Assistant Professor in Rhetoric and Composition

The English Department of the University of Maryland, College Park, invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor in Rhetoric and Composition with a specialty in digital rhetorics and/or technical communication. We are especially interested in applicants who examine cultural identities—race, ethnicity, ability, sexuality—as they relate to digital texts, networks, and performances. Applicants are encouraged at both the assistant and advanced assistant professor levels.

Successful candidates will be expected to:

• publish actively.
• teach two courses per semester, including courses that contribute to the Language, Writing, and Rhetoric and Media Studies tracks within the undergraduate English major; the Professional Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Storytelling & Poetics minors; and the M.A. and Ph.D. concentrations in Writing Studies and Rhetoric.
• direct dissertations, comprehensive exams, capstone projects, and honors theses.
• offer service to the Department, the College, and the University.

Diversity, inclusion, equity, and access drive the mission of the English Department, and we seek candidates whose research, teaching, and service have prepared them to contribute to and advance this mission. Within their applications, candidates are asked to summarize their leadership efforts and past or potential contributions to diversity; contributions might include leadership in teaching, mentoring, research, or service towards building an equitable and diverse scholarly environment and/or increasing access or participation of individuals from historically underrepresented groups.

The University of Maryland is located in College Park, eight miles from the heart of Washington, DC, offering its faculty access to world-class library and archival facilities, an array of cultural institutions, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

The English Department recognizes the challenges of employees in caregiver roles and offers work-life benefits that include paid parental leave; subsidized emergency childcare; and support for dual-career couples. More information on these policies and resources can be found at: https://uhr.umd.edu/benefits/family-care/.

Minimum Qualifications:

The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, Technical Communication, or a related field by July 1, 2024.

Preferences:

For advanced assistant professor applicants, WPA experience is welcomed.

Additional Information:

Upon earning tenure, the person hired for this position would join the rotation of Language, Writing, and Rhetoric faculty who serve in fixed terms as administrators of the Academic Writing Program, Professional Writing Program, and/or Writing Center, which collectively serve over 7,000 students in writing classes and over 4,000 students in tutoring sessions each semester and were honored by the Conference on College Composition and Communication with the 2017 Writing Program Certificate of Excellence.

Experience within the digital humanities is also welcomed. The University of Maryland serves as a leading international site for digital humanities research, including both the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) and the African American Digital and Experimental Humanities Initiative (AADHum). Candidates are invited to discuss their experiences managing and/or contributing to individual or collaborative digital humanities research projects.

Application Instructions:

To assure consideration, please submit the following materials by October 6, 2023 via https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/112568:

• a letter of application
• a curriculum vitae
• a 1-page research statement
• a 1-page teaching philosophy statement, and
• a 1-page statement summarizing your leadership efforts and past or potential contributions to diversity and inclusion.

This search is contingent upon the continued availability of funds.

Diversity Statement:

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.