Assistant Professor of Africana Studies

Founded in 1833, Oberlin is a private four-year, highly selective national liberal arts college near Cleveland, Ohio and is also home to an outstanding Conservatory of Music. Together, the two divisions enroll approximately 2900 students. Oberlin College was the first college in the US to make interracial education and co-education central to its mission. The College continues to view a diverse, equitable and inclusive educational environment as essential to the excellence of its academic program. Among liberal arts colleges, Oberlin is a national leader in successfully placing graduates into PhD programs.

The Department of Africana Studies offers a full range of courses, including both a major and minor program, as well as introductory courses in Africana Studies. Our curriculum in Africana Studies features Africana politics, African American and Caribbean histories, as well as the literature of the diaspora, and courses in the fine arts and education. The Department of Africana Studies supports programming at Afrikan Heritage House, a student residential facility. For more information on the Africana Studies Department, please visit our website at: https://www.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies

The incumbent will teach the standard teaching load (4.5 courses per year) in the general area of Modern and Contemporary African American History, including an introductory course in Africana Studies. Areas of teaching and research focus may include but are not limited to the following: Black Freedom Movements; Comparative Black Diasporas; Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies; Legacies of Atlantic Enslavement; Policing and Carceral State; and Environmental Justice. The incumbent will also be expected to participate in the full range of faculty responsibilities, including academic student advising, support for undergraduate research, service on committees, and sustained scholarly research and/or other creative work appropriate to the position.

Among the qualifications required for appointment is the Ph.D. degree by the end of the 2024-25 academic year. Candidates must demonstrate strong interest in undergraduate teaching and provide significant evidence of successful teaching at the college level. Oberlin College is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The incumbent will bring understanding of or experience working with underrepresented and diverse academic populations. Oberlin is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the excellence and diversity of the academic community through their research, teaching, and service. Oberlin recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran’s status, and/or other protected status as required by applicable law.