Assistant/Associate Professor - Francophone African literature/film and/or culture

Position overview Position title: Assistant Professor or Associate Professor
Salary range: The current salary ranges for this position are $80,800-$128,700 (9-month academic year salary for Assistant Professor) and $99,600-$149,500 (9-month academic year salary for Associate Professor); however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: July 1, 2026

Application Window
Open date: October 20, 2025

Next review date: Thursday, Nov 20, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Thursday, Nov 20, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

Position description

The Department of French at the University of California, Berkeley invites applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of French or a tenured position as Associate Professor of French, focusing on Francophone African literature/film and/or culture, whose primary research focus lies south of the Maghreb. The expected start date of the position is July 1, 2026.

The position entails deep expertise in literary, film, and/or cultural studies related to non-Maghrebi African Francophone Studies, demonstrable either through formal study or publication record, and excellence in teaching. The successful candidate will teach undergraduate courses and graduate seminars for students with a range of disciplinary interests.

We welcome applicants whose research spans a variety of topics and approaches, including, but not limited to, African Diaspora Studies, Caribbean Studies, Film Studies, or Translation Studies.

About the Department:
In the Department of French at UC Berkeley, our dedicated and creative faculty shares a commitment to excellence in teaching, whether it is in an introductory French class, a specialized course for majors, a course on French literature in translation, or an advanced graduate seminar. We encourage independent and innovative thinking and research at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

For its undergraduate majors, minors, and graduate students, the department provides thorough coverage in all periods of both French and Francophone literatures and cultures. It combines this coverage with an array of related fields and topics - from literary history and theory to philosophy, to social and cultural theory, to historical and contemporary linguistics, to the study of gender and sexuality, critical race theory, colonial and post-colonial studies, historiography, visual arts and film, music, popular culture, and politics. We participate fully in the interdisciplinary emphasis that has traditionally distinguished study and research at Berkeley.

Many of our faculty members are affiliated with other programs in the University (with the Departments of Comparative Literature, Italian Studies, Film & Media, and Linguistics, with programs in Romance Languages and Literatures and in Medieval Studies, with Graduate Designated Emphases in Critical Theory; Digital Media; Women, Gender, and Sexuality; Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, and with the Berkeley Language Center, the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture and the Center for Race and Gender).

The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit: https://ofew.berkeley.edu/new-faculty.

Department: https://french.berkeley.edu/

Qualifications
Basic qualifications (required at time of application)
PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application.

Additional qualifications (required at time of start)
Native or Near-native French language proficiency is required to conduct courses in French.

Evidence of ability to conduct top-quality research.

Preferred qualifications
Evidence of excellence/distinction in teaching undergraduate courses and graduate seminars for students with a range of disciplinary interests.

Knowledge of another African language spoken in Francophone Africa (e.g., Wolof, Pulaar) is preferred, but not required.

Application Requirements

Document requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated CV
• Cover Letter - A cover letter describing research interests.
• Writing Sample - A writing sample of no more than 30 pages.
• Statement of Teaching and Mentoring - Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, and future teaching interests. This can include, for example, specific efforts and accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy.
  
  Please also discuss your mentoring experiences and approach. This can include, for example, past efforts and future plans to support the success of all students, and to foster an inclusive research environment that removes barriers and promotes equitable access and advancement of the research program.
• Statement of Campus and/or Professional Service - In a document of no more than one page, please discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional and/or public service activities. This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase participation of academics in your field.
• Authorization to Release Information Form - A reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the Authorization to Release Information Form

Reference requirements

• 3 required (contact information only)

Letters of recommendation will be requested for candidates who are under serious consideration at a later stage in the recruitment.
Apply link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05137

Help contact: [email protected]