Assistant or Associate Professor of Francophone African Literatures and Cultures

Department: WCAS French & Italian

Northwestern University's Department of French and Italian seeks a full-time tenure-line Assistant Professor or tenured Associate Professor of sub-Saharan Francophone African literatures and cultures. (Any appointment with tenure will be contingent upon a positive tenure review). The country/region and period of specialization are open, but we seek candidates with a background in literary studies enhanced by interdisciplinary strengths in, for example, cinema and media studies; critical approaches to race; cultural studies; environmental humanities; gender and sexuality studies; performance studies; or world literature.

We seek a teacher-scholar with a Ph.D. degree in French and Francophone studies (or a closely related field) by the start of the appointment (September 1, 2025). Candidates must have an active research profile as well as experience with or knowledge of planning and executing courses of their own design in French and in English. The teaching load is four courses per year at the graduate and undergraduate level.

The department fosters an atmosphere of collegiality, equity, and inclusivity and has a strong mentoring culture to support Assistant Professors in advancing their research and visibility in their field. A vibrantly interdisciplinary community, we regularly collaborate with such programs as African Studies, Comparative Literary Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. Northwestern is home to the oldest Program of African Studies in the country and to the world-renowned Herskovits Library of African Studies.

Applications received by November 1st will receive full consideration. All applications should include the following: 1) a cover letter, including a statement of teaching and research interests; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) an article or chapter-length writing sample (in French or in English); and 4) three letters of reference. First-round interviews will be held via Zoom. For more information and access to the application portal, see https://frenchanditalian.northwestern.edu/about/faculty-hiring/assistant-professor-or-associate-professor-of-francophone-african-literature.html

Questions and inquiries may be addressed to our Business Administrator Elizabeth Murray (elizabeth.murray@northwestern.edu) or to the Chair of the search committee, Professor Nasrin Qader (n-qader@northwestern.edu).

Salary

This is an Assistant or Associate Professor search. The expected base pay based on rank is as follows:

Assistant Professor: $90,000 - $115,000

Associate Professor: $115,000 - $140,000

This base pay range is for a nine-month academic appointment, does not include summer salary, and is subject to negotiation.

Northwestern University has provided a pay range representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for the position. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including years since terminal degree, training, and field or discipline; departmental budget availability; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Please read ALL instructions and make preparations before proceeding to the application page:

• Applications will only be accepted via online submission (see link below).
• Please prepare all documents in advance as Adobe PDF files, and please be sure all information is entered correctly and accurately (especially names and email addresses), as there will be no opportunity for online revision after your application has been submitted.
• Please also prepare a list of names and email addresses for your external academic references; your references will be contacted directly by the online system and invited to upload their letters on your behalf.
• All required fields in the application form are marked with an asterisk and must be filled before clicking the "Submit" button.
• Be aware that incomplete applications cannot be saved.

Applications accepted here: Apply for Job

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