Tenured Associate or Full Professor, History and Africana Studies

About Drexel 

Drexel is a comprehensive global research university ranked among the top 100 in the nation. With over 24,000 students, Drexel is one of America's 15 largest private universities. Drexel is one of Philadelphia's top 10 private employers, and a major engine for economic development in the region. Drexel has committed to being the nation’s most civically engaged university, with community partnerships integrated into every aspect of service and academics. 

The College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS) consists of 13 departments and several research centers. CoAS and Drexel University are working to repair institutional legacies of anti-Black racism in the university and its community, and through this cluster hire are actively committed to supporting African and diasporic knowledge, practices, histories, and people. The College of Arts and Sciences is home to several ongoing initiatives that reflect commitment to these goals, from community-based learning initiatives to a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advisory council and Associate Dean. At the University level, new and ongoing initiatives include the Center for Black Culture, a university-wide unit focused on Black community at Drexel; the soon to be launched Center on Racism and Health, located in the Dornsife School of Public Health; and, in the School of Education, an active research group dedicated to Black student success. The University’s Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, and the Global Classroom program also support colleagues building engaged teaching and scholarship in Africana Studies. This cluster hire joins two concurrent searches for two tenure-track faculty in the Center on Racism and Health, and one faculty search in the Westphal College of Media, Art and Design for a joint position between the Music Industry Program and Music Program to create modern music courses with a focus on the African diaspora.

Job Summary 

The College of Arts and Science of Drexel University, a Carnegie R1-classified research institution located in Philadelphia, announces a cluster hire of 3 tenure-track faculty (two at the Assistant Professor level, one at open rank) in the area of Africana Studies, with an expected start date of September 1, 2021. Two of the appointments will have tenure homes in the Department of History, with the third potentially located in any Humanities and/or Social Science discipline within the College of Arts and Science. Joint appointments will be considered. This posting is to solicit applications for the Tenured Associate or Full Professor of History and Africana Studies, and Director of the Africana Studies Program.

The Africana Studies Program:
The Africana Studies Program is housed in the Department of History which has particular strengths in the History of Science, Technology and the Environment, and in Global History. The minor in Africana Studies allows students across the University to gain an understanding of, and background in, the history and cultures of peoples of African descent in North and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and elsewhere. It includes courses in anthropology, history, literature, music, political science and sociology, and provides an opportunity for directed study in areas of special interest. See: http://catalog.drexel.edu/undergraduate/collegeofartsandsciences/africanastudies/ 

The current cluster will comprise 2 tenure track historians of Africana Studies (including an open rank hire who will serve as Director of the Africana Studies Program) and 1 additional tenure track faculty with a disciplinary location in any of the College’s Humanities and/or Social Sciences departments: Communication, Criminology & Justice Studies, English & Philosophy, Global Studies & Modern Languages, Politics, Psychology, and Sociology. Tenure home will be departmental with teaching responsibilities in the Africana Studies Program. Candidates are expected to teach Introductory courses in Africana Studies, including an Introduction to Africana Studies course and a Cross-Currents in Africana Studies course centered on the Black Atlantic.

Essential Functions 

• Teaching
• Research
• Service
• Other related duties

Required Qualifications 

• PhD in History, Africana Studies, or related fields in African Diaspora/Black/African American/Afro-American or Race and Ethnic Studies.
• 5 years of teaching, research, or related experience .

Other Requirements

Must have a PhD by September 1, 2021

Preferred Qualifications 

Research achievements consistent with achieving tenure at an R-1 institution. Proven record of teaching and service. Strategic vision and ability to guide and nurture the research, teaching, and service missions of the Africana Studies. Program and support resource development. Experience in mentoring students and faculty. Ability to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations within the College and the University, including establishing and chairing an inclusive, interdisciplinary Advisory Council to support the Africana Studies Program. Willingness to contribute to graduate education.

Location 

University City, Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

Required and preferred qualifications differ for each position within this cluster hire. Applicants should apply to the position that is most closely aligned with background.

Special Instructions

Please be sure to upload your application materials:

• Cover letter (with a description of research program, philosophy of teaching)
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume
• One writing sample (e.g., article, book chapter, book)

Candidates who move forward in the process will be notified to submit sample syllabi for an Introduction to Africana Studies course and another syllabus for a special topics course in Africana studies, and brief research statement, teaching statement and vision statement for leadership of the Africana Studies Program. Three letters of reference will also be requested at this later stage.

Review of applications will begin March 8th, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.