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Assistant Professor of sub-Saharan African History

Job Details

Category:: Faculty
Department:: 4281 (HIST-History)
Locations:: Worcester, MA
Posted:: Aug 3, 2021
Closes:: Open Until Filled
Type:: Full-time - Exempt
Position ID:: 134626

About Clark University:


Founded in 1887, Clark was one of the first all-graduate institutions in the United States. Today the University is a highly-ranked, student-centered institution educating approximately 2,350 undergraduate and 1,150 graduate students to be imaginative and contributing citizens of the world and to advance the frontiers of knowledge and understanding through rigorous scholarship and creative effort. This commitment to scholarship and inquiry reflects the University's commitment to "challenge convention and change our world" and to address issues of critical importance to society. It is also reflected by Clark's many national and international distinctions, including recognition for its diversity and inclusion efforts, innovation, community engagement and impact, as a top green campus, and for having a distinguished geography and international development program. Clark has also been included in the groundbreaking Colleges that Change Lives guide since it was first published in 1996.



Clark is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, a dynamic, diverse city "on the rise." The second largest city in New England, Worcester is home to 11 institutions of higher learning and is increasingly recognized for its growing healthcare and biotechnology communities, its thriving cultural scene, and as a vibrant food hub.



Job Description:


The Department of History at Clark University seeks to hire a tenure-track Assistant Professor of sub-Saharan African History (post-1500) to begin Fall 2022. All regional specializations and topics of study will be considered. Scholars whose work includes research in a non-European language preferred, but not required. Candidates must have PhD in hand no later than August 2022.






Requirements:


We seek a historian with the ability to teach courses at all levels of our undergraduate curriculum (introductory surveys in African History and more specialized courses for advanced undergraduates) and complement existing departmental strengths in African-American History/African Diaspora, the Atlantic World, and British Empire. In addition, we seek applicants capable of contributing to the training of MA students in History's accelerated degree program and Ph.D. students in Holocaust and Genocide History. Finally, the successful candidate will be prepared to teach courses that scaffold the study of Africa beyond the History Department (Art History, Geography, and International Development, Community, and Environment) and contribute to programs in Africana Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies, or other relevant interdisciplinary programs.


This is a Full-time position with excellent benefits, which include employee and family tuition benefits, 4 weeks' vacation, generous retirement plan, free use of campus fitness center and many more.



Clark University currently requires all employees and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than July 15. Exemptions will be made for medical or disability reasons or religious beliefs, and could be made, at the sole discretion of the University, for other well-documented reasons.



Additional Information:


This position is part of a university-wide hiring initiative at Clark University focusing on the hiring of "synergy" positions that will offer discipline-specific courses that contribute to and strengthen our interdisciplinary concentration in Africana Studies at the Center for Gender, Race and Area Studies (CGRAS). Each appointment made as part of the synergy hire will reside full time in the hiring department with promotion processes occurring in the hiring home department. The university's commitment to recruitment and retention of talented, diverse scholars includes enhanced support to members of the synergy hire, including a reduced teaching load in the first year and priority participation in robust mentorship programs offered by both Clark University and the New England Board of Higher Education's North Star Collective.



About CGRAS and Africana Studies: CGRAS is an academic hub at Clark University consisting of a federation of interdisciplinary programs designed to engage and facilitate intellectual synergies within and across intersectional approaches to gender, race, and ethnicity in scholarship and teaching. It spans a broad range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences that advance the academic and compositional diversification of Clark University, providing a vibrant intellectual and mentorship space. The Africana Studies program is an undergraduate concentration that delivers courses spanning sub-Saharan Africa and the African diaspora (inclusive of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-European studies).



Clark University embraces equal opportunity and affirmative action as core values: we believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees and our community. This commitment applies to every aspect of education, services, and employment policies and practices at Clark. Our commitment to diversity informs our efforts in recruitment, hiring and retention. All positions at Clark share in the responsibility for building a community that values diversity and the uniqueness of others by exhibiting integrity and respect in interacting with all members of the Clark community to create an atmosphere of fairness and belonging. We strongly encourage members from historically underrepresented communities, inclusive of all women, to apply.



Application Instructions:


To be considered for this position, you must submit your credentials online. Create a Clark University Careers Account by clicking on the APPLY NOW button below. You will be able to upload the following documents, which are required for consideration:


  • Cover letter
  • CV
  • Summary of research interests
  • Statement of teaching philosophy
  • Add contact information for three letters of reference

Applicants' statements should detail how their scholarship and teaching will support the success of students from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds and further Clark's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates may instead submit a separate diversity statement.



Inquiries regarding this position should be directed to Professor Amy Richter, Chair, African History Search Committee.



Please submit all required documents no later than October 18, 2021.



See the FAQ for using our online system. Please contact us if you need assistance applying through this website.


Already have a Clark University Careers Account? Login to your account to add documents or update your account.


Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Salary will be commensurate with skills and experience.



Organization

Working at Clark University
 

A relentless force for positive change

Founded in 1887, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university committed to scholarship and inquiry that addresses social and human imperatives on a global basis. It is the place where Robert Goddard invented the modern rocket, where Sigmund Freud delivered his only lectures in the United States, and where current students stake their claim to the Clark motto, “Challenge Convention. Change Our World,” which is the rallying cry that inspires our community every day.

Located in the heart of New England — Worcester, Massachusetts — Clark University educates its approximately 2,200 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students to be imaginative and contributing citizens of the world, and to advance the frontiers of knowledge and understanding through rigorous scholarship and creative effort.

A university on the cutting edge of higher education

Clark is a world-class research university that is small by design, giving students the rare opportunity to contribute to pioneering research projects and to benefit from hands-on experience, close collaboration with peers, and the individual mentorship of faculty.

LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark’s pioneering model of higher education,  compelling students to thrive in authentic world and workplace settings, and preparing them for lives and careers of consequence. Clark is the only university to make the development of “capacities of effective practice” an explicit learning requirement for its undergraduates. Critical to success in today’s world, these capacities include imagination, self-directedness, resilience, and the ability to manage diversity and uncertainty. A Clark education reflects a belief in the enduring value of liberal education, as well as the University’s efforts to more deeply attune students’ learning experiences to the profound changes underway in our economy, our society, and our democracy.

The Clark graduate experience reflects the importance of “engaged scholarship” — an innovative educational approach that connects students to the people and organizations intimately familiar with (and working to address) the issues they are passionate about, and that places a premium on effecting measurable outcomes.

Committed to research that advance knowledge and impacts society

The Clark University faculty is composed of world-renowned researchers who foster a culture of excellence in the next generation. At Clark, faculty and students are given the freedom and flexibility to pursue projects that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The University’s focused areas of research excellence are backed by strong Ph.D. and master’s degree programs that engage graduate students from around the world in such areas as biology, chemistry, economics, geography, psychology, urban education, management, environmental science and policy, Holocaust and genocide studies, and international development and social change. Clark faculty, students, and staff continually develop new ways of thinking and acting that have a positive impact on the lives — and livelihoods — of people throughout the world.

Clark's research profile is enhanced by the presence of a variety of research institutes and centers that build on a foundation of interdisciplinary scholarship: the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, the George Perkins Marsh Institute, the Higgins School of Humanities, the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education and the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Redefining our place in the world by immersing our community in it

Clark has redefined what it means to be a university in today’s interconnected world, forging robust partnerships with universities, educators, researchers, and business and community leaders at home and abroad, enabling its faculty and students to conduct in-depth research, work collaboratively to take on global concerns, and make a tangible difference. This diverse community of educators, researchers, and scholars challenge and inspire each other with their perspectives, insights, and determination. They are creative thinkers eager to defy conventional wisdom, devise inventive solutions to complex problems, and roll up their sleeves to get things done.

Clark itself plays a critical role in the health and well-being of its urban community, known as Main South, through the University Park Partnership — a national model for neighborhood revitalization. Working in tandem with the city of Worcester, Clark has been a change agent in the areas of housing and physical rehabilitation, education, economic development and social and recreational opportunities for residents. The University Park Campus School, which Clark operates in collaboration with the Worcester Public Schools, boasts an estimable record of high achievement and was recognized by President Barack Obama for its record of academic success.

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