Assistant Professor of Media Studies

Department: School of Humanities, Religion, and Social Sciences
Status: 9-month tenure track
Time commitment: Full Time
Start date: July 1, 2021

Fresno Pacific University is seeking a full-time appointment in Media Studies and Communication. The role includes focus on or possible combinations of media literacy, mass media & journalism, critical approaches to technology & culture, visual culture and rhetoric, and student journalism.

The Communication Program at Fresno Pacific University offers a bachelor’s degree with emphasis in Communication Studies, Integrated Media, or Media and Film Studies. The program is housed in the Humanities Division and collaborates with other programs in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Dialogue, storytelling, and critical perspective are central elements of the major. The Communication Program includes students from diverse populations and prepares them for participation and service in multiple settings and roles.

Role 

• Pursue an active scholarly agenda; 

• Teach core and upper division elective courses in Media, Media and Society, Film, Journalism, and Communication Projects (Senior Thesis Project); 

• Advise the student newspaper the Syrinx and social media production  

• Teach General Education courses in Oral Communication and Understanding Media; 

• Advise Communication Majors with the Integrated Media, Media and Film Studies, Communication Studies emphasis and minors. 

• Represent the Communication Program on University Committees and the Faculty Senate; 

• Collaborate with Program and Humanities Division faculty in curriculum development, assessment, and governance. 

• Work with students, faculty, staff, and administration of diverse communities. 

Potential Additional Role 

• Teach courses in media production 

• Teach courses in Intercultural Communication, Race/Gender/Class, or Group Dynamics 

Qualifications 

Required: 

• Earned terminal degree in Mass Communication, Journalism, Media Studies or related field (ABD candidates will be considered); MFA in related field; 

• Record or promise of scholarly achievement; 

• Evidence of or aptitude for university teaching; 

• Ability to work collaboratively with students and faculty in a liberal arts environment; 

• Commitment to the Christian faith and the University’s mission of Christ-centered teaching and learning and involvement in a local church. 

Preferred: 

• Familiarity with or involvement in Anabaptist-Mennonite, Believer’s Church traditions. 

Compensation 

Dependent on qualifications and experience, and paid out over 12 months. Full-time benefits include insurance (medical, vision, dental, LTD), retirement (TIAA-CREF), Section 125 options.  

Application 

A faculty application is available at http://www.fresno.edu/visitors/careers - the link is in the job description on the FPU website. 

Send a letter of application, a completed faculty application form (including personal statements), curriculum vita, three letters of reference (including one pastoral), and transcripts or placement file to: 

Ron Herms, Ph.D. 
School of HRSS, Box 2301 
Fresno Pacific University 
1717 S. Chestnut Avenue 
Fresno, CA 93702 
OR email HRSS@fresno.edu 

Apply now 

University description 

Fresno Pacific University offers undergraduate and graduate programs that stress solid academic preparation and a strong ethical foundation. Some 4,000 traditional and adult students attend classes on the main campus in southeast Fresno or centers in North Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield and Merced as well as online. The university also reaches about 10,000 students through professional development studies. FPU has the highest four-year graduation rate of any Central Valley college or university, is a Hispanic Serving Institution, with a Hispanic student population of 44 percent, and is one of the top 10 HSIs nationally in graduating Hispanic students. The Valley’s only comprehensive Christian university granting master’s degrees, the university is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and ranked in the top tier among western universities—master’s category by U.S. News & World Report. FPU is affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren Church, and all employees express a personal Christian commitment and support the Christian mission of the university. A description of the unique quality of FPU as an academic community can be found in the Fresno Pacific University Idea. 

Fresno Pacific University is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic or social background, sex, age, or disability. Committed to excellence and actively supportive of cultural diversity, FPU invites individuals who contribute to such diversity to apply. 

The university reserves the right to fill positions before the application deadline or to extend the deadline as circumstances may warrant.