Assistant Teaching Professor (EXPIRED)

The Program in African American Studies and the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University seek an engaged, creative, and committed teacher-scholar to become an Assistant Teaching Professor. The Assistant Teaching Professor will join an innovative and interdisciplinary cohort of emerging scholars from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to develop and teach leadership and character-related courses within and across their respective disciplines. This full-time, non-tenure track position with benefits offers an initial two-year appointment with possibility of renewal and promotion on a teaching-centered career path. Because of the teaching-centric nature of the role, responsibilities are divided as 80% teaching and 20% service. The Assistant Teaching Professor will teach three courses per semester (a 3:3 load) and contribute to the co-curricular programming of the Program for Leadership and Character and the Program in African American Studies. The Assistant Teaching Professor will benefit from course development workshops and mentoring from faculty in both programs and support for professional and scholarly development. 

We welcome candidates with a Ph.D. in African American/Africana Studies or related fields in the arts, humanities, or social sciences where the candidate has pursued research and/or teaching on leadership, character, and ethics in the context of African American/Africana studies. We are particularly interested in candidates who can complement and enhance the “Ethics, Politics, and Society” area of emphasis in the African American Studies curriculum and contribute to a new Ethical Inquiry requirement in the College. We are open to a variety of possible courses, including, for example, courses on leadership and character within African American/Africana ethical and political thought, movements for justice and freedom and the role of leadership and character within those movements, and the role of African American/Africana artistic practices and aesthetic theories in shaping novel conceptions of leadership and character. The successful candidate will also have opportunities to teach other courses in African American Studies. Compelling applicants will demonstrate an openness to critical interdisciplinary engagement and a commitment to inclusive excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds.

Wake Forest University welcomes and encourages diversity and inclusivity and seeks applicants with demonstrated success in working with diverse populations. Wake Forest University is an AA/EO employer and values an inclusive and diverse learning community and campus climate. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational institution dedicated to academic excellence in liberal arts, graduate and professional education. Located in Winston-Salem, NC (“The City of Arts and Innovation”), the University is ranked among the top thirty national universities by U.S. News and World Report. The University has a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world, as indicated by the motto Pro Humanitate (for humanity), which encourages students to develop the qualities of human character needed to serve humanity. With the aim to educate the whole person, the University has established an innovative Program for Leadership and Character that plans creative, liberal arts-based programming to help students develop the virtues of character needed to lead in an increasingly complex world. The Program is based on cutting-edge academic research on leadership and character, including research conducted by Wake Forest faculty who are leading experts on the study of character. The Program in African American Studies is a vibrant and dynamic program that aims to cultivate, nurture, and support signature intellectual contributions to the discipline of African American Studies, critical interdisciplinary scholarship, and human knowledge and understanding through the critical and comprehensive study of the cultures, experiences, expressions, and ideas of African descended people in the United States and in the African diaspora. African American Studies offers an undergraduate major and minor and planning is underway to offer a graduate certificate in African American Studies. 

For quick facts about the University, see http://www.wfu.edu/visitors/quickfacts.html. For more on the Program for Leadership and Character, see https://leadershipandcharacter.wfu.edu/. For more on African American Studies, see https://afam.wfu.edu/. 

Please provide a cover letter that speaks to your teaching experience and the courses you would be prepared to design and teach, a curriculum vitae, a teaching statement that includes a plan to establish an inclusive learning environment in the liberal arts context, copies of course evaluations (if available), a writing sample (published article or selection from current research project), and a list of five professional references. References will be contacted only for short-listed candidates with prior approval. The position is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2023. Applications arriving by January 27, 2023, will be given priority consideration. 

For additional information, please contact Dr. Corey D. B. Walker at [email protected]or Dr. Michael Lamb at [email protected].  

Additional Job Description

Essential Functions: 

• Teaches six courses per year (a 3:3 load), including at least four courses or sections that integrate leadership and character in African American Studies.  

• Develops at least two new syllabi and other teaching resources related to leadership and character in the context of African American Studies. 

• Provides academic advising to lower-division students and majors/minors in African American Studies. 

• Participates in course development workshops and ongoing professional development related to leadership and character.  

• Assists with designing and delivering curricular and co-curricular programming for African American Studies and the Program for Leadership and Character. 

• Works with the Co-Directors of Research and Assessment in the Program for Leadership and Character to develop assessment plans for their courses, assess the impact of their courses, and potentially publish relevant scholarly research. 

• Assists other faculty in African American Studies with integrating leadership and/or character into their courses or curricula. 

• Attends meetings, retreats, and convenings of African American Studies, the Program for Leadership and Character, and the College faculty. 

• Provide service to African American Studies, the Program for Leadership and Character, and the College. 

• Meets as needed with the Director of African American Studies, Executive Director of the Program for Leadership and Character, and related faculty and staff. 

• Provides summaries and information about their work for inclusion in both programs’ annual reports. 

• Performs other duties as needed. 

Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Ph.D. in African American/African Studies or related fields in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

• Teaching and/or research expertise related to leadership, character, virtue, and/or ethics. 

• Commitment to interdisciplinary teaching, research, and engagement. 

• Record of excellent undergraduate teaching and mentoring and a commitment to developing creative pedagogy.

• Commitment to supporting the intellectual and ethical development of undergraduate students.

• Experience with, and sensitivity to, diverse populations and the ability to build inclusive and equitable communities where differences are appreciated and engaged. 

• Excellent writing, research, and communication skills. 

• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. 

• Sound character, wise judgment, and a strong work ethic. 

• Demonstrated ability to:

  • Work independently with minimal supervision.

  • Set priorities and effectively manage time and resources. 

  • Be a constructive and collaborative member of a team. 

  • Positively influence colleagues and develop collaborative relationships with a wide range of people.

• Willingness to learn more about leadership and character development and apply that knowledge to inform curricular design, implementation, and assessment.  

• Knowledge and understanding of academic cultures, rules, and regulations.

• Openness to feedback and a commitment to personal and professional growth. 

• Ability to represent the programs and the university in a professional manner. 

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Experience with engaged learning and/or community-based research.