Instructor Qualifications for AFRO 1011

The qualifications listed below reflect the minimum qualifications a high school instructor must meet before applying to teach the UMN course AFRO 1011: Introduction to African American Studies.

Licensure

CIS instructors must have a valid Minnesota teaching license or an approved alternative

Experience and proficiencies, all required

• Three years teaching experience that includes relevant content that specifically addresses the African American experience
• One year of teaching 12th grade students
• Experience teaching a multicultural student population
• Experience with or an openness to multiple ways of knowing and to deploying innovative pedagogies

Demonstration of advanced, relevant content knowledge – select one

1. Graduate degree in the field of African American studies
2. Graduate degree in any field plus 18 graduate semester credits in the field of African Americans studies
3. Graduate degree in any field and nine graduate semester credits in African American studies* and three equivalent experience options from A through M, below
4. Undergraduate degree in the humanities or social sciences such as African American studies, history, philosophy, political science, sociology or literature and nine graduate semester credits in African American studies* and six equivalent experience options from A through M, below

* The study of the Black experience is not typically taught in high schools, and very few teachers will have accumulated, through experience alone, sufficient knowledge in the discipline to be able to competently and confidently teach the course. Because of these realities, AFRO 1011 teachers must have completed at least nine graduate level semester credits in African American Studies. This requirement can be met after being accepted to teach through CIS, but must be completed prior to actually teaching the course. If you believe your experience is significant and relevant enough to be exempted from this requirement, please contact the CIS office to discuss your qualifications.

Description of Equivalent Experience Options (only required if #3 or #4 is selected above)

A: Graduate credits in African American studies

Graduate credits (over and above the required nine credits) in African American studies or courses in related disciplines such as ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science where coursework has included as one focus, the African American experience. These need not have been taken as part of a graduate degree program.

• Three semester-length credits are considered one experience
• Can be applied up to six times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, include a list of relevant graduate coursework. For each course, include the title, where taken and the number of credits earned. Faculty will evaluate the courses you list for relevancy to the topics taught in the UMN course or to advanced topics in the same field. If the applicability isn’t obvious from the course title, please describe the relevance.

B: Professional development workshops

Attend discipline-specific professional development workshops in African American studies or fields such as ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science, where content included topics covered in the course with a sufficient focus on the African American experience. Examples may include UMN-sponsored workshops or lectures; seminars offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities; seminars from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; MOOCs; independent studies courses offered by faculty in the UMN African American & African Studies Department; or other relevant workshops, trainings, conferences or seminars.

• 30 hours of professional development is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to six times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, include the number of hours of each professional development activity you want to apply toward meeting the qualifications and respond to Faculty Guiding Questions #1: Discipline-specific professional development.

C: Published textbook, journal article or essay

May include similar scholarly or creative work. Must be relevant to topics covered in the course such as the African American experience, critical race studies or Africa and the African Diaspora.

• Each publication is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, provide a copy of the cover of the publication and of the page that lists your authorship. Describe the significance, particularly as it applies to the topics covered in the UMN course or to advanced topics in the same field.

D: Experience requiring understanding of the African American experience

May include experience understanding the African American communities in Minnesota. This may include paid employment or volunteer work, such as developing curriculum specific to the African American experience for high school ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science classes.

• Thirty hours equals one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your experiences using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #9: Experience requiring regular use of skills or content knowledge related to the field.

E: Participation in a discipline-specific community of practice

May also include a significant personal practice to develop relevant skills or understandings; for example, participating in an action research project related to effective teaching in an ethnically and racially diverse classroom.

• Each experience is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your experiences using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #6: Discipline-specific community of practice.

F: Fellowships or awards

This includes recognition from school, district, state, regional, national or international organizations for recognition of high school or undergraduate teaching in ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science.

• Each fellowship or award is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to five times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your awards using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #8: Receiving an award or other recognition.

G: Participation in nationally normed assessment activity

This must be related to ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science such as Advanced Placement test grading.

• Each year is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your participation using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #10: Participation in a nationally normed assessment activity related to the field.

H: National Board Certification

Must be received in Social Studies-History at the Adolescent-Young Adult level.

• Certification is considered one experience
• Can be applied once

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, discuss the significance of the certification, length of the training and indicate the date and location where taken. Provide documentation, such as a certificate or letter.

I: Successful and effective teaching experience in a course leading to undergraduate credit

These should be in ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science including dual credit, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or teaching undergraduates on a college/university campus.

• Two years of teaching is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to six times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your teaching experience using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #3: Teaching of a course leading to undergraduate credit for students.

J: Discipline-specific leadership role in a secondary or postsecondary institution

Qualifying positions include serving on a high school or district working group to increase the diversity of students participating in advanced courses or in an organization with a social change and equity agenda, such as the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership or Generation Next.

• Each distinct experience (with activities described and documented) is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to three times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your leadership experience using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #4: Discipline-specific leadership role.

K: Presentations at workshops or conferences

These may include local, state, regional or national workshops or conferences, and presentations must address relevant topics.

• Each presentation on a distinct topic is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to three times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, list and describe presentations using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #5: Presentations.

L: Serve as a content or pedagogy trainer or coach or student teacher supervisor

These experiences may include instruction in ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science, where coursework included topics related to the African American experience.

• Each experience (with coursework topics described and documented) is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, list and describe roles using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #9: Experience requiring regular use of skills or content knowledge related to the field or to #7: Student teacher supervisor.

M: Field test or review curriculum or textbooks

These should be for curriculum or texts related to ethnic studies, multicultural studies, history, sociology, economics, literature or political science. May include working for a publisher or serving on textbook review and selection committee for a postsecondary or secondary institution.

• Each project is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to three times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, list and describe roles using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #12: Field test, review or edit curriculum for publisher or #13: Serve on textbook selection committee for secondary or postsecondary institution.