Professor of British​/Anglophone Literature

The Department of English at Occidental College invites applications for a tenure‐track Open Rank, Professor of British/Anglophone Literature with appointment to begin August 2027.

The English Department is searching for a new colleague in British/Anglophone Literature. The specialization is open, though the department is especially interested in the fields of Long Eighteenth Century, the History of the Novel, Romanticism, British Modernism, Contemporary Global Anglophone literature. We welcome a range of methodologies that practice close reading, examine literary form, and attend to literary history. The new hire will offer courses in Modern British Literature, from its 18th-century origins to its 21st-century manifestations.

This will include ENGL 288:
Modern British Traditions, as well as other courses at the 100, 200, and 300 levels in their area(s) of specialization. In addition, the new hire will teach required seminar courses that rotate among members of the department, including ENGL 290:
Literary Methods, the ENGL 390:
Junior Seminar and ENGL 490:
Senior Seminar. We are particularly interested in courses that would meet College Core requirements or would engage with the city and communities of Los Angeles. As necessary, the new hire will contribute to the First Year Seminar program, which focuses on writing and community‑engagement. The new hire will also have the opportunity to mentor undergraduate researchers in Oxy’s renowned Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

The new hire will have an active research agenda, producing scholarship that is commensurate with their rank. Finally, the new hire will participate in the life and development of the department, advise students, and serve on broader college-wide committees.

The Department of English studies literature to develop our critical and creative potential in a nation and world going through drastic changes. We embrace the view that historically, geographically, and culturally grounded readings of literature deepen its aesthetic value. Literature continues to be a wellspring for other creative mediums (including television, film, music, visual art, performance art, and beyond). We also introduce our students to archival research in Occidental’s special collections as well as other libraries and archives in Southern California.

Our students embrace literature’s role in nourishing their critical and creative potential. Every English major researches and writes their own critical analysis of a literary work in their Senior Comprehensive Project. In recent years, students have taken up a range of topics for their Senior Comprehensive, including Gothic literature, Margaret Atwood’s fiction, Eco literature, Toni Morrison’s fiction, Ekphrastic Poetry, Anticolonial Literature, the relationship between Literature and Gaming, and Reginald Shepherd’s Elegies.

Our students who take on the creative writing emphasis have published poetry chapbooks, children’s literature, and short fiction. English majors and minors comprise the majority of the editorial collective that publishes The Oz, Occidental’s literary magazine that features short fiction, poetry, experimental writing, and visual art from students across campus. Our students have also made their mark across Los Angeles, from interning with the Los Angeles Review of Books to volunteering in mutual aid projects.

Our graduates go on to work in independent publishing, education, marketing, and law, among other fields. Our faculty are committed teacher‑scholars who bring critical inquiry and discovery into the classroom. They establish themselves as exceptional researchers and practitioners in their fields and they provide departmental and college‑wide service, as well as service to…