AstAscFull Professor Tenure System - AAAS

Working/Functional Title

Ast/Asc/Full Professor Tenure System AAAS

Position Summary

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) invites applications for an assistant professor tenurestream faculty position 9month appointment) and an open rank faculty position in Black Feminisms Genders and Sexualities Studies 9month appointment) in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University. The position (both hires) is a 100 appointment in African American and African Studies and begins August 16 2025.

AAAS at MSU was initially founded as a Ph.D. granting program in 2002 as a unit committed to making concrete connections between faculty scholarship pedagogy and social justice causes. On July 1 2019 AAAS became a department. An undergraduate major was launched in 2022 to extend the Black Studies experience to an increasingly interested undergraduate population. As of spring 2024 we successfully graduated the first cohort of AAAS Bachelors of Arts. The Department of African American and African Studies embraces diverse approaches to intellectual leadership and artistscholarship. We welcome interdisciplinary and integrated research teaching creative work and engagement practices that are leadingedge in the doing of Black Studies. As a department our areas of specialization include Black Feminisms Genders and Sexualities Studies in all aspects of curriculum. Within the AAAS major the curriculum is shaped by three concentrations: Communities in Action; Creative Expression Culture and Performance; and Black Institutions Sustainability and Statecraft.

Our new colleague(s) will play a key role in collaboratively building AAAS with core areas in Black Feminisms Genders and Sexualities Studies. The normal teaching load is 22 (two courses per semester). The successful candidate will maintain high quality scholarship in Black Studies or related interdisciplinary fields and approaches. A typical workload percentage for a 100 appointment in the College of Arts and Letters is 40 research 40 teaching 20 service. The service load for this position (both hires) will be distinctive as the candidate(s) will provide support to the new build of the AAAS Department. Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Aiding in the implementation of strategic short and longrange plans for departmental development;
• Assisting in the creation and implementation of operating policies and procedures including best and promising practices for recruiting outstanding faculty students and staff;
• Collaborating with AAAS faculty in sustaining publicfacing humanities research agendas and excellence in outreach to foster and produce knowledge in the field and local communities.

Qualifications:

We seek candidates who hold a terminal degree (doctorate or MFA) in their field and demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to leadingedge Black Studies. Leadingedge Black Studies across our curriculum in AAAS at MSU includes but is not limited to these areas: Black Ecologies (e.g. Outdoors Nature Land movements Geographies Environmental Justice etc. Speculative Arts (e.g. Black Futures Black Fantastic Black Funk Radical Imagination Otherworldly and Underground Constructions of Blackness and Black Arts practices and aesthetics) and Black Institutions and Practices (e.g. Media Sound Studies Music Production CommunityBased Organizations Activism Abolition Black Diasporic Spirituality Dance Entrepreneurship Quare studies Queer of Color Critique Abolition and/or Healing and Wellness etc..

Candidates should possess excellent communication skills. Successful candidates should have a demonstrated history of community engagement community accountability and/or communitybased approaches to scholarship. Candidates should have a capacity to engage in curriculum and departmental development. Preference will be given to candidates who can research and teach in Black Feminisms Genders and Sexualities Studies and engage in service related to building a new department as well as contribute to the current AAAS curriculum.

Candidates must demonstrate commitment to and alignment with department vision and values. As a department that is newlybuildingwehave foundtransformative justiceand leadership development processescritical tocreating newdepartmental policies procedures actively engage and practicedreaming andwellness individually and together as a department. Candidates mustwelcome and be ready to engage thesechange effortswith openness and care.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin citizenship age disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Doctorate

Minimum Requirements

• Interest in participating in AAAS new build including collaborating with faculty and engaging in departmental development as aligned with the purpose aspirations values and practices of the department.
• Doctorate or MFA in a field related to Black Studies.
• Interdisciplinary and integrated research teaching creative work and engagement practices that are leadingedge in the doing of Black Studies.
• Willingness to activate department space through meaningful creative activities practices community engagement teaching program development and publicfacing scholarship.
• Concrete connections between artistic activist practitioner teaching and scholarly commitments with a demonstrated commitment to community engagement and community accountability.
• Excellent communication skills.

Desired Qualifications

In addition to the minimum qualifications the below are the desired qualifications.

• Capacity to teach Black Feminisms Genders and Sexualities Studies and engage curriculum in its current configuration.
• Interdisciplinary approach to leadingedge Black Studies in but not limited to Black Ecologies (e.g. Outdoors Nature Land movements Geographies Environmental Justice etc. Speculative Arts (e.g. Black Futures Black Fantastic Black Funk Radical Imagination Otherworldly and Underground Constructions of Blackness and Black Arts practices and aesthetics) and Black Institutions and Practices (e.g. Media Sound Studies Music Production CommunityBased Organizations Activism Abolition Black Diasporic Spirituality Dance Entrepreneurship Quare studies Queer of Color Critique Abolition and/or Healing and Wellness etc..
• Capacity to engage departmental development as aligned with AAAS vision and values transformative justice and leadership development and dreaming and wellness participatory practices of the department.
• Interest and enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Required Application Materials

Qualified applicants should submit:

1. A cover letter describing your intellectual creative and/or applied contributions to the field of Black Studies with an emphasis on how you will (re)orient your teaching outreach and service towards the ongoing new build of AAAS.
2. A current curriculum vitae
3. One of the following: sample artistic piece project proposal with budget publication syllabus or lesson plan etc.
4. A 1page statement of the candidates philosophy of diversity equity and inclusion as it pertains to intellectual leadership in the areas of sharing knowledge mentorship & stewardship and expanding opportunity for others. The statement should also include an explanation of related past or planned activities/endeavors as well as how the candidate will advance the purpose aspirations values and practices of AAAS.

Please note that candidates who advance to the secondary review stage of the process will be asked to submit letters from three referees who can comment on the candidates research teaching engagement and/or service qualifications. No letters are required at the time of application.

Special Instructions

Review of applications will begin October 1 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. Applications must be submitted electronically to the Michigan State University Human Resources website . Posting number 957389.

For more information on this position please contact the search committee chair: Dr. Rene Wilmot at (AAAS faculty member). Additional members of the search committee include Gianina K.L. Strother (AAAS faculty member) Dr. Sheri Lewis (AAAS faculty member) Dr. Suban Nur Cooley (AAAS Associate Chair and faculty member) and Dr. LeCont Dill (AAAS Associate Chair and faculty member).

Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.

Review of Applications Begins On

10/01/2024

Website

Department Statement

The College of Arts & Letters recognizes that only an academic and organizational culture which actively seeks out and strengthens diverse voices and perspectives among its members results in true excellence. The College of Arts & Letters is particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that intellectual leadership is achieved through open access and proactive inclusion.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing lifechanging opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degreegranting colleges.