Core Curriculum Coordinator

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the center of a world-class liberal arts education at Stanford University. H&S encompasses 24 departments—from Art and Art History, English, and History to Economics, Mathematics, and Biology—as well as 24 interdisciplinary programs. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

The Department of African and African American Studies (DAAAS) was officially launched in January 2024. The department focuses on the core principles of furthering excellence, encouraging critique, and pursuing the positive social transformation of people of African descent in Africa and the diaspora not only through multiple scholarly perspectives and models, but also through the study of art practices and the creation of art works. The department offers an undergraduate degree to provide students with an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of African, African American, and of African descended people all over the world as a central component of American and world culture. Courses in the major promote research across disciplinary and departmental boundaries in the arts and humanities and will provide students with research training and community service-learning opportunities. Courses of study are drawn from art, art history, cultural anthropology, economics, education, film, dance, performance studies and theatre, literature and literary studies, history, languages, linguistics, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and gender & sexuality studies, among others.

The DAAAS is seeking a Core Curriculum Coordinator. The Core Curriculum Coordinator will work under general supervision of the Director of Finance and Operations (DFO) and must possess and demonstrate a positive outlook on continuous process improvement efforts while maintaining a team-based and customer-focused mindset. The Core Curriculum Coordinator will be responsible for developing and implementing a robust system for evaluating and assessing the DAAAS Core Courses.

The DAAAS core curriculum comprises of 3 tracks: African American Studies, African Studies and Global Diaspora Studies with a total of 8 introductory/core courses taught by 7 faculty. The curriculum integrates experiential learning, community engaged learning opportunities, feedback protocols, and training in interdisciplinary research methods and arts practice. Students in the major and minor will learn through experience by visiting various places of interest in the Black world and participating in lectures, museum and cultural site visits, and other local excursions. Through various community engagement opportunities, students in the major and minor will be able to engage with Black communities locally and/or globally to address a collective problem or societal need, critically examine public issues, and/or engage in a community-based project. Students will have the opportunity to actively provide feedback on the entire process of obtaining their major and minor. The curriculum will include training on interdisciplinary research methods and art practice with the objective of modeling how students might see beyond individual disciplines and to bring them together in innovative ways.

This full-time position will promote effective teaching and learning at all levels by, helping instructors to develop and streamline course content and materials; mentoring, and coordinating department community engagement associates; leading and consolidating assessments across the core courses, learning expeditions and community engagements; coordinating a guest speakers for required courses and for the creative/arts practitioner series; collaborating with faculty and instructors to develop linkages in pedagogy and approaches across elements of the curriculum; and managing the ongoing process of coordinating the development, rollout, staffing, and iterative redesign of the DAAAS Core Curriculum. It is critical that this position exhibits the abilities to practice sound judgment and decision-making, work effective written & oral communication, strong attention to detail and respectful relationship management and work effectively in a team. This position must also exhibit a strong desire to continuously learn new and unfamiliar business topics, policies and procedures as they relate to designing and assessing courses – the ability to translate this information into operational successes will be critical. 

This is a 100% FTE, fixed term position through August 31, 2026. This position will be based on the Stanford campus and will be considered for an option of telecommuting (hybrid of working on-site and off-site), subject to operational need. If you believe that this opportunity is a match for your knowledge, skills and abilities, we encourage you to apply. Thank you for considering employment opportunities with the School of Humanities and Sciences.

In this role, you will:

• Oversee and administer research activities by evaluating academic department curriculum, making recommendations that impact policies and programs, and coordinating and implementing changes.
• Collect and analyze data, create reports, review and explain trends to determine curriculum effectiveness; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions and/or recommendations to achieve the goals of the department.
• Advise in the development of curriculum. Make recommendations for course improvements.
• Write and edit content for proposals, peer-reviewed publications, and other activities under the general direction of PI. Assist with the development of research grants, (i.e., may suggest new funding opportunities, write portions of grants, and/or summarize data for grant support).
• Represent the department or function as the key contact and subject matter expert within the department, unit or school and develop communications for internal and external constituencies.
• Organize and/or participate in outreach activities such as events, partnerships, fundraising, training, and conferences. Lead workshops and facilitate meetings.
• Monitor expenses, budgets, and finances of the program. Make recommendations on funding based on the department’s spend.
• May oversee and train student workers.