Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share that Towson University, located ~10 miles north of Baltimore, MD, is hiring a tenure-track assistant professor specializing in first-year composition and digital literacies.
Preference will be given to applications received by November 1 with initial application materials consisting of a letter and CV. Here is the most pertinent information about the position, with the full ad linked below. The website ad includes a link to the university’s application portal.
Position:
The Department of English invites applications for a tenure-track, 9-month Assistant Professor position with primary specialization in First-Year Composition and additional specialization in Digital Literacies beginning August 2026.
Qualifications:
Doctorate required. ABD applicants considered, but appointment will be at the Instructor rank and all degree requirements must be completed by February 1, 2026. The candidate should have a doctorate in Rhetoric and Composition, Writing Studies, or closely related field. We particularly welcome applications from candidates whose research and teaching address the following areas: critical digital writing pedagogies and theories, digital rhetorics and literacies, multimodal course design and pedagogy, assessment of digital composing and texts.
Responsibilities:
3/3 courseload including the regular teaching of first-year writing as well as upper-level ENGL courses that centralize digital literacies and multimodal composing. Designing of new ENGL courses in the candidate’s area(s) of expertise within new ENGL major curriculum. Teaching of graduate courses in the Professional Writing and Rhetoric (PRWR) program based on scheduling needs and candidate interest. Advising of 10-15 undergraduate majors. Applicants will need to demonstrate the potential for strong research, excellent teaching, and service aligned with the college’s expected outcomes of impact, innovation, and engagement toward R2 status and the university’s new strategic plan.
And here is the full ad with link to the university’s application portal.
This is one of three searches the English department is conducting this year, with the other two being in tech comm and fiction writing. The department has tenured four colleagues in the recent past, with two other writing colleagues nearing tenure, and an additional colleague early on the tenure track. To work in a department that is regularly able to hire new colleagues and benefit from their expertises and experiences is wonderful. The person hired into this position will join the department at a time when we are revising our major curriculum to expand students’ opportunities to engage writing and literacies in their many forms and contexts.
As search chair, I’d be happy to answer any questions (mdowell).
Best,
Matt Dowell
Associate Professor of English
Director of First-Year Writing