Assistant Professor of Communication/Rhetorical Studies - Denison University : Job Details

Description The Communication Department at Denison University is seeking a tenure-track assistant professor specializing in rhetorical studies. Successful candidates will contribute to expanding and deepening our rhetoric curriculum, offering courses concerned with the history of rhetoric, deliberative democracy, and/or ethical perspectives on rhetorical theory and performance. Candidates must also be able to teach at least one of the core courses in the department (COMM 280: Theorizing Communication and COMM 290: Research in Communication) and courses that support the University's commitment to Oral Communication across the Curriculum. Our program's commitment to the study of Communication in a liberal arts setting hinges on understanding the symbolic dynamics at play in the intersection of communication and power, culture, history, relationship(s), economics, politics, textual genres, and media. We equip students with critical thinking skills that prepare them to read and understand with nuance and attention to context, to problem solve with creativity, to research with rigor and passion for seeking truth, and to listen with an open mind and awareness of differences. We cultivate in students a love of knowledge, an understanding of how our collective meaning-making builds our worlds, and a curiosity for crafting yet-to-be-imagined realities. The preferred candidate's record of teaching will signal a colleague reflective about their teaching and committed to growing as an instructor. We seek someone to meaningfully equip, challenge, and inspire students to engage some of the most compelling questions of our current moment and to see anew the traditions that have informed the study and practice of rhetoric. Candidates demonstrating sustained investment in deep learning and genuine student engagement will be given serious consideration. Additionally, candidates should be invested in collaborating with the department and the University to consider and refine potential opportunities for public deliberation, dialogue, and inquiry across different intellectual perspectives. The teaching load for tenure-track faculty is 3/2, making Denison a supportive environment for teacher-scholars who value classroom, research excellence, and service. Our new colleague will contribute to our Department's pluralistic approaches to the study of communication, pursue teaching excellence in a rigorous undergraduate liberal arts curriculum in Communication, develop a program of research leading to peer-reviewed publication, and reflect strong commitments to departmental citizenship and university governance. Denison is a highly selective, fully residential liberal arts college enrolling approximately 2,400 students from diverse backgrounds across the nation and around the world. The college is located in the village of Granville and is part of the growing and thriving Columbus metropolitan region. Granville offers an excellent public school system and easy access to outdoor activities. Denison is committed to attracting and supporting an academically and culturally diverse faculty and is committed to providing a work and learning environment free from discrimination. Denison offers extensive support for its faculty, including an annual professional development account, competitive professional development funding, and a one-semester research leave after a successful pre-tenure review. The college also offers opportunities for student-faculty research collaboration, stipends for supervising summer-research students, and a range of workshops and mentoring programs to develop our strengths as teacher-scholars. Denison offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including tuition benefits to attend Denison or other affiliated colleges and a generous retirement contribution. Qualifications Qualified candidates will have a PhD in Communication or related field and demonstrated experience teaching rhetoric. A PhD must be in hand when the appointment begins on August 15, 2026; preference will be given to PhDs in Communication. Application Instructions Candidates must apply online by uploading all required materials to Applications not uploaded through this site will not be accepted. To apply, please upload the following: •a cover letter and curriculum vitae; •a statement of your teaching philosophy, highlighting your commitments to liberal arts education; •syllabi from two courses; •two sets of course evaluations; •a writing sample; and •names and contact information (including email addresses) of three references. Additional materials may be requested at a later date. Review of applications begins September 8, 2025. Applications submitted by October 6, 2025, will receive full consideration. The position is open until filled. Questions about the position should be directed to Dr. Jeffrey Kurtz, Department Chair (kurtz@denison edu). Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Denison University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected classes. Title IX Notice: Sex discrimination is prohibited by federal law through Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Denison does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities that it operates including admissions and employment. For Denison's official Notice of Non-Discrimination, please visit You can learn more about Title IX at Denison at Job seekers who may need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should contact the Office of Human Resources at (740) ###-#### or by email at [email protected].