National Search: Assistant Professor in Rhetoric and Writing Studies

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Assistant Professor of English – Rhetoric and Writing Studies

Western Michigan University invites applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of English (Rhetoric and Writing Studies), starting August 2011, pending budgetary approval.

Major Responsibilities: Teach in support of the Rhetoric and Writing Studies undergraduate program, including the Practical Writing major/minor. Additional opportunities may include course and graduate program development, support of the first-year and developmental writing programs, and participation in appropriate department and university committees. Special consideration will be given to candidates with research and teaching interests in new media, digital literature, and teaching with technologies. 

Qualifications: Required: Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing Studies or closely related area (e.g., composition studies, professional communication); a record of research and successful college teaching, including courses in rhetoric and writing studies; experience with digital technologies to support writing instruction. Desirable: Interest in developing curricula; supporting the university’s strategic vision of fostering investigations within areas such as diversity, environment/sustainability, and community writing through the development of pedagogical activities, interdisciplinary collaborative projects and grants, and community outreach; and administering first-year writing and developmental English programs.

The University: Western Michigan University is a dynamic, student-centered research university with an enrollment of 25,000. WMU is focused on delivering high-quality undergraduate instruction, advancing its growing graduate division and fostering significant research activities.  The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching places WMU among the 76 public institutions in the nation designated as research universities with high research activity. U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of American colleges and universities includes WMU as one of the nation’s top-100 public universities.

The Department: The Department of English consists of 40 board-appointed, full-time faculty. It currently educates approximately 600 majors and 250 minors in Practical Writing, Creative Writing, English Education, Language & Literature, and it offers M.A., M.F.A, and Ph.D. degrees and enrolls well over 100 graduate students. For full information please visit: www.wmich.edu/english.

Salary: Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, with an excellent benefits package.

Expected Start Date: August 2011

Application Deadline: March 4, 2011

Required Application Documents:

Applicants must visit WMU’s Human Resources site at http://www.wmich.edu/hr/careers-at-wmu.htm to apply and submit through the site a letter of application, curriculum vitae, graduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation and, if available, summary teaching evaluations. Materials that cannot be submitted electronically at the Human Resources site should be sent in hardcopy to: Dr. Richard Utz, Chair, Department of English, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5331.

Western Michigan University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer consistent with applicable federal and state law. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.