Assistant/Associate Professor of Communication: Film, Video, and Media Studies Position

Position Summary

The School of Communication at Western Michigan University invites applications for a full-time tenure track Assistant/Associate Professor of Communication, to begin August 2022. The successful candidate will maintain a nationally recognized research and/or creative activities program, teach both broadcast/digital media production and critical media/film studies courses in their areas(s) of expertise, mentor undergraduate and graduate students, engage in curriculum development, and participate in departmental and college committees. The ability to teach foundation courses is also expected. Other responsibilities include developing and maintaining industry relationships.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Journalism, Media/Film Studies, Mass Communication, Communication or a related discipline (ABDs are eligible for consideration but are required to complete their degree requirements by August 5, 2022). Ideal candidates will provide evidence of strong potential to develop and maintain a nationally recognized program of critical/cultural media scholarship addressing the intersections of race/class/gender, including, but not limited to, issues surrounding media/film representation, implicit bias, algorithmic bias, systemic inequality, social movements and activism, and/or transnational and diasporic media. We welcome multiple theoretical and methodological approaches. The preferred applicant is a scholar/maker with the ability to teach media/film studies courses as well as hands-on broadcasting and digital multimedia production informed by critical and cultural theory. Candidates with broadcast or digital video production activity or teaching that demonstrate a commitment to social justice issues, are especially encouraged to apply. Prior industry experience is a plus. The successful candidate will demonstrate a record of contributions or a commitment to integrating inclusivity and equity into their scholarship, teaching, service, or student mentoring.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will maintain a nationally recognized research and/or creative activities program, teach both broadcast/digital media production and media/film studies courses in their areas(s) of expertise, mentor undergraduate and graduate students, engage in curriculum development, and participate in departmental and college committees. The ability to teach foundation courses is also expected. Other responsibilities include developing and maintaining industry relationships. Tenure Track and Tenured faculty in the School of Communication have historically and currently teach a 2/3 teaching load. If one of the courses is a large lecture, this teaching load can become a 2/2.

General Summary

University

We would like to recognize that Western Michigan University is located on lands historically occupied by Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations. Please take a moment to acknowledge and honor this ancestral land of the Three Fires Confederacy, the sacred lands of all indigenous peoples and their continued presence

Western Michigan University (WMU), located in Southwest Michigan, is a vibrant, nationally recognized student-centered research institution with an enrollment of more than 19,000. WMU delivers high-quality undergraduate instruction, has a strong graduate division, and fosters significant research activities. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has placed WMU among the 76 public institutions in the nation designated as research universities with high research activities. Western Michigan University is a globally engaged university that promotes success for learners at all levels and stands out among America’s more than 4,600 public and private degree-granting colleges and universities.

This hiring coincides with ongoing anti-racism efforts at the university focused on creating an inclusive environment and equitable structures for hiring, teaching, learning and research. These include the Racial Justice Advisory Committee, which is charged with making recommendations to address systemic racism on campus, and the president’s Mountaintop Initiative, a $2 million fund to advance these recommendations, as well as other proposals from the WMU community.  Western Michigan University also recently received a $550 million endowed, multi-year Empowering Futures Gift, which will fund many projects and initiatives that aim to break down the barriers created by historic inequities. The Empowering Futures Gift is the largest gift for a public institution of higher education in U.S. history.

INSIGHT into Diversity consistently honors WMU for its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Military Times ranks WMU among the best institutions for veterans, and WMU is the only Michigan school to appear on all nine years of its annual Best for Vets list.

U.S. Department of State data shows that WMU was No. 6 among producers of American Fulbright Scholars in 2016-17.

WMU operates the nation’s largest and most comprehensive collegiate support program for former foster-care youth and is an international model for teaching, research, learning, and public service related to foster care and higher education.

Washington Monthly ranked WMU first in the state of Michigan on its impact on alumni earnings 10 years after graduation.

Department

The School of Communication at Western Michigan University embraces the philosophy of engaged scholarship – a philosophy that grounds our theory and research in a practical effort to make an impact on our personal relationships, organizations, communities, society, and the global community. We have a nationally recognized master’s program and 16 tenured/tenure-track faculty who have national and international research and creative activity records and who are actively engaged in student mentoring. Our graduate program engages students in public scholarship, providing transparent criteria for student success, and employs the best practices such as teamwork, interdisciplinary approaches, and mentoring. Our undergraduate curriculum serves approximately 500 students in five majors, including Communication Studies; Digital Media and Journalism; Film, Video, and Media Studies; Interpersonal Communication; and Strategic Communication – and 200 students in three minors: Communication, User-Experience/Human-Computer Interaction (UX/HCI), and Journalism. This position coincides with a multi-million-dollar renovation of Dunbar Hall, to include a highly visible broadcast production space ideal for live news and sports shows, interviews with visiting scholars, professionals, or alumni, chroma key, photography shoots, or other performance-based activities.

The School of Communication is committed to the University’s strategic direction on inclusive excellence and equity and actively works to promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive University culture to ensure social sustainability and accessibility. We strongly encourage applications from candidates in underrepresented groups, with disabilities, multilingual candidates, and those with a passion for inclusion, accessibility, and related themes.

In support of the School of Communication’s commitment to scholarly and creative activity, the successful candidate will enjoy many opportunities to develop their research and/or production activity portfolio. Travel funding will be provided, with support for presenting at conferences, publishing in professional publications, and developing leadership experience.

College

The College of Arts and Sciences represents the foundation of learning and the academic heart of WMU. As articulated in the College of Arts and Sciences strategic plan, we are committed to fostering a community of diverse, inclusive, equitable, and globally engaged scholars, learners, and leaders.

With 23 departments and interdisciplinary schools and institutes, WMU’s largest college offers a broad range of learning opportunities and career paths for our students. CAS students are among the very top students in the country, having received very competitive awards including Goldwater Fellowships, Udall Scholarships, Boren Fellowships, and Fulbright awards, among others.

Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo is located only two and a half hours by car from Chicago and Detroit and only 45 minutes from the beaches of Lake Michigan. It is located in one of Michigan’s designated research corridors, maintaining a strong life sciences/biotech presence and supporting two leading medical centers. With 263,000 people in the greater Kalamazoo area, the community offers an array of cultural events, entertainment, and all-season recreation. The city supports a nationally recognized symphony and has earned a reputation for a vibrant community theatre and visual arts scene. Relatedly, Kalamazoo is committed to social justice, community development and the elimination of generational poverty through its Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo initiative, with structural budgetary support provided by the City of Kalamazoo’s Foundation for Excellence program. Kalamazoo also is the home of the Kalamazoo Promise, a scholarship program offered to all Kalamazoo Public School students that covers up to 100% of tuition and mandatory fees to all Michigan public (and many private) institutions of higher learning.

Compensation

Competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, with an excellent benefits package, including participation in TIAA. Opportunities exist to teach in the summer for additional compensation.

Starting Date

August 2022

Applications

Review of applications will begin December 5, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants should visit https://www.wmujobs.org/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=209191 to apply. Online applications include:
  • Curriculum vita
  • Letter of application that addresses fulfillment of qualifications and demonstrates skills, knowledge, and/or success in diversity, equity and inclusion work
  • Representative examples of research and/or portfolio of production activity
  • 3 samples of teaching materials (e.g., syllabi, assignments, prepared materials for class)
  • Unofficial copies of graduate transcripts

  • Please direct any questions to Carolyn Seaver at carolyn.seaver@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3160.

    WMU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities and all other qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.