[Afamlanguage] Open Position: North Hall Endowed Chair, Associate Professor or Professor, Linguistics of African America, University of California, Santa Barbara

[Mary Bucholtz]

Open Position: North Hall Endowed Chair, Associate Professor or Professor, Linguistics of African America, University of California, Santa Barbara

The Linguistics Department of the University of California, Santa Barbara seeks to hire a distinguished scholar to hold the North Hall Endowed Chair in the Linguistics of African America. This position is the first of an interdisciplinary cluster hire in African American studies; other planned North Hall Endowed Chairs will be hired in Black Studies, Economics, and Psychology. Pending final approval of the Presidential Chair, the appointment will be at the Associate Professor or Professor level, with tenure, effective July 1, 2016. 

We are interested in applications from researchers in any subfield of linguistics specializing in of any of the linguistic varieties of Africa and the diaspora that are spoken within the United States; we also welcome applications from scholars who work on Black language elsewhere in the Americas, particularly if their research has a connection to the U.S. context. Language specialization is open and may include African American English/African American Language (including both standard and vernacular varieties), Gullah/Geechee, Louisiana French Creole, Caribbean creole and post-creole varieties in the U.S. and/or the Caribbean, African immigrant languages and varieties of English in the United States, African-heritage speech communities in Latin America, and African American Sign Language or other Black sign languages. The research specialization for this position is also open and may focus on any level(s) of language structure, as well as any dimension(s) of Black language, including language contact and change; bi/multilingualism and bi/multidialectalism; language and identity; language and racism; language acquisition and development; language and social interaction; language use across modalities and genres; language and political economy; and language, thought, and culture, among others. Applicants must have national or international stature within their field and a distinguished record of scholarship and publication.

We seek candidates whose research engages with the departmental focus on discourse-functional approaches to language and who can interact with colleagues and students in one or more core areas of our department as well, including sociocultural linguistics, linguistic structure, quantitative methods, corpus linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and/or language documentation and revitalization. The position involves teaching a range of graduate and undergraduate courses in linguistics and contributing to the department's majors in Linguistics and in Language, Culture, and Society. For more information about the department's program and initiatives, see www.linguistics.ucsb.edu <http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/>. 

Further requirements for the position include (1) an ability to forge interdisciplinary scholarly connections and lead new collaborative initiatives, including as part of the cluster of North Hall Endowed Chair positions; and (2) a commitment to the academic mentoring of African American undergraduate and graduate students as well as students from other groups underrepresented within linguistics and the academy generally. An additional strong desideratum is a substantive engagement with issues of social equity based on speakers’ linguistic background, community, and/or identity. This engagement may take any of several forms: applied research with social justice goals, collaborative partnerships with and for the benefit of Black communities, and/or activist or advocacy efforts on behalf of Black communities.

PhD in linguistics or a related field is required. To ensure full consideration, all application materials should be received by Friday, January 15, 2016. The position will remain open until filled. All application materials must be submitted via the UC Recruit online application system at: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/apply/JPF00628 <https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/apply/JPF00628>. Materials submitted via email or in hard copy will not be accepted. Applicants must complete the online forms and submit the following in PDF format: (1) a detailed letter of application specifying the applicant’s qualifications for the position and current/planned research projects; (2) a curriculum vitae. In addition, if an offer of employment is made, six letters of reference will be required prior to final approval of the appointment; up to three of the letter writers will be designated by the applicant and at least three by the Department of Linguistics. Inquiries may be addressed to the Search Committee Chair, Professor Mary Bucholtz, at northhallsearch at linguistics.ucsb.edu <mailto:northhallsearch at linguistics.ucsb.edu>.

Our department has a genuine commitment to diversity and is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

***************************************************
Mary Bucholtz, Professor
Department of Linguistics
3432 South Hall
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3100

http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/bucholtz/
****************************************************