Assistant Professor of East Asian Culture

The University of Rochester Department of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLC) invites applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of East Asian Culture.  We welcome applications from scholars whose work considers transcultural circulations both within East Asia and beyond its imagined borders. We are interested in, among other possibilities, Sinophonic and likeminded diasporic approaches, Afro-Asian studies, transnational ecocriticism, the cultural productions of ethnic minority groups in East Asia, gender studies, and comparative analysis of East Asian literature, culture, media, and/or philosophy.

Alongside a concurrent search in East Asian art and art history, this position represents a preliminary stage in a cluster hire initiative in East Asian Studies at the University of Rochester.  The successful candidate will have the opportunity to participate in planning the future of a new direction in East Asian inquiry at the University of Rochester. The successful candidate will be joining MLC faculty in Japanese studies, Chinese studies, and Korean in addition to Chinese studies faculty in the Departments of Anthropology and Religion. Currently, MLC offers a major and minor in Japanese, a minor in Chinese, and a cluster (a three-course concentration) in Korean.  Undergraduate students also have the option of completing an East Asian Studies major or minor through the Multidisciplinary Studies Center.

The teaching load is two courses per semester.  We encourage applications from scholars interested in teaching courses that extend beyond contemporary studies.  MLC faculty also teach core Comparative Literature courses for all department majors that introduce students to different approaches to cultural analysis. MLC faculty are encouraged to contribute to the University’s strong interdisciplinary programs in the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, Literary Translation Studies, Film and Media Studies, Digital Media Studies, and the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies. Scholars of Afro-Asian studies will benefit from opportunities to collaborate with present and incoming colleagues in the Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies.  

Applicants must have a Ph.D. by the time of appointment and native or near-native command of at least one East Asian language. 

To apply, visit https://www.rochester.edu/faculty-recruiting/login and submit the following materials: cover letter, a teaching statement with potential course offerings, current CV, a chapter-length writing sample, three letters of recommendation and a statement of your commitment to advancing equity and fostering an inclusive and diverse community in academia, including past work and future goals.  The application should be addressed to the “East Asian Culture Search Committee.”  Application review will begin immediately following the November 1, 2022 deadline and will continue until the position is filled.  Preliminary interviews will take place by Zoom.  Appointment is effective July 1, 2023 with teaching duties beginning August 2023.  Please address questions pertaining to this search to Professor Will Bridges at wbridges@u.rochester.edu.

The University of Rochester, an Equal Opportunity Employer, has a strong commitment to diversity and actively encourages applications from candidates from groups underrepresented in higher education as well as candidates with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and equity. 

EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled           


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