Job Details

Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Writing Studies

Position Number: 6525443
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Position Type: Liberal Arts - English and Literature

Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Writing Studies

Position Type:
Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Writing Studies

Position Type:
Regular

Salary Range:

The salary range for this position is $83,771 to $93,107, depending on the successful candidate's years of teaching experience at the college level. The position comes with generous benefits (scu.edu/hr/benefits), including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, and University contributions toward retirement. Recognizing the high cost of housing in the local area, there are two University housing assistance programs: rental assistance to ease the transition into the local housing market, and housing purchase assistance for tenure-stream faculty.

Purpose:

PURPOSE:

The Department of English at Santa Clara University, a private, Jesuit, Catholic university in Silicon Valley, invites applications for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Writing Studies, to begin fall 2026. SCU is a welcoming and inclusive community of teaching scholars whose work is grounded in the university's fundamental values. Those values, which include academic excellence, social justice and community engagement, are infused with a culture of care that defines our community-upholding the dignity of all. The university draws on the many resources of the greater Bay Area, including Silicon Valley, where we are located.

The Santa Clara University English Department includes a community of scholars, creative writers, teachers, and students who seek to understand and engage the world by activating connections among literature, cultural studies, creative writing, rhetoric, composition, technical and professional communication, and interdisciplinary inquiry. The department supports work in ethnic studies, digital media, and digital humanities, and contributes to interdisciplinary programs in these fields.

Any scholarly subspeciality in the field of Writing Studies is welcome, including: technical and professional communication, rhetoric and composition, digital/multimodal writing, multilingualism, and rhetoric of health and medicine. In keeping with Santa Clara's Jesuit mission and values, we are particularly interested in candidates whose research and/or teaching emphasizes social justice. Successful candidates must have a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and sustain an active record of publication.

The successful candidate will start on September 1, 2026 and be expected to teach, engage in scholarship and/or creative work, and do service for the department, college, and university. SCU is on the quarter system and tenure-stream faculty are expected to teach six courses per year (two each quarter), assuming they are actively engaged in scholarship or creative work.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Ph.D. or ABD in Writing Studies, Technical and Professional Communication, English or a related field by appointment start date, September 1st, 2026.

2. Strong potential for effective, high-impact, and inclusive undergraduate teaching and mentoring of a diverse undergraduate student population to advance SCU Jesuit goals of social justice

3. Demonstrated commitment to scholarly excellence, a record of recent conference presentations or publications in Writing Studies, and a clear trajectory of publication in top venues as understood in the candidate's specialized field within Writing Studies.

4. Experience with inclusive pedagogical practices that promote access and academic success for all students.

5. Familiarity with the Department's English Studies model of teaching and learning

Applicants are invited to visit the university's web site for descriptions of the university's mission, our Department, the student population we serve, and the learning opportunities we offer. Santa Clara University is committed to the strategic goal of enriching the quality of our community of scholars.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Tenure-track faculty at SCU are teaching scholars who are expected to balance teaching, research/creative work, and service. This is an in-person position. Faculty duties are governed by departmental policy and SCU's Faculty Handbook. More specifically, duties include but are not limited to the following:

TEACHING:

1. Teach lower- and upper-division courses in the major and university core curriculum, as assigned by the chair, including courses such as foundation courses for the major, courses in the candidate's areas of specialization, core writing courses (first-year and advanced writing), and new courses. On average, one-third of the annual teaching assignments will be first-year writing courses.

2. Develop new courses within the English major.

SCU is on the quarter system and a typical load is two courses per quarter assuming active engagement with research or creative work. High-quality teaching is prioritized at SCU; therefore significant faculty-student interaction is expected. The university offers many different opportunities to develop teaching skills through Faculty Development, including regular lunchtime workshops on pedagogy, teaching and technology grants, communities of practice, teaching mentors, and a scholarship of teaching and learning faculty group.

Teaching will be evaluated according to the Teaching Effectiveness Standards and Evaluation (TESE) document developed by each department. Ignatian pedagogy, a hallmark of Jesuit, Catholic universities, is based on the principle of cura personalis, that is, teaching the whole person. At Santa Clara University we define effectiveness in teaching as respectful, challenging, inclusive, engaging, and evidence based. Teaching Expectations and Academic Policies at SCU can be found here.

RESEARCH/CREATIVE WORK:

1. Develop a program of research or creative work at SCU that will result in meeting the English Department's established scholarship/creative standards. Each department has collectively created a document that outlines the standards for scholarship or creative work that lead to tenure and promotion in that department, which will be shared with candidates invited to campus.
2. The Department of English encourages faculty to involve undergraduate students in faculty research and creative work.

SCU offers significant support to early career faculty in the development of their program of research or creative work. All new faculty will be assigned mentors, placed into a cohort learning community with other new faculty, and offered faculty retreats, workshops and numerous professional development opportunities to build their programs of research/creative work.

SERVICE:

Provide effective service to the Department of English, the College of Arts and Sciences, the University and the profession through contributions other than teaching and scholarship, such as service on committees, participation in professional organizations and activities, leadership, and community service performed by virtue of professional expertise or association with the university, as appropriate to rank and experience.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Applicants should send electronic copies of the following:
1. letter of application should address the following topics: teaching philosophy, research plan that could be implemented at an institution that serves only undergraduate students in English.
2. curriculum vitae;
3. unofficial graduate transcripts;
4. contact information of three references who can provide a recommendation in the finalist stage;
5. one example of representative scholarship (e.g., published article or book chapter, dissertation chapter).

These materials should be submitted electronically through Santa Clara's Workday HR portal. Applications must be received by 5 pm PST on Monday, September 29, 2025. Candidates that advance to the next stages will be asked to provide further materials, such as sample syllabi and recent teaching evaluations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Inquiries may be sent by email to jgopp@scu.edu, Attention: English Department Search Committee for Writing Studies.

Telecommute

Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.

Work Authorization:

A foreign national who is appointed to a tenured or tenure-track faculty position is eligible for visa sponsorship assessment by Santa Clara University together with its legal counsel.

EEO Statement

Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University's equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Information about Title IX can be found at www.scu.edu/title-ix. Information about Section 504 and the ADA Coordinator can be found at https://www.scu.edu/oae/, (408) 554-4109, oae@scu.edu. Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Santa Clara University affirms its' commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the Department of Human Resources, and 408-554-5750 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at 408-554-5750 or by email at iahluwalia@scu.edu.

To view the full job posting and apply for this position, go to https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/scu/scu/job/Santa-Clara-CA/Tenure-track-Assistant-Professor-in-Writing-Studies_R6524