Assistant Professor of English and Africana Studies: postcolonial, Caribbean, or African Diaspora

Mercer University invites applicants for the position of Assistant Professor of English and Africana Studies (tenure track) with a specialization in postcolonial, Caribbean, or Anglophone African/African Diaspora literature. The load for this position is six courses per year: two writing instruction courses in Mercer’s integrative studies program, and four survey or upper-division courses cross-listed with English and Africana Studies.  We can also offer you the opportunity to teach summer travel courses in Mercer’s distinctive Mercer on Mission program. This position is part of a cluster hire focusing on Africana Studies.

We seek candidates who can show excellence in teaching; an ongoing research agenda; and administrative strength.  We are especially interested in candidates who have life experiences relevant to teaching and mentoring students of color and first-generation college students; who have experience with writing instruction; or who are qualified to teach in the creative writing program.

Qualifications:

A PhD in English, Literature, or a closely related field from an accredited college/university is required. ABD candidates will be given full consideration but must be hired as an instructor until the PhD degree is awarded.

Additional Information:

Mercer University is a private university distinguished by its commitment to teaching, empowering, and inspiring its students to create, discover, and serve. The university offers rigorous programs to more than 9,000 students enrolled in schools of liberal arts and sciences, engineering, music, business, law, pharmacy, medicine, nursing, health professions, education, theology, and professional advancement. Mercer continues to boast a strong enrollment, increasing the incoming first-year class of students by 39% in the past decade. At the same time, the average GPA of incoming students for Fall 2023 was a 4.02 with average standardized test score in the 88th percentile for those who submitted scores. The College, which hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, is dedicated to cultivating intellectual curiosity, respectful dialogue, and responsible citizenry, and affirms the university’s commitment to openness and inclusion and to inspiring students to lives of service. It is located in the historic city of Macon, Georgia, which is the educational, medical, cultural, and commercial hub of Middle Georgia, an hour and a half south of Atlanta. Mercer University recognizes the power of a diverse community and encourages applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds.

The College upholds Mercer’s fundamental commitments to academic excellence and service.  In the past five years, Mercer students have earned twelve Goldwater Scholarships, twenty Fulbright Scholarships, eleven NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, seven Critical Language Scholarships, and dozens of other nationally-competitive fellowships and scholarships.  Mercer is the nation’s top producer of Gilman Scholars among schools with fewer than 5000 undergraduates.  Mercer is also one of only three Georgia universities that both shelter a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and hold membership in the Georgia Research Alliance.  With respect to service, the University has aided the revitalization of local historic neighborhoods, funded rural health clinics throughout the state, and deployed faculty and students to 45 international locales via its global service program, Mercer on Mission.  Mercer University affirms the practical, world-changing benefit of the liberal arts and sciences alongside the traditional benefit of self-development.

Application Information:

Candidates should complete the brief online application and attach 1) a cover letter; 2) current CV; 3) statement of teaching philosophy; and 4) names and contact information for three professional references.  Zoom interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis, with a final application deadline of November 1, 2023. Please send any questions to Professor Mary Alice Morgan at morgan_ma@mercer.edu.

Selection of the final candidate is contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check.