Assistant Professor of Communication Studies (Rhetorical Theory and Criticism)

Position: Assistant Professor of Communication Studies (Rhetorical Theory and Criticism)
Effective Date: August 18, 2025 (Fall Semester)
Salary: The Assistant Professor (Academic Year) classification salary is $74,652 to $158,688/per year.  The anticipated hiring range is $86,000 to $90,000. Salary offered is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
Application Deadline: Review of applications to begin November 25, 2024. Position opened until filled (or recruitment canceled).

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). It also earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia in 2023, joining a distinctive group of colleges and universities who have been recognized for its commitment to Latine/x student success. CSULB is committed to serving diverse students and has established and actively supports the Black Excellence Collegium, dedicated to promoting Black excellence and advancing Black Student Success, and El Concilio for Latinx Success at the Beach, whose mission is to build capacity and promote inclusive servingness across initiatives and efforts towards Latine/x student, faculty, and staff success across campus. The President’s Equity & Change Commission is dedicated to achieving inclusive excellence in our community and culture and to interrogate, disrupt, and transform systemic inequities throughout the university. CSULB’s Beach 2030 University Action Plans prioritize engaging all students; expanding access to higher education; promoting intellectual achievement; building community; and cultivating resilience.

College of Liberal Arts
Department of Communication Studies

Required Qualifications:             

• Ph.D. in Communication at time of application or official notification of completion of the doctoral degree by August 1, 2025.  


• Demonstrated potential or evidence of excellence in teaching at the college level 


• Demonstrated potential or evidence of an ongoing, successful record of research, scholarly and creative activities, and publication 


• Demonstrated potential or evidence of a research agenda that employs rhetorical methodologies


• Ability to teach courses in rhetorical theory and/or criticism and GE oral communication courses


• Demonstrated commitment to working successfully with a diverse student population, including Black/African American, Latine/x, Native American/Indigenous, low-income, first-generation, and minoritized students

Preferred Qualifications:                            

• Experience teaching writing intensive courses 


• A commitment to engaging students outside of the classroom through mentoring, internship supervision, program development, career guidance, and/or service learning 


• Expertise in any of the following areas: Black and/or African American rhetoric, disability rhetoric/rhetoric of disability; intersectional rhetoric; Latinx/Latine, de-colonial, and/or indigenous rhetoric; queer rhetoric; critical rhetoric of race/racialized rhetoric.


• Experience of successfully working with populations demographically and/or socioeconomically similar to the CSULB student body


• Experience supporting students with minoritized identities or experience using inclusive and culturally relevant teaching strategies in a diverse higher education classroom

NOTICE: Applicants with other research agendas in rhetoric are also encouraged to apply. 

Duties:                                     

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in rhetorical criticism and rhetorical theory, as well as courses in the candidate’s area of expertise. [Mode of instruction may include in-person, hybrid, online, and/or any combination thereof.]


• Engage in a systematic program of scholarship resulting in research, scholarship, and creative activities. CSULB recognizes and values research, scholarship, and creative activities (RSCA) across a continuum of diverse forms which create, apply, or expand knowledge or skills benefiting professional, local, state, national, or international communities. RSCA involves peer review and the dissemination of products and findings.


• Advise and direct students in academic projects and scholarly activities


• Participate in service to department, college, university, and community

CSULB seeks to recruit faculty who enthusiastically support the University’s strong commitment to the academic success of all of our students, including students of color, students with disabilities, students who are first generation to college, veterans, students with diverse socio-economic backgrounds, and students of diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions. CSULB seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the People of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students a rich variety of expertise, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

Information on excellent benefits package available to CSULB faculty is located here: CSU Employee Benefits

How to Apply - Required Documentation:                                         

• An Equity and Diversity Statement about your teaching or other experiences, successes, and challenges in working with a diverse student population (maximum two pages, single-spaced). For further information and guidelines, please visit: Equity and Diversity Statement


• Letter of application addressing the required and preferred qualifications


• CV


• Names and contact information for three references (to be contacted for confidential letters of recommendation should you reach the semi-finalist stage)


• Teaching portfolio: 1) Teaching philosophy, 2) Evidence of teaching effectiveness (i.e. teaching evaluations), and 3) Course syllabus sample


• Finalists should be prepared to submit an official transcript (e-transcript preferred, if available).

How to Apply: Click Apply Now icon to complete the CSULB online application.

Requests for information and process should be addressed to:

Jennifer Asenas, Department Chair
California State University, Long Beach
Department of Communication Studies
1250 Bellflower Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90840

(562) 985-7679 or E-Mail: Jennifer.asenas@csulb.edu

Requests for information about the position should be addressed to:

Stephanie Hartzell, Associate Professor

stephanie.hartzell@csulb.edu

EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS:

A background check (including a criminal record check and telephone reference check with most recent employer) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 Revised July 21, 2017 as a condition of employment.

Pursuant to the California State University (CSU) Out-of-State Employment Policy, hiring employees to perform CSU-related work outside of California is prohibited effective January 1, 2022. By prohibiting employment outside of California, the CSU also prohibits hiring and retaining employees working permanently from a business location outside of the United States. Exceptions to the Policy are limited to approved and documented purposes for conducting CSU business outside of California.

CSU Vaccination Policy
The CSU strongly recommends that all individuals who access any in-person program or activity (on- or off-campus) operated or controlled by the University follow the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations adopted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) applicable to their age, medical condition, and other relevant indications and comply with other safety measures established by each campus. 

Additionally, per the CSU COVID19 Vaccination Policy, all faculty, staff, administrators, and students who are accessing campus facilities are recommended to receive immunization against COVID 19 but are not required to be vaccinated at this time. The systemwide COVID19 questions may be sent to fahr@csulb.edu.

CSULB is committed to creating a community in which a diverse population can learn, live, and work in an atmosphere of tolerance, civility and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual, without regard to race or ethnicity (including color or ancestry), nationality, religion or religious creed, gender (or sex), gender identity (including transgender), gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), medical condition, genetic information, age, veteran or military status. CSULB is an Equal Opportunity Employer.