Assistant Professor of English

The English Department at Ohio Wesleyan University seeks to fill a tenure-track position of Assistant Professor of English as an African American Literature specialist with additional expertise in the teaching of writing and composition.  

The successful candidate will teach a total of six courses for the year (4 in literature and 2 in first-year writing).   The literature courses will include specialty classes in African American literature as well as classes that support the American literature curriculum more broadly.  First-year writing courses incorporate common elements but may be designed in accordance with the candidate’s own interests.  The literature classes will be cross-listed in the Africana, Gender, and Identity Studies program, providing an excellent opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration with students and colleagues from across the university.  

Qualifications:

An earned doctorate in English by August 2022,  Training in the teaching of literature and writing are essential, We especially encourage candidates with experience teaching and mentoring students from marginalized backgrounds (including students of color, first-generation, and LGBQTIA+ students) are strongly encouraged to apply as are candidates skilled in pedagogical practices that promote classroom inclusivity.   Successful candidates will be outstanding teachers, committed scholars, and active contributors to the department and college.   

This position is part of a cluster of positions (faculty cohort) with which Ohio Wesleyan seeks to further diversify its curriculum and faculty.  This faculty cohort will join an educational community that values equity and interdisciplinarity and fosters close working relationships with students through our signature program in experiential learning, the OWU Connection.  

Incoming faculty will be provided with mentoring, professional development funds, and opportunities to connect with faculty across the Ohio 5 and GLCA consortia.  For more information about our faculty cohort, please visit www.owu.edu/joinOWUfaculty. For more information about Academic Affairs and its commitment to anti-racism, please visit https://owu.edu/dei.

Located in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, Ohio Wesleyan is a selective residential liberal arts college enrolling approximately 1,500 students from across the nation and around the world.  The college’s signature program, the OWU Connection, is designed to integrate student knowledge across disciplines, consider diverse and global perspectives, and teach students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives and was recently listed as the No. 1 liberal arts college in Ohio for social mobility by U.S. News and World Report.  OWU is located in Delaware, OH, a lively college town just 30 minutes from Columbus, the 14th most populous city in the United States and part of the fastest growing, most economically vibrant area of the Midwest.  Columbus was named by LinkedIn as one of the top 10 U.S. cities in which to launch your career.

To achieve our mission, we continually strive to foster a diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist campus community, which celebrates the value of all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, color, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, family configuration, disability, socioeconomic status, religion, national origin, age or military status. OWU is an equal opportunity institution and seeks applications from individuals who will help us honor and strengthen our commitments to diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Screening of applications will begin on September 30, 2021. 

To apply, please submit the following initial application documents:   

1) Cover letter, 

2) Curriculum vitae, 

3) Diversity statement (1 page)

(This statement should include your experience with, and vision for, teaching, mentoring, and recruiting students from underrepresented backgrounds; how you promote inclusivity and anti-racism in the higher education classroom; and how you will foster diverse perspectives among students, faculty, and campus community).