Assistant Professor of English

Willamette University’s Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor with the expertise to design and teach undergraduate courses in African American literary and cultural studies. Successful candidates will demonstrate a promising record of scholarship and/or creative production in the field of African American literary studies or a related field. We also welcome candidates who can contribute to curricula in interdisciplinary programs such as Women’s & Gender Studies, American Ethnic Studies, and Cinema Studies. A Ph.D. in English or a closely related area is required by August 2024.

English Department faculty have the chance to design and teach courses outside of their primary specialization. This might include courses in creative writing, literary theory, literary research methods, or pre-20th century literature. All professors at Willamette are expected to teach non-majors as well as majors and to contribute to the College’s General Education curriculum. Willamette has a teacher-scholar model for its faculty: tenure-track faculty teach 5–6 undergraduate courses per year, advise students, publish in their field, and engage in service to the department, college, and university.

Willamette is a private university of 2500 students, 1500 of them enrolled in our undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences; other schools include Atkinson Graduate School of Management, the College of Law, the School of Computing and Information Sciences, and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.  The College of Arts & Sciences enrolls a substantial number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students of color. Over the past four years, 24% of our students were first-generation; 24% were Pell-eligible; and 33% identified as African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or multiracial.

We believe that a diverse, inclusive community is essential to achieving academic excellence, and we seek candidates whose work will advance equity and inclusion and who will bring to campus varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Application materials should address how the candidate will contribute to these DEI efforts. 

Review of applications will begin on 1 October 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.