Assistant Professor of English, African-American Literature

Position Overview

The Department of English and Creative Writing at The University of the South invites applications for a tenure-line assistant professor, who specializes in African-American literature. Review of applications will begin November 10. 

Position Description

This position will start in July 2024. The teaching load is five courses per year, a combination of upper-level courses, and our English 101, a literature and composition course. 

The College provides strong support for research and faculty development and encourages multidisciplinary approaches to teaching. Courses taught in English would also contribute to Sewanee’s American Studies Program as well as the African and African-American Studies Program. 

Attributes of a Successful Candidate

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in English or related field in hand at the time of appointment, experience in and a commitment to undergraduate teaching, and an established or promising research agenda. 

We seek candidates with both professional and lived experience in African-American literature and culture. 

We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute to one or more of the following: 

• American Literature broadly conceived, 

• African Diaspora, Southern Studies or,

• Environmental Literature.

Application Materials: 

In addition to a letter of application, candidates should submit a:

• Curriculum vitae, 

• Graduate school transcripts (unofficial accepted) and, 

• Contact information for three references to submit confidential e-letters of recommendation. 

For the second round, applicants will also submit a short statement about how the applicant’s teaching, research, or service agenda contributes to the mission and goals of TRHT.

Eligibility for employment is contingent upon successful prescreening.

Supplemental Information:

Sewanee’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Scholars

Sewanee has been chosen by the American Association of Colleges and Universities as one of 16 campuses to host a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center for our ongoing work to foster racial reconciliation. The faculty member hired in this position, together with others across a range of disciplines, will form the inaugural TRHT Scholars. This cohort will have enhanced institutional support to engage in teaching, research, and/or service projects to further the Center’s goals: to create a positive narrative about race in our community; to promote racial healing activities on campus and in our community; to erase institutional barriers to equal treatment; and to prepare the next generation of leaders to build just and equitable communities.

The University of the South, commonly known as Sewanee, comprises a nationally ranked residential College of Arts and Sciences and a School of Theology. The University is strongly committed to the values of intellectual inquiry, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and living and serving in community. Situated on 13,000 acres atop Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, Sewanee is known for its stunning natural beauty while providing easy access to Chattanooga, Nashville, and Huntsville. The University is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and seeks to help employees of all backgrounds and identities flourish. 

DEI Institutional Statement:

At the University of the South, our commitment to inclusion and belonging is grounded in our core values of community, courage, flourishing, and inquiry. We seek to build a community enriched by our diversity and centered on equity, justice, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The University of the South is an equal-opportunity educational institution that is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive campus environment.