Instructor or Teaching Assistant Professor in Rhetoric and Technical Writing

Required qualifications for Lecturer: MA in English, rhetoric and composition, or professional and technical writing; a minimum of two years of teaching excellence in Rhetoric and Composition.

Required qualifications for Teaching Assistant Professor: Terminal degree (such as a PhD or MFA) in English, rhetoric and composition, or professional and technical writing; a minimum of two years of teaching excellence in Rhetoric and Composition.

Experience teaching in different modalities, including online asynchronous and hybrid courses, experience in rhetoric and composition theory/pedagogy, business writing, and technical writing.

For the online instructor position, additional relevant training and/or experience in online writing instruction must be demonstrated.

N/A

The English department is home to multiple undergraduate programs including Creative Writing, Film, English Education, Literary Studies, and Rhetoric and Technical Writing. The English department also offers an M.A. program with concentrations in Literary Studies, Rhetoric and Composition, and Teaching Literature and Writing.

Additional information about the Department of English, Appalachian State University, and surrounding areas may be accessed at: www.appstate.edu.

The Department of English at Appalachian State University invites applications for three renewable, non-tenure-track teaching positions. The positions will begin in August 2026, pending final administrative and budgetary approval. The successful candidates will teach a 4/4 load consisting primarily of General Education writing courses in the Rhetoric and Composition (RC) program, although opportunities may be available to teach business writing and technical writing should the successful candidate have educational or professional backgrounds in those areas.

Responsibilities also include serving on departmental committees and other related service work. Competitive candidates should demonstrate their experience in supporting success for students of all backgrounds.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

ABD with reduction in rank and salary: ABD will be considered for this position. Evidence of successful defense of the dissertation must be received by July 31 for a fall hire or November 30 for a spring hire. If confirmation of defense is not provided by the deadline, the candidate will receive a new one-year fixed-term contract and be hired at the rank of Instructor. The candidate's salary will also be reduced to a lower rate commensurate with other full-time instructors in the same department. However, if degree verification is provided before the end of the one-year fixed-term contract, the candidate will be returned to the rank of assistant professor with commensurate compensation beginning July 1 of the following academic year.

No ABD consideration: Only candidates with an earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution will be considered for the position. Since ABD will not meet the minimum requirements, ABD will not be considered.

To ensure full consideration, please submit 1) a letter of application that focuses on relevant pedagogical experiences in rhetoric and composition and (if applicable) professional and technical writing); 2) a CV; 3) a sample syllabus of an undergraduate course in rhetoric and composition or professional and technical writing; 4) contact information for three references; and 5) an unofficial copy of graduate (and doctorate, if applicable) transcripts

All application materials should be submitted online by June 7, 2026. Review of applications will begin on June 8, 2026. Finalist Zoom interviews will occur in mid or late June. Only electronic applications will be considered.

Inquiries about the positions may be sent to Dr. Jacob Babb, Assistant Chair of Rhetoric and Technical Writing, at babbjs@appstate.edu.

Applicants without terminal degrees by August 2026 will be hired as Lecturers. Those with terminal degrees will be hired as Teaching Assistant Professors.

The continued employment of a special faculty member during the term appointment may be made expressly contingent on items such as the continued availability of funding from any source, on enrollment levels, or any other contingency established by the institution.