Grant Title: n/a

Job Description Summary / TWC Summary:

Tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of English specializing in American Literature, Media Studies, and Popular Culture. Responsibilities include teaching specialized undergraduate and graduate courses in 19th–21st century American literature, print and digital media, popular culture, visual culture, genre studies, and cultural theory across multiple delivery modalities (face-to-face, online, evening, and/or weekend formats); advising students; maintaining an active research agenda focused on American literature, media history, popular culture, television/digital media, public humanities, or fan studies; developing interdisciplinary literature and media curriculum; and contributing to departmental, college, and university service. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to connecting literary and cultural studies with popular media practices, preparing students for careers in publishing, media, communications, education, cultural institutions, and creative industries, and expanding opportunities for students to analyze, preserve, and circulate culturally significant narratives across print and digital platforms.

Essential Duties Summary:

• Develop and deliver specialized curriculum in American literature, popular culture, print and digital media, television analysis, genre fiction, visual rhetoric, and cultural studies.
• Teach upper-level and graduate courses in American Literary History, Popular Culture Studies, Media Theory, Cultural Studies, and related areas.
• Develop courses that examine narrative across literature, television, film, comics/graphic novels, podcasts, digital platforms, fandoms, and emerging media.
• Support departmental public humanities initiatives through student-centered projects involving local literary archives, oral histories, public exhibits, community storytelling, and digital humanities.
• Contribute expertise in American literary history and popular media to initiatives documenting and preserving the cultural histories of Houston’s historic communities and beyond.
• Create opportunities for students to transform literary, historical, and popular culture research into digital archives, public exhibits, podcasts, essays, and other public-facing media projects.
• Build interdisciplinary pathways connecting English coursework with Communication, Theater, History, African American Studies, American Studies, Sociology, and Art History.
• Develop partnerships with local cultural institutions, libraries, publishers, archives, museums, media organizations, and creative-industry partners to support experiential learning and student career development.
• Maintain an active research agenda and publishing trajectory focused on American literature, popular culture, media studies, digital humanities, public humanities, or cultural studies.
• Support student success across undergraduate and graduate literature, writing, media, and humanities courses.
• Serve on departmental, college, and university committees.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

% FTE: 1.0

Hiring Range: $59,442.00-$77,275.00

Education:

Preferred:

• Ph.D. in English, American Literary Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Publishing Studies, or a closely related field, with demonstrated specialization in American literature, media, popular culture, or publishing studies.
• Candidates holding a doctoral degree in a related discipline outside of English must possess a master’s degree in English (or a closely related literary field), along with documented graduate coursework, research, or teaching specialization in American literature, media studies, popular culture, or publishing studies.

Required Licensing/Certification: None Required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Literary theory, media theory, American cultural history, popular culture studies, print culture, genre studies, and visual rhetoric.
• Historical and contemporary approaches to American literature, television, print media, digital culture, fan studies, and emerging storytelling formats.
• Contemporary digital media tools, publishing platforms, and multimedia archives used in literary and cultural studies.

Skills:

• Advanced literary, textual, visual, and media analysis skills.
• Effective instructional design and literature/media pedagogy across face-to-face, online, and hybrid modalities.
• Digital humanities methods, public-facing scholarship development, and multimedia project creation.
• Effective written communication, project management, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement.
• Ability to guide students in developing public-facing projects that combine literary research, popular culture analysis, and digital tools.

Ability to:

• Connect English department offerings with American studies, media, communication, digital humanities, public humanities, and creative-industry opportunities.
• Design scaffolded literature and media instruction that moves students from critical analysis to creative, professional, and public application.
• Guide students in archival research, digital exhibits, podcasting, and public humanities projects.
• Develop community-engaged projects that document, preserve, and amplify historically significant local cultural narratives.
• Maintain an active scholarship program in American literature, media, popular culture, or public humanities that contributes directly to departmental research and program-development goals.

Work Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of 1–2 years of university-level teaching experience, including experience as instructor of record for courses in American Literature, Popular Culture, Media Studies, Digital Humanities, or related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise in African American literature/culture, Southern cultural studies, working-class studies, community storytelling, public humanities, or culturally responsive approaches to literature and popular media.
• Small press production, literary magazine editing/management, or student-centered publication projects.
• Demonstrated track record of interdisciplinary collaboration with humanities, arts, cultural organizations, museums, archives, or community partners.
• Experience with curriculum design and program building in literature, media studies, popular culture, publishing studies, or interdisciplinary humanities.

Preferred:

• Demonstrated experience integrating print, visual, digital media, or publishing/print culture into literature teaching, research, or public humanities practice.
• Demonstrated proficiency with digital humanities tools, archival databases, media production tools, or publishing platforms used in academic, creative, or professional contexts.

Working/Environmental Conditions:

Prolonged standing and/or walking. Handling light weight objects. Using or carrying equipment.

UA EEO Statement:

It is the policy of Texas Southern University to provide a work environment that is free from discrimination for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, individuals with disability, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status in its programs, activities, admissions or employment policies. This policy of equal opportunity is strictly observed in all University employment-related activities such as advertising, recruiting, interviewing, testing, employment training, compensation, promotion, termination, and employment benefits. This policy expressly prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, genetic history, national origin, individuals with disability, age, citizenship status, or protected veteran status. This policy shall be adhered to in accordance with the provisions of all applicable federal, state and local laws, including, but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures

Close Date: 09/25/2026

Open Until Filled (overrides close field) : No

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Open to all applicants.

Grant Title: n/a

Job Description Summary / TWC Summary:

Tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of English specializing in American Literature, Media Studies, and Popular Culture. Responsibilities include teaching specialized undergraduate and graduate courses in 19th–21st century American literature, print and digital media, popular culture, visual culture, genre studies, and cultural theory across multiple delivery modalities (face-to-face, online, evening, and/or weekend formats); advising students; maintaining an active research agenda focused on American literature, media history, popular culture, television/digital media, public humanities, or fan studies; developing interdisciplinary literature and media curriculum; and contributing to departmental, college, and university service. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to connecting literary and cultural studies with popular media practices, preparing students for careers in publishing, media, communications, education, cultural institutions, and creative industries, and expanding opportunities for students to analyze, preserve, and circulate culturally significant narratives across print and digital platforms.

Essential Duties Summary:

• Develop and deliver specialized curriculum in American literature, popular culture, print and digital media, television analysis, genre fiction, visual rhetoric, and cultural studies.
• Teach upper-level and graduate courses in American Literary History, Popular Culture Studies, Media Theory, Cultural Studies, and related areas.
• Develop courses that examine narrative across literature, television, film, comics/graphic novels, podcasts, digital platforms, fandoms, and emerging media.
• Support departmental public humanities initiatives through student-centered projects involving local literary archives, oral histories, public exhibits, community storytelling, and digital humanities.
• Contribute expertise in American literary history and popular media to initiatives documenting and preserving the cultural histories of Houston’s historic communities and beyond.
• Create opportunities for students to transform literary, historical, and popular culture research into digital archives, public exhibits, podcasts, essays, and other public-facing media projects.
• Build interdisciplinary pathways connecting English coursework with Communication, Theater, History, African American Studies, American Studies, Sociology, and Art History.
• Develop partnerships with local cultural institutions, libraries, publishers, archives, museums, media organizations, and creative-industry partners to support experiential learning and student career development.
• Maintain an active research agenda and publishing trajectory focused on American literature, popular culture, media studies, digital humanities, public humanities, or cultural studies.
• Support student success across undergraduate and graduate literature, writing, media, and humanities courses.
• Serve on departmental, college, and university committees.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

% FTE: 1.0

Hiring Range: $59,442.00-$77,275.00

Education:

Preferred:

• Ph.D. in English, American Literary Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Publishing Studies, or a closely related field, with demonstrated specialization in American literature, media, popular culture, or publishing studies.
• Candidates holding a doctoral degree in a related discipline outside of English must possess a master’s degree in English (or a closely related literary field), along with documented graduate coursework, research, or teaching specialization in American literature, media studies, popular culture, or publishing studies.

Required Licensing/Certification: None Required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Literary theory, media theory, American cultural history, popular culture studies, print culture, genre studies, and visual rhetoric.
• Historical and contemporary approaches to American literature, television, print media, digital culture, fan studies, and emerging storytelling formats.
• Contemporary digital media tools, publishing platforms, and multimedia archives used in literary and cultural studies.

Skills:

• Advanced literary, textual, visual, and media analysis skills.
• Effective instructional design and literature/media pedagogy across face-to-face, online, and hybrid modalities.
• Digital humanities methods, public-facing scholarship development, and multimedia project creation.
• Effective written communication, project management, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community engagement.
• Ability to guide students in developing public-facing projects that combine literary research, popular culture analysis, and digital tools.

Ability to:

• Connect English department offerings with American studies, media, communication, digital humanities, public humanities, and creative-industry opportunities.
• Design scaffolded literature and media instruction that moves students from critical analysis to creative, professional, and public application.
• Guide students in archival research, digital exhibits, podcasting, and public humanities projects.
• Develop community-engaged projects that document, preserve, and amplify historically significant local cultural narratives.
• Maintain an active scholarship program in American literature, media, popular culture, or public humanities that contributes directly to departmental research and program-development goals.

Work Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of 1–2 years of university-level teaching experience, including experience as instructor of record for courses in American Literature, Popular Culture, Media Studies, Digital Humanities, or related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise in African American literature/culture, Southern cultural studies, working-class studies, community storytelling, public humanities, or culturally responsive approaches to literature and popular media.
• Small press production, literary magazine editing/management, or student-centered publication projects.
• Demonstrated track record of interdisciplinary collaboration with humanities, arts, cultural organizations, museums, archives, or community partners.
• Experience with curriculum design and program building in literature, media studies, popular culture, publishing studies, or interdisciplinary humanities.

Preferred:

• Demonstrated experience integrating print, visual, digital media, or publishing/print culture into literature teaching, research, or public humanities practice.
• Demonstrated proficiency with digital humanities tools, archival databases, media production tools, or publishing platforms used in academic, creative, or professional contexts.

Working/Environmental Conditions:

Prolonged standing and/or walking. Handling light weight objects. Using or carrying equipment.

UA EEO Statement:

It is the policy of Texas Southern University to provide a work environment that is free from discrimination for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, individuals with disability, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status in its programs, activities, admissions or employment policies. This policy of equal opportunity is strictly observed in all University employment-related activities such as advertising, recruiting, interviewing, testing, employment training, compensation, promotion, termination, and employment benefits. This policy expressly prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, genetic history, national origin, individuals with disability, age, citizenship status, or protected veteran status. This policy shall be adhered to in accordance with the provisions of all applicable federal, state and local laws, including, but not limited to, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Manual of Administrative Policies and Procedures

Close Date: 09/25/2026

Open Until Filled (overrides close field) : No

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Open to all applicants.