Director of African Studies Concentration

Kalamazoo College invites applications for Advanced Assistant or Associate Professor position as Director of the African Studies Concentration at Kalamazoo College.
The Director of the African Studies Concentration would be a candidate with a specialty in one or more of the following areas: African epistemologies and intellectual traditions about Africa and the Diaspora Africa’s, Africans’, African Diaspora’s transnational relationships, cultures and identities Contemporary debates on, in and around Africa Local particularities, categories and identities in more than one region related to Africa or the African diaspora.
The position involves administering the program and teaching six courses (across three, ten-week terms) in African Studies, including at least three out of the four following courses: Africa Now (umbrella contemporary Africa course), Global Africa (umbrella transnational Africa course), Thinking Africa (umbrella African epistemologies course) and Geographies of Africanness (umbrella regional course), and two upper-level elective courses chosen or designed in consultation with the concentration members, and possibly a contribution to the college’s Shared Passages program.
Field and discipline of specialization are open, but the position is responsible for broad African and African Diaspora courses and the candidate will need to be versatile in and knowledgeable of interdisciplinary approaches to African and African diaspora studies.
Candidates with a comparative approach across geographic areas are especially encouraged to apply.
We anticipate that prospective candidates will demonstrate strong leadership and the capacity to build on the research, programmatic goals, and established connections to the African continent that have propelled the concentration’s success over the past half century.
Simultaneously, we seek candidates with visions and ideas that can move the concentration in new directions that reflect emerging disciplinary and global issues and embody Kalamazoo College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on our campus and in our programs and curricula.
PhD required, prior teaching experience is necessary and program development experience is desirable.
The position also requires advising senior theses.
Kalamazoo College has made a commitment to inclusive excellence.
We especially encourage applications from candidates whose intellectual and pedagogical approaches will be effective in attracting and retaining historically underrepresented students.
The successful applicant will demonstrate a strong commitment to working with students, faculty and staff from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
They will also demonstrate a high aptitude for and interest in undergraduate teaching, a commitment to the liberal arts, and the ability to establish an ongoing research record.
Kalamazoo College is a highly selective liberal arts college offering an integrated undergraduate experience that weaves a traditional liberal arts curriculum into educational experiences and civic engagement in both domestic and international settings.
As such, it attracts students from diverse backgrounds interested in social justice and activism.
The College is a member of the Posse Program and home to the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership.
It is located in Kalamazoo, MI, a diverse and vibrant city in western Michigan and home of the first nationwide city-based college tuition remission program, the Kalamazoo Promise.
Sitting half way between Detroit and Chicago, Kalamazoo is also home to a large research university that shares many of its resources with members of the Kalamazoo College community.
Thirty-five miles from the beautiful beaches and coastal towns of Lake Michigan, the area also offers many opportunities for outdoor activities.
Completed applications received by January 1, 2024 will receive full consideration, with later applications reviewed as needed until the position is filled.
Please electronically submit in pdf format: cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement on equity and inclusion as it relates to teaching and community engagement, and a 1-2 page statement of teaching and program development philosophy.
This statement should include a discussion of how the candidate meets the requirements expressed in this call in course design and classroom practices.
Prior to Zoom interviews, three letters of recommendation, sample syllabi of a course the candidate has taught, and a 10-page writing sample will be requested of a short list of candidates, and preliminary interviews will be conducted via Zoom.
Candidates who advance to on-campus interviews will be asked to provide a sample syllabus for one of the four core concentration courses.
Kalamazoo College encourages candidates who will contribute to the cultural diversity of the College to apply and to identify themselves if they wish.
Equal Opportunity Employer.
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This statement should include a discussion of how the candidate meets the requirements expressed in this call in course design and classroom practices.
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