Assistant Professor of English (Writing Studies and Rhetoric and Composition)

Position Title Assistant Professor of English (Writing Studies and Rhetoric and Composition) About the University Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, on the stolen lands of the Lummi Nation and the Nooksack Tribe. This coastal community of 90,000 overlooks Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report rankings. Learn about Western's commitment and ongoing work in the areas of Accessibility, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at https://www.wwu.edu/diversity. About the Department The English Department has 35 tenure-line faculty members and offers BA programs in Creative Writing and Literature, with or without a secondary teaching endorsement, an MFA program in Creative Writing, and an MA program in English Studies. Our MFA/MA students teach nearly all of our First Year Writing courses. The department also offers minors, including those in Professional Writing, Literacies, and Rhetoric, as well as Film Studies. The English Department supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity. Learn more about the English Department at https://chss.wwu.edu/english. About the Position

The Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Writing Studies and Rhetoric and Composition beginning September 16th, 2025. We seek candidates who can contribute in inventive ways to the department’s First Year Writing program, our writing studies courses, and our professional writing, literacy, and rhetoric minor.  We seek candidates who have demonstrated scholarly and pedagogical knowledge in the broad area of Rhetoric and Composition as it pertains to writing program administration, cultural rhetorics, and the literacies of diverse student populations.

The successful candidate will have the departmental standard 2-2-2 quarter teaching assignment, which will be comprised of specialty courses in the candidate's area(s) of expertise at the undergraduate and M.A. levels, as well as general education courses and other courses depending on the candidate’s interests and departmental needs. When a candidate serves as Director of Composition/WPA, they will have a 1-1-1 quarter teaching assignment.  While the candidate is serving as Director of Composition, one of the courses in their 1-1-1 load will be our teaching practicum for our new graduate teachers. Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. or ABD at time of application in Rhetoric and Composition, English, or a related field. If ABD, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15th of the first year of employment (e.g., for a September 2025 start date, all degree requirements must be completed by June 15, 2026).

• Evidence of potential for success and interest in serving as the Director of the First Year Writing Program (WPA)

• Demonstrated experience and excellence in undergraduate teaching

• Demonstrated potential for strong research and publication in relevant fields

• Strong expertise in at least one of the following: WPA, cultural rhetorics, public rhetorics, or digital literacies

• Experience cultivating learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of students with diverse social identities, literacies, and backgrounds

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to and experience in WPA and writing program development

• Secondary area of expertise (for instance, critical rhetorics of race, indigenous/First Nations/Native American rhetorics, 2SLGBTQIA+ rhetorics, feminisms, or institutional/organizational critique

• Demonstrated achievements in the areas of culturally responsive teaching and anti-racist pedagogy

• Demonstrated use of social and emerging media to create engaging and evolving writing assignments, methods