Assistant Professor of Rhetoric for Social Justice (California State University, Los Angeles)
Starting Date: August 2022
Minimum Qualifications:
- An earned doctorate (Ph.D.) in Communication with an emphasis in Rhetoric from an accredited institution (or equivalent) is required; however, applicants nearing completion of the doctorate (ABD) may be considered. For appointment, the doctorate must be completed by the date of appointment (8/18/2022).
- Evidence of expertise and experience teaching rhetorical theories with an emphasis in social justice at the undergraduate level.
- An interest and ability to successfully work with diverse, underserved, underrepresented student populations, including first-generation students, LGBTQ+ students, students of color, veterans, low-income students, and DREAMers/undocumented students.
- Evidence of scholarly activity related to the requirements listed above.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Evidence of successful teaching and research in a secondary area of interest, including, but not limited to, rhetorical criticism, critical theory, cultural studies, media studies, digital humanities, etc., that target a diverse, multiethnic, multicultural audience.
Duties:
The primary professional responsibilities of instructional faculty members are: teaching, research, scholarship and/or creative activity, and service to the University, profession and to the community. These responsibilities generally include: advising students, participation in campus and system-wide committees, maintaining office hours, working collaboratively and productively with colleagues, and participation in traditional academic functions.
The successful candidate will be committed to the academic success of all of our students and to an environment that acknowledges, encourages, and celebrates diversity and differences. To this end, the successful candidate will work effectively, respectfully, and collaboratively in diverse, multicultural, and inclusive settings. In addition, the successful candidate will be ready to join faculty, staff, students, and administrators in our University’s shared commitment to the principles of engagement, service, and the public good.
Salary: Initial salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
The University:
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is one of 23 campuses within the California State University system. The University is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the U.S. for the upward mobility of its students, and is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good. We offer nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, ethnic studies, and the humanities. Our faculty have a strong commitment to scholarship, research, creative pursuits, community engagement, and service.
Our 240,000 alumni reflect the City and County’s dynamic mix of populations. The University has one of the most diverse student populations of any college or university in the nation. As a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, and Asian-American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, Cal State LA recognizes the transformative power of education and embraces its duty to identify and serve the needs of all of its students. The University is committed to creating a community in which a diverse population can live, work and learn in an atmosphere of civility and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual.
The College:
The College of Arts and Letters is a diverse and vibrant community dedicated to the success of our students. It is home to nationally acclaim undergraduate and graduate programs in the humanities, visual and media arts, and the performing arts. Located in the entertainment capital of the world, our campus provides students and faculty alike with access to world-renowned venues and a rich variety of scholars, artists and performers from a host of fields and professions. Its nine departments and programs include Art, Communication Studies, English, Liberal Studies/Women’s Studies, Modern Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy, Theater Arts, and Television, Film, and Media Studies. The College of Arts and Letters also houses five Centers and Institutes, including the American Communities Program, the Center for Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, the Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities, the Chinese Studies Center, the Japanese Studies Center, as well as the Ronald H. Silverman Fine Arts Gallery which presents year-round cultural exhibits from professional, student and faculty artists from the campus and local communities.
The Department:
The Department of Communication Studies offers opportunities for a comprehensive study of human communication as it pertains to the dynamics of individual, social and civic life. Our Bachelor of Arts degree features a set of core courses that provide a theoretical understanding of the nature, function, and significance of human communication as an interdisciplinary field of knowledge spanning social scientific and humanistic perspectives, and includes options in Health Communication, Organizational Communication, Mass Communication, and Social Justice Communication. Our Master of Arts degree is designed to enable students to acquire an understanding of theories and research methods that explore the nature and functions of human symbolic communication in the areas of communication and rhetorical theory, interpersonal and organizational communication, strategic and mass communication, instructional and intercultural communication, and cultural and performance studies. Graduate students have the option to pursue a Master’s thesis or Comprehensive Exams for their culminating experience. The Department, in collaboration with the Cal State LA Prison BA Initiative, offers an on-site BA Program to incarcerated students at California State Prison, Lancaster.
Required Documentation:
Please submit the following to the Search Committee Chair at the email address below:
- A cover letter specifically addressing minimum and preferred qualifications.
- A narrative statement describing your commitment to working effectively with faculty, staff, and students in a multicultural/multiethnic urban campus environment with a substantial population of students who are among the first-generation of their family to attend a college or university.
- A curriculum vitae.
- A list of three professional references.
- A University Application for Employment Form
Finalists will be required to submit:
Official transcripts.
Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
Application:
Review of applications will begin November 8th, 2021 and will continue until the position is filled.
Please email all application materials in a single PDF to Kevin Baaske, Search Committee Chair at COMMrhetsearch@calstatela.edu. Please type “Tenure Track Application: Assistant Professor of Rhetoric” in the subject line.
Please address all questions to the search committee chair Kevin Baaske at: COMMrhetsearch@calstatela.edu or 323-343-4200.
Note: The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.
A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.
CSU requires faculty, staff, and students who are accessing campus facilities to be immunized against COVID-19 or declare a medical or religious exemption from doing so. Any candidates advanced in a currently open search process should be prepared to comply with this requirement. The systemwide policy can be found at https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/9779821/latest/ and questions may be sent to OfficeHRM@calstatela.edu.
In addition to meeting fully its obligations under federal and state law, Cal State LA is committed to creating a community in which a diverse population can live, work and learn in an atmosphere of tolerance, civility and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual. To that end, all qualified individuals will receive equal consideration without regard to economic status, race, ethnicity, color, religion, marital status, pregnancy, national origin or cultural background, political views, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, disability, disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran status.
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/TITLE IX EMPLOYER
Upon request, reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with protected disabilities to (a) complete the employment process and (b) perform essential job functions when this does not cause undue hardship.
Upon request, reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with protected disabilities to (a) complete the employment process and (b) perform essential job functions when this does not cause an undue hardship.
