Associate / Full Professor of Race, Media, and Communication

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Description

The Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst seeks to build on our 50-year tradition of critical and community-engaged media and communication research with this hire in the area of race, media, and communication studies. We are looking for an Associate / Full Professor with a record of intellectual leadership and engaged scholarship examining the politics of race in media and communication, communication and racial justice, and/or race and representation in popular culture. We seek a colleague who can advance our department's mission to center issues of racial justice in communication research, collaborate with our diverse and international faculty and students, and extend our core strengths in critical cultural studies and media and communication studies. The Department of Communication is one of the most internationally diverse faculty in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

Of particular interest are candidates who draw from critical bodies of theory and epistemologies of Black, Latino/a/x, Asian, Indigenous, and Ethnic Studies when studying media, communication, and racial politics in the United States. We also welcome candidates who draw from intersectional perspectives of feminist, queer, and postcolonial theory and those who study racial politics in transnational perspective. We are open to diverse methodological approaches and community engaged scholarship. 

Particular areas of expertise may include (but are not limited to) the following: 

• Race and representation in film, television, and social media
• Systemic racism in media, creative, and tech industries
• Racial equity and critical data studies
• Racial justice narratives, digital activism, and strategic communication of social movements
• Black digital cultures, creativity, and media-making
• Queer and transgender politics of race
• Race and Blackness in performance studies
• Race and racial discrimination in health communication
• Mediated solidarities, joy, and conflicts between/among communities of color
• Racially targeted disinformation, hate, and digital harms 
• Race and mediated communication in geopolitics
• Postcolonial and decolonial studies, and transnational and diasporic media
• Critical approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion in media and communication studies

Requirements

The candidate is expected to have a PhD in Communication or related fields.

This is a mid-career or senior-level position, and the candidate will be reviewed for tenure during their first year of appointment. They are expected to have at least 5 years experience in a tenure-track professorship post in Communication or related fields, with a record of excellence in research, teaching, and outreach. A successful record of leadership in grant-funded projects is desirable. 

Additional information

The position will begin on Sept. 1, 2023.

Applicant instructions

Candidates should submit the following materials: 

1. Cover letter addressed to Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong, Chair of the Search Committee, Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
2. CV.
3. Three writing samples.
4. Evidence of teaching effectiveness.
5. Names and contact information of three academic references.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to write a tailor-fit statement about their experiences with and expectations from university diversity and inclusion initiatives and submit this to the Chair prior to the campus visit. 

Shortlisted candidates will also be asked to provide materials that demonstrate the candidate's eligibility and qualifications to show they meet the criteria and the standards for tenure at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. https://www.umass.edu/provost/resources/all-resources/academic-personnel/policy-and-labor-contracts/academic-personnel-policy-red

Review of applications will begin October 20, 2022, and will continue until the position is filled. For inquiries about the post and the application process, contact Search Committee Chair Dr. Jonathan Corpus Ong at jcong@umass.edu. 

Application can be found at: https://secure.dc4.pageuppeople.com/apply/822/gateway/Default.aspx?c=apply&sJobIDs=515198&SourceTypeID=801&sLanguage=en-us

The University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Because broad diversity is essential to an inclusive climate and critical to the University's goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will holistically assess the many qualifications of each applicant and favorably consider an individual's record working with students and colleagues with broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities. We will also favorably consider experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career and degree.