Assistant Teaching Professor of Communication and Media

The Department of Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies at the University of California, Merced invites applications for an Assistant Teaching Professor, security of employment track, which is analogous to tenure, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025. We seek applicants with teaching interests in a wide variety of areas, especially those who can teach multiple required undergraduate courses that might include Introduction to Communication, Research Methods, Small Group Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Media Campaigns, Writing for Media, Professional and Technical Writing, Media Production, and a capstone course for majors. The ideal candidate will blend media theory and practice in one or more mass media contexts, for example strategic communication, journalism, technical and professional writing (such as writing for social media and for media campaigns), or transmedia. Candidates should value collaboration and interdisciplinarity.

Candidates with teaching experience in any substantive areas are encouraged to apply, but we seek applicants that can offer a breadth of courses and demonstrate past teaching effectiveness. The successful candidate will be expected to primarily teach at the undergraduate level and mentor students and graduate instructors. The successful candidate must be committed to equity and inclusion, be an excellent teacher, and be able to work with students, faculty, staff and community partners from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. We are particularly interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their teaching, professional activity, and service. The Assistant Teaching Professor title in the University of California System confers the rights and responsibilities of membership in the Academic Senate and is eligible for Security of Employment (tenure analogous). The typical workload for 9-month academic year appointees in the Teaching Faculty series is 20% research, 60% teaching, and 20% service. Appointees in the Teaching Professors series typically teach 5 courses per academic year.

The Department of Global Arts, Media, and Writing Studies specializes in wide-ranging interdisciplinary research on human expressive culture. We emphasize synergies between writing, media, and arts in their historical, sociocultural, and political contexts. This department focuses especially on how written, aural, and visual technologies and products shape communications, and how creativity and knowledge are produced and managed. We embody the value of the arts in human social life in historical and contemporary contexts. The next stage in our growth includes the development and implementation of an undergraduate program in Communication and Media to meet the needs of California's undergraduate population. Our current search is therefore broad, and we seek a colleague with demonstrated excellence in teaching undergraduate students, as well as research in any substantive area of Communication. This Assistant Teaching Professor position will collaborate with two additional faculty of Communication and Media hired in AY 24-25 to build this new program.

This is a unique opportunity to join the faculty at the newest University of California campus, where we are building a world class faculty and have the opportunity to work with a wonderfully diverse and engaged undergraduate and graduate student population.

For questions about these positions, please contact Jayson Beaster-Jones (jbeaster-jones@ucmerced.edu) or Susan Varnot (svarnot@ucmerced.edu).

Department: https://ssha.ucmerced.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/majors/gasp

* Minimum Qualifications: Candidates must have a PhD in Communication or a closely related field in hand by the position start date.

* Have a record of teaching excellence;

* Demonstrate evidence of the ability to teach undergraduate communication coursework, particularly using student-focused or student-centered approaches;

* Demonstrate interest in working with students from diverse backgrounds.

• 3 letters of reference required

Please enter the names and contact information for three references to provide letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation will be solicited after finalists have been identified.

The University of California, Merced, is the newest of the University of California system's 10 campuses. With over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students (https://cie.ucmerced.edu/analytics-hub/student-statistics), UC Merced is committed to interdisciplinary excellence in research and teaching as well as to diversity, equity and inclusion. Ranked as one of the best public universities in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, UC Merced provides outstanding educational opportunities to highly qualified students from the heart of California, the nation, and abroad. The campus has special connections to nearby Yosemite National Park; is on the cutting edge of sustainability in construction and design; and supports the economic development of Central California. The Merced 2020 Project doubled the physical capacity of the campus, and enhanced academic distinction, student success, and research excellence (https://merced2020.ucmerced.edu/).

The University of California, Merced is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

Please refer to the University of California's Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. This includes the University of California Policy on Vaccination Programs: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/5000695/VaccinationProgramsPolicy.