Post-Doctoral Residential Research & Teaching Fellowship

Guidelines

The Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia invites scholars, whose work focuses on Africa and/or the African Diaspora to apply for a two-year post-doctoral research and teaching fellowship, beginning August 25, 2013, and ending August 24, 2015. The fellowship carries the title of Lecturer and pays an annual (12 month) salary of $45,000, plus full-time benefits.

Deadlines

Completed applications must be received no later than midnight EST on Saturday, December 1, 2012.

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to qualified candidates without restriction as to citizenship or current residence. Applicants for the post-doctoral fellowship must have been awarded their Ph.D. by the time of application or furnish proof from the relevant registrar that all documentation required for the Ph.D. has been submitted by July 15, 2013. Post doctoral applicants must have been awarded their Ph.D. no earlier than 2007.

Please note: Individuals may not apply for the Woodson pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships at the same time.

Terms/Conditions

The post-doctoral fellow must be in residence at the UVa for the duration of the award period, and must agree to teach one course per year in the African-American and African Studies program to be offered in the Fall or the Spring. Woodson fellows are expected to participate in the series of workshops (about twice monthly) and to make at least one formal presentation of their work to the University community.

How to apply

To apply, please submit a Candidate Profile on-line through Jobs@UVA (https://jobs.virginia.edu); search on Posting Number 0610402. Please attach: a letter of application (250-word maximum) stating interest in the program; a curriculum vitae which must include the following: personal information, date(s) and location(s) of degree(s) earned, honors and awards, lectures and conference presentations, publications and, the names of three referees.

• Applicants must also submit a project abstract, including title, not to exceed 50 words, as well as a project description, including title, not to exceed seven double-spaced pages (1,750 words). The project description must include the following:  1) the nature of the research to be completed during the period of the fellowship award, as well as its significance; 2) a detailed plan of research and revision 3) Concrete objectives to be achieved during the award period. These objectives must include a statement of publication plans for the proposed research and writing. Project descriptions must be attached through Jobs@ UVA under "Writing Sample 1".
  
  
• Please submit a working bibliography not to exceed four double-spaced pages. The bibliography must list those scholarly works that the applicant considers most important to the intellectual development of the project. The working bibliography must be attached through Jobs@ under "Writing Sample 2".
  
  
• In addition, please arrange to have three confidential letters of recommendation (signed originals only) sent directly to the Woodson Institute by persons qualified to evaluate the proposals for which support is being sought. Letters of recommendation from credentialing services such as Interfolio are also "acceptable." All letters must be postmarked no later than midnight EST December 7, 2012 and mailed to:
  

Selection Committee
Residential Research Fellowships
The Carter G. Woodson Institute
University of Virginia
108 Minor Hall
P.O. Box 400162
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4162

Signed letters of recommendation (PDFs only, please) may also be submitted electronically by the December 7, 2012 deadline.

Questions regarding this position should be directed to:
Lawrie Balfour/Director of the Fellowship Program


Questions regarding this position should be directed to:
Deborah E. McDowell


Questions regarding the application process or Jobs@UVA should be directed to:
Cheryll Lewis
434-924-6255

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer; women and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Review Procedure

All applications and supporting documents will be reviewed by a committee constituted of Woodson Institute Faculty and Affiliates according to the following research and teaching missions of the Institute:

1) We value research that is at the cutting edge of the fields of African American Studies, African Studies, and Afro-Caribbean Studies, and in those disciplines within the humanities and social sciences traditionally attuned to these fields.

2) Although candidates may be positioned critically in traditional disciplines, their work must be rigorously interdisciplinary without diminishing intellectual depth.

3) Such work should advance received scholarship in the fields of African American, African, and Afro-Caribbean Studies – its key theories, methods, themes, and problems.

3) We especially seek work that elucidates the trans-continental experiences and discourses related to the social, historical, and cultural construction of people of African descent through both traditional and recent approaches -- Pan-Africanism, Afrocentrism, Trans-Atlantic Studies, African Diaspora Studies, critical race theory, and cultural studies.

4) We seek work that advances theories on the construction of race, and race in relation to other social identities – class, gender, sexuality, nationality, disability – as well as that which focuses on refining methods of interdisciplinary scholarship on race.

5) We encourage research in these fields that engage the professions -- law, medicine, social work, public policy, education, architecture and planning -- in innovative ways.

6) We will favor candidates whose research can be readily adapted for the creation of courses and pedagogies directly pertinent to the Institute's curriculum in African American and Diasporic studies.

Proposals will be judged on the basis of the following criteria:

• The significance of the proposed work
• The qualifications of the applicant
• Familiarity with existing relevant research literature
• The research design of the project
• The promise of completion within the award period
• Preference will be given to applicants whose field research is already substantially completed.

Notification

Applicants will be notified by mail of the committee's decision in early March 2013.