successful candidate will be expected to mentor undergraduates writing senior theses and to participate in the English Graduate Program, including advising doctoral dissertations.  

Evidence of ongoing scholarly activity and successful teaching experience required. Ph.D. must be awarded by August 2023.

Application requirements: a letter of application; CV; a writing sample (no more than 25 pages); and three letters of recommendation, submitted directly by the authors and uploaded to Interfolio. The English Department takes Tufts’ commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution seriously and invites dialogue on our continuing efforts to promote diversity, equity, and justice towards this collective goal.  As a start to such dialogue, we ask for a short statement either separately or included in the letter of application addressing how candidates expect to contribute to these efforts in their research and teaching.  All materials must be submitted through Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/113868

For additional information, applicants may contact Department Administrator Wendy Medeiros wendy.medeiros@tufts.edu. Review of applications begins November 1, 2022 and continues until the position is filled.  Preliminary interviews will be conducted on Zoom in January 2023.

Tufts University, founded in 1852, prioritizes quality teaching, highly competitive basic and applied research, and a commitment to active citizenship locally, regionally, and globally.  Tufts University also prides itself on creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.  Tufts University is committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff, to fostering their success when hired, and to becoming an anti-racist institution.  We strongly encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.  Current and prospective employees of the university are expected to have and continuously develop skill in, and disposition for, positively engaging with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and students.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the completion of a background check and meeting the University’s current COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Tufts University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. See the University’s Non-Discrimination statement and policy here https://oeo.tufts.edu/policies-procedures/non-discrimination/. If you are an applicant with a disability who is unable to use our online tools to search and apply for jobs, please contact us by calling the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 617-627-3298 or at oeo@tufts.edu. Applicants can learn more about requesting reasonable accommodations at https://oeo.tufts.edu/


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