Assistant Professor - African and African Diaspora Literatures and Culture

POSITION OVERVIEW

Position title: Assistant Professor

Salary range: The posted UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See the following table(s) for the current salary scale(s) for this position: https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2023-24/oct-2023-acad-salary-scales/t1.pdf The current base salary range for this position is $74,600 - $97,200. "Off-scale salaries" and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: July 1, 2024

APPLICATION WINDOW

Open date: August 2, 2023

Next review date: Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Friday, Sep 29, 2023 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of English at the University of California, Berkeley seek applications for an Africanist position with a comparative component, at the level of Assistant Professor, tenure track (50% in Comparative Literature, 50% in English).

The successful candidate will have a rigorous grounding in African or African Diaspora literatures and cultures, with the ability to work in another language in addition to English. We welcome candidates with competence in Indigenous and Creole languages of Africa or the African Diaspora, and we are open to a variety of theoretical approaches and critical orientations.

We encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to diversity in higher education and who've shown the potential to advance the departments' goal of a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive scholarly environment.

The departments are committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: http://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty

Indeed, a separate search is currently being conducted for a specialist in African literatures as Assistant Professor in the Department of English. Please see job number JPF03980: [https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03980]. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply both to this 50-50 joint position and to the 100 percent position advertised by the Department of English.

About the Departments:
The UC Berkeley Department of Comparative Literature is dedicated to comparative literary study that is both historical and theoretical, covering literary traditions from several inter-related regions and traditions. This combination of intensity and breadth is reflected in the composition of our faculty, seventeen of whom are jointly appointed with national literature departments; the remaining two are closely involved with and provide an important link to the Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory. Our signature combination of teaching and research on literature, film, and other media is based on knowledge of original languages, an understanding of historical context and production, and theoretically innovative perspectives. Texts read in research seminars include both authors from a global range of literary and cultural traditions, and theoretical interventions that question how established patterns of power and knowledge determine the ways in which we read and discuss cultural artifacts.

For more than a decade, our placement record for tenure-track jobs is among the very best in the country. This remarkable record speaks not only to the intellectual culture of the department but also to our faculty’s consistent devotion to teaching and mentoring (six of our nineteen faculty have won the campus’s Distinguished Teaching Award). Our undergraduate program is also flourishing. It draws a wide and diverse range of students, many of whom study heritage languages.

The UC Berkeley Department of English fosters an exceptional research environment and has developed a dynamic curriculum in our excellent graduate and undergraduate programs. A particular opportunity of this position involves building collaborations with field specialists in African literatures and cultures working across campus at Berkeley.

The department is dedicated to the global and historical study of literatures written in English. We are committed to advancing the University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals at all levels, from faculty hiring to graduate admissions to undergraduate teaching. English department faculty participate in models of graduate and undergraduate mentorship developed to foster collaboration and community within the department. This work contributes to campus-wide goals for achieving diversity and equity at Berkeley.

Department: https://complit.berkeley.edu/

QUALIFICATIONS

Basic qualifications (required at time of application)

PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

• Cover Letter - A cover letter that includes current and future research plans and teaching philosophy.

• Statement on Contributions to Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Statement on your contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including information about your understanding of these topics, your record of activities to date, and your specific plans and goals for advancing equity and inclusion if hired at Berkeley. More Information and guidelines.

• Writing Sample - Please provide a writing sample of recent scholarship, published, or unpublished, of up to 10,000 words.

• Statement of Research (Optional)

• Statement of Teaching (Optional)

Reference requirements

• 3 letters of reference required

Please make every effort to have letters submitted no later than October 30th.

Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF04012

Help contact: clfa_apc@berkeley.edu

CAMPUS INFORMATION

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

JOB LOCATION

Berkeley, California