Assistant Professor of Critical Game Studies

Posting Information

Department

Department English and Comp Literature - 311500

Posting Open Date

Posting Open Date 10/01/2026

Final date to receive applications

Final date to receive applications 11/30/2026

Open Until Filled No

Position Type

Position Type Permanent Faculty

Working Title

Working Title Assistant Professor of Critical Game Studies

Appointment Type

Vacancy

Vacancy

Full-time/Part-time

Full-time/Part-time Full-Time Permanent

Hours per week 40

FTE

FTE 1

Position Location

Position Location North Carolina, US

Hiring Range

Hiring Range Commensurate with education/experience

Proposed Start Date

Proposed Start Date 07/01/2027

The Department of English and Comparative Literature in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is looking for an applicant who engages with Critical Game Studies methods and scholarship in their teaching and research. Candidates should utilize interdisciplinary humanities approaches for analyzing, participating, and creating in games studies.

We welcome approaches that engage in games studies’ major intellectual strands, such as game narratives and narrative critique, game aesthetics, ludology, critical making, design, technology studies, or the rhetoric of games and gaming.

We seek candidates who are confident in producing cross-disciplinary, collaborative, and experimental games research. A record of research and publication will show the ability to translate hands‑on work into theoretically informed and peer‑recognized scholarship. Facility with interdisciplinary work will be evident through expertise in multiple areas of study and the creative combination of approaches.

Our department offers a wide variety of courses in game studies, and we are looking for candidates who are well prepared to teach in our current curriculum, as well as contribute to its ongoing development in this emerging field.

Candidates will also mentor undergraduate and graduate students in critical game studies and, if relevant, their secondary fields of expertise. Strong evidence of leadership and participation in game studies programs and initiatives will show a collaborative model for academic work. Public outreach, the sharing of resources, and community building will demonstrate generosity and engagement.

Candidates who apply for this position should demonstrate the traits described above and have a significant investment in critical game studies. They will work regularly with hands‑on games studies methods, have a strong record of collaboration and working across disciplinary areas, and read and produce critical game studies scholarship. They may also have expertise in a complementary area of interest that would find a home in a department of English and comparative literature.

Our department strengths include literary studies; film and media; rhetoric and composition; creative writing; digital humanities;
Latina/o studies; and health humanities. We also seek to grow in areas of environmental humanities; disability studies; and new media studies.

The Department of English and Comparative Literature is committed to hiring an exceptional teacher/scholar who brings energy and a fresh perspective to their research, pedagogy, and service and who is ready to teach in our Critical Game Studies program. We seek candidates who can contribute to UNC’s academic mission as a public institution, especially through commitment to diversity of perspective, intercultural understanding, and engagement with local resources and communities.

We encourage candidates to consult our website to learn about the Department’s curriculum, values, and mission. Candidates…