Assistant Professor Rhetoric Composition Jobs in California

Assistant Professor – Law, Politics, and Public Discourse – Department of Rhetoric

Position title: Assistant Professor

Salary range: The current salary range for this position is $84,100-$132,900 (9-month academic year salary), however, off-scale salary and other components of pay, which would yield compensation that is higher than this range, are offered to meet competitive conditions.

Anticipated start: July 1, 2027

Open date: July 14, 2026

Next review date: Monday, Sep 28, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Monday, Sep 28, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Applications will continue to be accepted until this date.

The Department of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Law, Politics, and Public Discourse, with an expected start date of July 1, 2027.

The Department seeks applications from candidates with an active research agenda in the interdisciplinary study of law and/or politics. The position is open to applicants whose research and teaching critically engage with the rhetoric and traditions of politics and political thought, legal thought, legal history, law & humanities, and/or sociolegal studies. The position is open in terms of specialization, historical period, and geographical area. We especially welcome candidates whose research in law and/or politics contributes to the Department’s historical and existing strengths in aesthetics, gender and sexuality, religion, science and technology, and the environment. Applicants should demonstrate evidence of a strong humanistic and/or theoretical research agenda and excellent scholarly potential in areas that complement the interdisciplinary profile of the Department. Responsibilities include teaching graduate seminars and undergraduate courses in the Department’s Public Discourse concentration, mentoring graduate students in the Ph.D. program, and participating in departmental and campus life.

Rhetoric is a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary department distinguished by its ongoing interrogation of existing and emerging fields of knowledge at their boundaries. While the Department is open to all disciplines in the humanities and the humanistic social sciences, it strongly values theoretical approaches that cross conventional disciplinary divisions. For more information about Rhetoric, visit https://rhetoric.berkeley.edu.

The department is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. We are also interested in candidates who have had non-traditional career paths or who have taken time off for family reasons, or who have achieved excellence in careers outside academia. For information about potential relocation to Berkeley, or career needs of accompanying partners and spouses, please visit the https://rhetoric.berkeley.edu

PhD (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program at the time of application

evidence of a strong research agenda and excellent scholarly potential, research, and teaching that complement existing strengths in the Department of Rhetoric, and the ability to teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Candidates should demonstrate broad competence in their home disciplines. Candidates should also demonstrate an understanding of the Department’s multi- and interdisciplinary profile and be prepared to teach, mentor, and contribute to the life of the Department in a wide range of scholarly areas and interests. The Department welcomes research profiles that may include international collaborations, public scholarship, creative work, or other modes of intellectual and institutional labor. Completion of the PhD (or equivalent international degree) by the start date of the position is strongly preferred.

• Curriculum Vitae – Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter – Up to 2 pages.
• Research Statement – Up to 2 pages. Please discuss research accomplishments and proposed plans. This can include, for example, your publication record, awards, presentations, inclusive research practices that promote the excellence of your research, and areas for future research.
• Statement of Teaching , Mentoring, and Service – Up to 2 pages. Please discuss prior teaching experience, teaching approach, future teaching interests, and mentoring experience and approach. This can include, for example, specific efforts, accomplishments, and future plans to support the success of all students through an inclusive curriculum, classroom environment, and pedagogy. Please briefly discuss specific prior and proposed academic, professional, and/or public service activities. This can include, for example, participating in professional or scientific associations, serving on committees that advance departmental, campus, or scholarly goals, and conducting outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase academic participation in your field.
• Writing Sample – One writing sample, which may be work in progress, a recent publication, or an excerpt from a dissertation. 25-30 pages, double-spaced.
• Authorization to Release Information Form – An institutional reference check will be completed only if you are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. Download, complete, sign, and upload the /shortcuts/authorization_release_form.

• 3 letters of reference required

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the https://apo.berkeley.edu/policies/ucb-confidentiality-policy prior to submitting their letter.

For more information, please refer to the https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-035.pdf and the https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, or discrimination. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, applicants will only be subject to institutional reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on https://apo.berkeley.edu/employment/recruitmentappointment/misconduct-disclosure-review.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH
• https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination
• https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-035.pdf

Job location Berkele, CA

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public mission of research, teaching, and service, consistent with https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/governance/policies/4400.html and University of California Academic Personnel policy (https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-210.pdf). These values are embedded in our https://chancellor.berkeley.edu/about/principles-community, which reflect our passion for critical inquiry, debate, discovery and innovation, and our deep commitment to contributing to a better world. Every member of the UC Berkeley community has a role in sustaining a safe, caring and humane environment in which these values can thrive.

The University of California, Berkeley 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 origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

For more information, please refer to the https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-035.pdf and the https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the https://apo.berkeley.edu/policies/ucb-confidentiality-policy prior to submitting their letter.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, or discrimination. Consistent with this commitment, UC Berkeley requires all applicants for Senate faculty positions to complete, sign, and upload an Authorization of Information Release form into AP Recruit as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, applicants will only be subject to institutional reference checks if and when they are selected as the candidate to whom the hiring unit would like to extend a formal offer. More information is available on https://apo.berkeley.edu/employment/recruitmentappointment/misconduct-disclosure-review.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000385/SVSH
• https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination
• https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/apm/apm-035.pdf

Job location Berkele, CA