Lecturer – Africana Studies

Job Title: Lecturer – Africana Studies

Job ID: 25394

Location: Brooklyn College

Full/Part Time: Full-Time

Regular/Temporary: Regular

FACULTY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Brooklyn College, a senior College of the City University of New York (CUNY), invites applications for a full-time, lecturer position in the Department of Africana Studies within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences with a starting date in August 2023.

We are seeking a lecturer who specializes in Africana Studies with a focus on the Social Sciences with a preference for a scholar engaging in interdisciplinary methods that incorporate a wide range of scholarship and creative activity related to the continent (and/or) peoples of Africa, the Caribbean as part of the African diaspora, and/or African American experience(s). Working within Africana Studies, the teaching responsibilities of this position include courses that speak to the Africana diaspora using a social science lens at the introductory and advanced/upper levels, as well as related General Education department and college-wide courses including Black Political Identities in a Transnational Context. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and teaching courses in their area of specialization. Course topics could include any of the following: identity and society, the Black family, immigration, economic development, health, environmental justice, gender and masculinities, and urban society. These courses may be cross listed with the appropriate department/s. The ideal candidate would be an interdisciplinary scholar, with a social science focus, who is committed to the field of Africana Studies and the training of students in this area of academic inquiry.

The Africana Studies Department is committed to in depth treatments of Africa and its diasporas in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. As one of the oldest Africana departments in the country, it is also one of the first to move from the African American Studies model to a more global diasporic curriculum that is now the standard among such departments. We are currently the only department in the Social Sciences that offers a substantial number of courses in Caribbean societies and politics.

We are seeking a candidate who is committed to enhancing a global perspective and invested in maximizing the academic utility of our location, establishing greater rootedness in “place,” and builds upon the experiences of our students. The borough of Brooklyn hosts and ethnically diverse Black population and a large portion of Brooklyn College’s students are of Caribbean origin or descent. We would hope that the instructor would take into account the academic utility of the rich social, political, and cultural context of our location in Brooklyn, while building on the interests of our students, the largest number of whom (both double majors and students taking our courses as electives) have majors in the Social Sciences, Education, and Business respectively.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), sitting at the heart of a great urban college, educates students to be leaders of character, wisdom, and influence in an interdependent, global society through high quality humanities and social science programs. An HSS education is not bound by our classrooms, because Brooklyn is a diverse educational laboratory that enables our students to regularly apply their learning to real-world challenges, bringing what they learn by experience into sharper focus in our classrooms. Our students build critical thinking and analytical skills and the capacity to articulate evidence-based decisions that will be required of the jobs emerging in the 21st century.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is the intellectual hub of Brooklyn College. HSS empowers interdisciplinary team-based problem solving, rooted in rigorous disciplinary training. We foster collaborative engagement among faculty, students, and communities, in the co-creation of knowledge. Our students build skills in critical thinking, creative expression, data analysis, and the capacity to articulate evidence-based decisions. HSS prepares students to be adaptive and resilient in a rapidly changing global economy, and to be effective publicly engaged citizens in a rapidly changing society.

Brooklyn College serves students from over 150 countries who speak over 100 languages and dialects and thus constitutes a vibrant microcosm of the rich diversity and energy that characterizes the borough of Brooklyn and the greater New York City area itself. Its mission features “a special commitment to educate immigrant and first-generation college students from the diverse communities that make up our city and state.” The college ethos is invested in the educational and eventual career success of all of its students. We are committed to fostering a spirit of camaraderie and shared ideals across the entire spectrum of our varied constituency. By accessing a first-class and affordable college education in an inclusive and nurturing intellectual milieu, our students acquire the skills, confidence, and global mindedness that allow them to thrive in a rapidly changing, unpredictable marketplace of ideas that is increasingly mindless of borders and spans the gamut of cultures and vernaculars.

Our search is one in a college-wide cluster hire of faculty with a focus on race, ethnicity, and racial justice. Brooklyn College seeks faculty who are eager to engage with the diversity of our student body and have a demonstrated commitment to inclusion and heterogeneity through teaching, mentoring and/or service. We seek to recruit and retain faculty from historically underrepresented groups who reflect the mosaic of our student population. Successful candidates will bring their unique creativity, sensitivity, insights, and perspectives to a community that welcomes innovation in scholarship and teaching. Together we will model the finest that a public urban liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies college can be for the present and future.

Responsibilities include:

·       Teach existing undergraduate courses in the Department of Africana Studies, that may be crosslisted with other appropriate departments, and general education courses.

·       Offer advanced upper level courses with an emphasis on the social sciences.

·       Contribute to the development of the Africana Studies Program to reflect new directions in the field.

Vaccine Mandate

Candidates will be required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon commencing employment. Exemption (medical or religious) requests to this requirement will be considered in accordance with applicable law. Being fully vaccinated is defined for this purpose as being at least two weeks past their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. Final candidates must be fully vaccinated as of their first day of employment.

QUALIFICATIONS

·       Advanced degree/Ph.D. with a Social Science focus in the disciplines of Africana Studies, American Studies, Caribbean Studies, Political Science, Economics, and other appropriate disciplines. There is a preference for scholars with an interdisciplinary focus.

·       Demonstrated potential for effective teaching at the undergraduate level

·       Candidate’s thinking and pedagogy should be engaged with the latest scholarship, although publications are not required for this position.

COMPENSATION

$69,983-$83,764; Salary commensurate with experience and credentials.

CUNY offers faculty a competitive compensation and benefits package covering health insurance, pension and retirement benefits, paid parental leave, and savings programs. We also provide mentoring and support for research, scholarship, and publication as part of our commitment to ongoing faculty professional development.

HOW TO APPLY

STEP ONE – Submit Application Online

From our job posting system, select “Apply Now”, create or log in to a user account, and provide the requested information. If you are viewing this posting from outside our system, please visit https://cuny.jobs/brooklyn-college/new-jobs/

Applicants should upload the following in .doc or .pdf format:

·       An application letter indicating the desired position, and should detail how their teaching, service and/or scholarship has supported the success of students from racial, ethnic, and gender backgrounds that are underrepresented in their academic fields; applicants who have not yet had the opportunity for such experience should note how their work will further CUNY’s commitment to diversity.

·       Current and detailed curriculum vitae

·       A one-page document describing the candidate’s teaching philosophy

·       Copies of publications and/or working papers

STEP TWO – Submit References Contact Information at http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/hrref/?225

All applicants are required to have three confidential letters of recommendation submitted electronically by their recommenders by visiting the link above and entering the contact information for three (3) recommenders.

The online system will automatically email your recommenders a request to submit a letter via the system. Full instructions will be provided.

Emailed or hard copy applications will not be considered.

CLOSING DATE

Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.