Assistant Professor Of Professional/Workplace Writing With Specialization In Social Media

Position Rank and Title:Assistant Professor ofProfessional/Workplace Writing with Specializationin Social Media (Tenure-track)

School/Department Name: English and Comparative Literature

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $ 85,000 - $90,000. See Benefits Summary for details about the CSU's excellent employment benefits.

Target Start Date: August, 2024

Application Deadline: December 1, 2023

Position Description

The Department of English and Comparative Literature at San Jose State University seeks an Assistant Professor to teach advanced writing courses; to develop and teach courses in Social Media, workplace writing, editing for writers, and other areas related to writing for professional publication; and to contribute to and work with other writing faculty and administrators in a multi-faceted, comprehensive writing program. Preferred: Experience and expertise in current workplace writing practices and technology (graphics, audio, and video), including production, content management, and digital publishing tools. Workplace/industry experience highly desirable. Successful applicants would teach in a large department that includes First Year Writing, our BA concentrations in English, Teacher Prep, Creative Writing, Professional and Technical Writing, and graduate MA and MFA programs in Literature and Creative Writing. 

The successful candidate would be joining a department whose diverse students and faculty produce an award-winning student-run journal that is the oldest literary magazine west of the Mississippi, Reed Magazine; oversee the Center for Literary Arts, a speaker series which brings a continually changing array of the best of contemporary creative writers to campus a half dozen times a year; support the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies which in turn oversees the Steinbeck Fellows, a residency program for creative writers as well as a scholarship program for graduate students; run a vast range of interdisciplinary events and programming funded by our college's Artistic Excellence Programming Grants; work with the Lurie Visiting Author, a Creative Writer chosen each year to join us as a faculty member for a semester; and focus on empowering students from a variety socioeconomic backgrounds to claim careers in education, tech and other industries. Our university will also be the site for a new NEH-funded Digital Humanities Center next Fall.  Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SJSU educates a large number of alumni who go on to work at companies whose technology shapes the national and international discourse.  It is thus imperative that our students are prepared with the critical thinking and writing skills needed to take on transformative roles in our society.

The Department of English and Comparative Literature and San Jose State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university's commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San Jose State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D in a field such as Professional and Technical Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, or English
• Ability and interest in teaching courses in writing for Social Media and other areas relevant to a growing program in Professional and Technical Writing
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  

Preferred Qualifications 

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Industry experience in technical and/or professional writing.
• Experience teaching or working in digital writing and rhetoric; editing; technical communication; multimodal composition; and new media
• Interest and ability in teaching and mentoring students who may be focused on a variety of fields that our large department covers, including First Year Writing, our BA concentrations in English, Teacher Prep, Creative Writing, Professional and Technical Writing, and graduate MA and MFA programs in Literature and Creative Writing as well students from across the college.

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will teach and develop classes in our Professional and Technical Writing Program and potentially contribute elsewhere in the department or college curriculum such as teaching for our Journalism Department or our Humanities Marketing internship class (HA 187).
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity - in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation - through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies and advisement.
  

Other Duties

Note that all San Jose State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• diversity statement (2 pages or less)
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy (2 pages or less)
• research plans (2 pages or less)
• three reference letters

Inquiries may be directed to the Department Chair: Noelle Brada-Williams at English@sjsu.edu

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position is located in the State of California and requires commuting to the campus. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San Jose State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley - one of the most innovative regions in the world - San Jose State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San Jose State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San Jose State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San Jose State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San Jose State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.