The Department of Rhetoric & Communication Studies at the University of Richmond seeks to hire a distinguished teacher-scholar of Media Studies as the E. Claiborne Robins Chair in the Liberal Arts. This will be a tenured appointment at the rank of Full Professor or advanced Associate Professor.

The successful candidate’s research and teaching examines media from an inter- or multidisciplinary perspective. We welcome work from a variety of vantage points, including both old and new, local and global, and textual to visual to sound and digital cultures, especially those including emerging media forms and methods. Areas of focus might include media production and industry, audiences and publics, cultural identity and the politics of media, and access and equity in media production and distribution. We are particularly interested in candidates who work on one or more of the following subfields: media infrastructures, industrial conditions, code studies, platform studies and/or media technologies, in order to complement the Department’s existing offerings in media studies, rhetoric, and the digital humanities. A Ph.D. in Media Studies or a related field is required. The Department welcomes applications from scholars with transdisciplinary approaches and degrees.

Centering the University’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and thriving, the Department is committed to building pathways for undergraduate students to improve themselves and their diverse worlds through a deep understanding and use of thoughtful, ethical communication. As a bridge between the Department’s dynamic rhetoric, communication studies, and digital humanities curriculum, the successful candidate will play a leading role in developing and strengthening media studies as a dimension of the Department, attracting students with burgeoning interest in the field and its applications. As Distinguished Chair, the successful candidate will have an opportunity to develop connections to departments and interdisciplinary programs, where relevant, and the University’s growing initiative in Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

The University of Richmond is a private university located just a short drive from downtown Richmond, Virginia. Through its five schools and wide array of campus programming, the University combines the best qualities of a small liberal arts college and a large university. With nearly 4,000 students, an 8:1 student-faculty ratio, and 92% of traditional undergraduate students living on campus, the University is remarkably student-centered. We focus on preparing students “to live lives of purpose, thoughtful inquiry, and responsible leadership in a global and pluralistic society.”

The University of Richmond is committed to developing a diverse workforce and student body, and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of difference in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development, and institutional success. Our academic community strongly encourages applications that are in keeping with this commitment. For more information on Rhetoric and Communication Studies at the University of Richmond, see https://rhetoric.richmond.edu/

Applicants should apply online at http://jobs.richmond.edu and submit a cover letter and a current curriculum vitae. At a later stage in the search, candidates will be asked to provide letters of recommendation, sample syllabi, and samples of scholarly production to be submitted to the University's Human Resources department at URHR@richmond.edu.

Please address any questions about the position to the search committee chair, Nicole Maurantonio (nmaurant@richmond.edu). Review of applications begins on October 15 and continues until the position is filled.