Tenure Track Junior Faculty Position in Communication and Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Language, Literature and Communication

The Department of Language, Literature and Communication seeks a strong scholar/researcher in communication and technology. We are especially interested in candidates whose focus complements faculty strengths in games studies, human-computer interaction, or new media studies from the perspective of current communication theory and research methods. Candidates are expected to develop a substantial program of research leading to peer-reviewed publication and external funding. Teaching opportunities will be at the undergraduate and graduate level with the typical teaching load set at two courses per semester. Our flexible program allows faculty to devise and teach courses related to individual scholarly interests. The candidate should show evidence of strong promise in teaching and scholarship.

They are particularly interested in applicants who are focused on game research, to teach in our new Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences program, and to conduct research in the Games Research Center in the Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory.

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to a multidisciplinary mission in communication in technologically mediated contexts that draws upon communication studies, human-computer interaction, digital rhetoric, technical communication, new media studies, and graphic design. The department has just added a joint B.S. in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences and an M.S. in Human Computer Interaction to a program portfolio that includes one of the top-ranked Ph.D.’s in Communication and Rhetoric in the country and a joint B.S. in Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication. The department also makes substantial contributions to teaching in a B.S. and M.S. in Information Technology. Faculty and students have access to the Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory (http://www.sbrl.rpi.edu) and other Institute research facilities. More information about the department is available at http://www.llc.rpi.edu.

Rensselaer was named one of the “New Ivies” by the 2007 Kaplan/Newsweek “How to Get into College Guide," a list of elite colleges whose first-rate academic programs, combined with a population boom in top students, have fueled their rise in stature and favor among the nation’s top students, administrators, and faculty ¬ edging them to a competitive status rivaling the Ivy League. Rensselaer is a U.S. News and World Report top-50 university with approximately 5000 undergraduate and 2500 graduate students. It is located in the emerging "Tech Valley" region of the Hudson River Valley with New York City, Boston, and Montreal only a few hours away. The region is known for its quality of life. Outdoor recreation opportunities in the Adirondack and Berkshire Mountains are only an hour or so away. The area boasts affordable Victorian architecture and is a cultural center for the arts. When it opens in October, 2008, Rensselaer’s EMPAC ¬ the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center ¬ will provide unsurpassed facilities for creative exploration and for research linking art and technology.

Appointment begins August 15, 2008. Review of applications will begin October 1, 2007 and will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Application letter, current c.v., writing samples, evidence of teaching excellence, and three letters of recommendation should be sent in hardcopy to:

James P. Zappen, Search Committee Chair
Department of Language, Literature, and Communication
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180
Email: zappenj@rpi.edu
Telephone: (518) 276-8117
Fax: (518) 276- 4092