Assistant Professor - Law, Politics, and Public Discourse - Department of Rhetoric

Assistant Professor
- Law, Politics, and Public Discourse
- Department of Rhetoric

The Department of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Law, Politics, and Public Discourse, with an expected start date of July 1, 2027.

The Department seeks applications from candidates with an active research agenda in the interdisciplinary study of law and/or politics. The position is open to applicants whose research and teaching critically engage with the rhetoric and traditions of politics and political thought, legal thought, legal history, law & humanities, and/or sociolegal studies. The position is open in terms of specialization, historical period, and geographical area.

We especially welcome candidates whose research in law and/or politics contributes to the Department's historical and existing strengths in aesthetics, gender and sexuality, religion, science and technology, and the environment. Applicants should demonstrate evidence of a strong humanistic and/or theoretical research agenda and excellent scholarly potential in areas that complement the interdisciplinary profile of the Department. Responsibilities include teaching graduate seminars and undergraduate courses in the Department's Public Discourse concentration, mentoring graduate students in the Ph.D. program, and participating in departmental and campus life.

Rhetoric is a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary department distinguished by its ongoing interrogation of existing and emerging fields of knowledge at their boundaries. While the Department is open to all disciplines in the humanities and the humanistic social sciences, it strongly values theoretical approaches that cross conventional disciplinary divisions. For more information about Rhetoric, visit Home | Rhetoric.

The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit the Office for Faculty Equity and Welfare

Basic qualifications (required at time of application):
PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application

Preferred qualifications:

evidence of a strong research agenda and excellent scholarly potential, research, and teaching that complement existing strengths in the Department of Rhetoric, and the ability to teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Candidates should demonstrate broad competence in their home disciplines. Candidates should also demonstrate an understanding of the Department's multi- and interdisciplinary profile and be prepared to teach, mentor, and contribute to the life of the Department in a wide range of scholarly areas and interests.

The Department welcomes research profiles that may include international collaborations, public scholarship, creative work, or other modes of intellectual and institutional labor. Completion of the PhD (or equivalent international degree) by the start date of the position is strongly preferred.

Application Requirements

Document requirements:

• Curriculum Vitae
  - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
  - Up to 2 pages.
• Research Statement
  - Up to 2 pages. Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans.
• Statement of Teaching, Mentoring, and Service
  - Up to 2 pages. Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, future teaching interests, and mentoring experience and approach.
• Writing Sample
  - One writing sample, which may be work in progress, a recent publication, or an excerpt from a dissertation. 25-30 pages, double-spaced.
• Authorization to Release Information Form
  - An institutional reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer.

Reference requirements: 3 letters of reference required