Composition, Rhetoric, and Writing Studies

The University of Oregon’s Department of English invites applications for a tenured position of Associate or Full Professor in Composition, Rhetoric, and Writing Studies with a substantial 5-year initial administrative appointment as Writing Program Administrator (WPA) renewable for another term subject to performance review. The position will transition to a 1.0 FTE in Rhetoric and Composition following the completion of the administrative appointment. The position will begin in fall of 2020.

Competitive applicants will possess an energetic research agenda in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing Studies broadly construed. We’re especially interested in those whose research explores intersections between cultural, comparative, transnational, and/or critical race rhetorics and the administration of writing programs and the teaching of writing. Applicants will demonstrate outstanding teaching at graduate and undergraduate levels; have led research-based writing-related initiatives with a diverse array of institutional and community stakeholders and interests; and have successfully implemented socially just institutional interventions and/or curricular innovations. We encourage scholars who can enhance the department’s and Writing Program’s existing research and teaching strengths in social justice, anti-racist, decolonial, and other critical pedagogies; critical literacies; and universal design. Applicants will also work with undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty to support our programs in rhetoric and writing including our large and diverse composition program; our Minor and Certificate Program in Writing, Public Speaking, and Critical Reasoning (WSCR); and our graduate concentration in Rhetoric and Composition.

English and the Writing Program are diverse and growing units with strengths in Rhetoric and Writing, Ethnic American literary and cultural studies, environmental studies, disability studies, comics studies, gender and sexuality studies, community-based education, British and Irish studies, folklore, and a growing digital humanities minor and community. The department and Writing Program play central roles in interdisciplinary study, the undergraduate core curriculum, graduate student teacher training, and intellectual programming on campus. We have also assumed leadership roles in workshops on inclusive teaching practices, the development of common reading instructional materials, the implementation of university-wide equitable assessment protocols, and innovative approaches to shared governance. To further these efforts, we particularly welcome applications from communities historically marginalized and currently underrepresented in the academy, including but not limited to multi-lingual writers, Indigenous peoples, ethnic and racial minorities, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, veterans, and the differently abled. We also encourage applicants who are committed to amplifying the impact of writing instruction throughout campus as well as through higher ed policy advocacy and community outreach/service.

UO’s Composition Program serves over 7000 students annually through the administration of its first-year writing sequence. The program employs 25 non-tenure track Career Instructors and provides a year-long teacher training program for 75 Graduate Employees (GEs). The Composition Program faculty lead the campus in inclusive, engaged, and research-led teaching, and our PhD students in Rhetoric and Composition who serve as Assistant Directors of Composition consistently land tenure-track jobs. Rhetoric and Composition studies experience strong demand from all students: our current upper-division writing courses are in demand, and we are working with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the new Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact to develop additional upper-division and graduate courses in professional, scientific, and technical writing. In addition to enriching these existing strengths, the Writing Program Administrator, working in close collaboration with the Department Head, will also lead the development of composition curricular reform and digital/online pedagogies and instructor support; partner closely and collaboratively with Career Instructors to develop and enact a collective vision for the writing program and to strengthen processes of shared governance and representation within the English department, CAS, and the wider University; initiate data-driven assessment practices to evaluate program efficacy, support student success, and secure resources for program development; and galvanize department and University stakeholders toward excellence in socially just literacies, research, and teaching.

Minimum Requirements: Tenured associate or full professor by time of appointment. Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Composition, Writing Studies, or related field. Evidence of an active research agenda across Writing Studies broadly construed. Ability to meet expedited University and English department tenure and promotion criteria upon arrival. Leadership and administrative experience in writing-related initiatives such as first-year writing programs, writing and rhetoric departments, university writing centers, writing across the curriculum, and/or teaching, learning, and community centers with a writing instruction focus.

Professional Competencies: Excellence in teaching and pedagogical practice at graduate and undergraduate levels. Experience developing socially just institutional interventions and/or curricula including but not limited to anti-racism, decolonization, critical literacies, universal design, and/or other critical pedagogies. Demonstrated commitments to partnerships with and professional development of all writing instructional staff. Experience with graduate student teacher training, mentorship, and assessment. Capacity to negotiate a diverse array of institutional and community stakeholders and interests. Demonstrated commitments to departmental and University priorities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Experience working with students from diverse backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications: Research interests that explore intersections between cultural, comparative, transnational, and critical race rhetorics and the administration of writing programs and the teaching of writing. Background in digital and online writing instruction pedagogies, design, implementation, and instructor support. Experience in community outreach and critical literacy instruction. Familiarity with the design and implementation of data-driven program assessment practices and protocols.  

Application Materials: Candidates are asked to apply online at www.academicjobsonline.org by submitting the following materials:

• an application letter of no more than 2 single-spaced pages that demonstrates qualifications, current and future research trajectories, and relevant administrative experience per the criteria outlined above
• a curriculum vitae with minimum of 3 references
• a research writing sample of not more than 20 double-spaced pages
• an administrative statement of not more than 500 words that presents a concise vision of socially just program development supported by a specific example from previous experience
• a statement of not more than 500 words that demonstrates substantive commitments to department and University priorities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

The deadline for applications is Nov. 1, 2019. If you are unable to use academicjobsonline, please contact engl@uoregon.edu to arrange alternate means of submitting application materials.

The University of Oregon, the English Department, and the UO Writing Program are dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment.

The University of Oregon is situated on the traditional homelands and political territories of the Kalapuya Peoples, the First Peoples of the Willamette Valley, whose descendants are now citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde Community and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. One of only two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities, the UO holds the distinction of a “very high research activity” ranking in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO enrolls more than 20,000 undergraduate and 3,600 graduate students representing all 50 states and nearly 100 countries.  In recent years, the university has increased the diversity of its student body while raising average GPAs and test scores for incoming students. The UO’s beautiful, 295-acre campus features state-of-the art facilities in an arboretum-like setting. The UO is located in Eugene, a vibrant city of 157,000 with a wide range of cultural and culinary offerings, a pleasant climate, and a community engaged in environmental and social concerns. The campus is within easy driving distance of the Pacific Coast, the Cascade Mountains, and Portland.