INTRODUCTION

The Department of English at the University of Connecticut invites applications for a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor position teaching First-Year Writing courses. This position will begin on August 23, 2022, and will be located at the UConn Storrs campus.

Ideal candidates will bring to this position an engaged understanding of recent composition practices, pedagogies, and approaches, as well as experience teaching a diverse range of students who will be entering both traditional and emergent interdisciplinary areas of study. In addition to a background in composition, writing studies, active learning, Universal Design for Learning, multimodal composition, and working with multilingual students, the candidate must demonstrate engagement with recent developments in the fields of writing, rhetoric, and composition at the post-secondary level. 

As FYW instructors, the successful candidate will teach First-Year Writing courses using a recently revised curriculum that is built on an inquiry-based approach to reading, writing, and composing. In our courses, students move through the intellectual tasks of composing to develop contextually sensitive multimodal projects in response to shared and discovered texts. Instructors in FYW at UConn enact pedagogies that foster active and accessible learning in a diverse and inclusive environment.

Founded in 1881, UConn is a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution and member of the Space Grant Consortium. It is the State’s flagship institution of higher education and includes a main campus in Storrs, CT, four regional campuses throughout the state, and 13 Schools and Colleges, including a Law School in Hartford, and Medical and Dental Schools at the UConn Health campus in Farmington. The University has approximately 10,000 faculty and staff and 32,000 students, including nearly 24,000 undergraduates and over 8,000 graduate and professional students. UConn is a Carnegie Foundation R1 (highest research activity) institution, among the top 25 public universities in the nation. Through research, teaching, service, and outreach, UConn embraces diversity and cultivates leadership, integrity, and engaged citizenship in its students, faculty, staff, and alumni. UConn promotes the health and well-being of citizens by enhancing the social, economic, cultural, and natural environments of the state and beyond. The University serves as a beacon of academic and research excellence as well as a center for innovation and social service to communities. UConn is a leader in many scholarly, research, and innovation areas. Today, the path forward includes exciting opportunities and notable challenges. Record numbers of undergraduate applications and support for student success have enabled the University to become extraordinarily selective.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• Completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. in Rhetoric/Composition, English, or a closely related field by the start date of employment.
• Evidence of a strong commitment to undergraduate education in writing studies.
• Experience teaching college-level writing with graduate coursework in rhetoric and composition, linguistics, and/or second language/multilingual writing.
• Evidence of deep commitment to supporting diversity, inclusion, and equity in a higher education setting.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Evidence of engagement with current trends and best practices in writing studies and college-level writing.
• Experience teaching composition in English to students at a college or university using both in-person formats and remote learning/online platforms.

APPOINTMENT TERMS 

This is a full-time, nine-month, non-tenure-track teaching position that carries a 7-course per year teaching load with an expectation for fulfilling professional development offered through FYW.  The person holding this position reports directly to the First-Year Writing Director and the Department Head of English. The position may be renewed annually for up to a total of 3 years and is located in Storrs.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Employment of the successful candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check.

TO APPLY

Please apply online to Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/21773 and submit the following application materials:

• A cover letter,
• Curriculum vitae,
• A Diversity Statement,
• Writing sample,
• A brief portfolio of teaching materials (e.g., syllabi, assignment prompts);
• Three letters of reference.

Review of applications will begin immediately. For full consideration, online applications should be received no later than May 26, 2022.  The first round of interviews will take place either in person or as virtual meetings (usually Zoom) after June 15, 2022. For further information, please feel free to review the First-Year Writing Program website:  https://fyw.uconn.edu/ 

At the University of Connecticut, our commitment to excellence is complemented by our commitment to building a culturally diverse community.

This position will be filled subject the budgetary approval.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp.

The University of Connecticut is committed to building and supporting a multicultural and diverse community of students, faculty and staff. The diversity of students, faculty and staff continues to increase, as does the number of honors students, valedictorians and salutatorians who consistently make UConn their top choice. More than 100 research centers and institutes serve the University’s teaching, research, diversity, and outreach missions, leading to UConn’s ranking as one of the nation’s top research universities. UConn’s faculty and staff are the critical link to fostering and expanding our vibrant, multicultural and diverse University community. As an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer, UConn encourages applications from women, veterans, people with disabilities and members of traditionally underrepresented populations.