Assistant Professor of English (Film Studies)

DepartmentEnglish

About the University

MSU Denver enrolls over 16,000 students, where nearly 60% are first generation and over 55% are students of color. Located in downtown Denver, we are a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and the only Seal of Excelencia certified institution in Colorado. As the third largest institution of higher education in Colorado and the only institution with an open access mission, MSU Denver is a model university for today’s college students. The University serves the most diverse undergraduate student population in the state, as well as the most first-generation students and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students. Through affordable, flexible, and holistic education, MSU Denver helps students build essential skills grounded in a multicultural and global perspective that lead to undergraduate and graduate degrees, followed by career and life success.

About the Department of English

The Department of English serves an eclectic and diverse mix of students and prioritizes values that reflect those of the university at large including a shared commitment to community, accessibility, diversity, respect and excellence.  The successful candidate will join a collaborative team that includes over twenty full-time faculty and a talented group of professional staff and part-time affiliates.  We offer undergraduate degrees in English and Linguistics; our English major includes concentrations in Creative Writing; Literature, Film and Media Studies; Professional Writing and Rhetoric; and English with Licensure in Secondary Education. Our minors include Creative Writing, Film and Media Studies, Literature, Professional Writing and Rhetoric, and Linguistics. 

Position Summary

The Department of English at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) invites applicants for a tenure-track faculty position at assistant professor rank, specializing in film studies. This is a nine-month faculty contract beginning in Fall 2025. Individuals with teaching and research expertise in multicultural cinema, gender in film, and/or social justice cinema are encouraged to apply.

MSU Denver has a robust mentoring program for tenure-track faculty.  The candidate will be enrolled in the Roadrunner Faculty Academy during their first year.  This is a year-long course designed to support new faculty to navigate faculty life and thrive in teaching, scholarly activity and service. 

Responsibilities

This is a full-time, tenure-track faculty position (9-month) with a focus on teaching, advising, scholarship and service. Teaching includes multiple delivery modes such as in-person, hybrid and asynchronous courses; on-campus teaching is required each semester. The teaching load is 12 credit hours per semester.

Other duties include advising students in academic planning and career exploration; participating in curriculum development and programmatic assessment; serving on departmental, university and professional committees; and pursuing scholarly activities related to the discipline.

Required Qualifications

• Earned Ph.D. in Film Studies or comparable field with a focus in film studies.  ABD candidates are welcome to apply; however, the required degree must be conferred before the fall 2025 semester starts in August.
• Evidence of university-level teaching experience
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in teaching Introduction to Film Studies and History of Film 
• Ability to teach courses in Multicultural Cinema and/or Social Justice Cinema 
• Ability to teach Women in Film and related courses
• Teaching experience in area of expertise/research
• Evidence of high-impact teaching practices across different teaching modalities
• Evidence of community-engaged teaching and/or scholarship
• Record of scholarly pursuits that align with department’s priorities for scholarship 

We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every preferred qualification. We are most interested in finding the candidate who will best contribute to our Department and the University.

Salary for Announcement

The salary range for this position is $58,000 - $63,000 at Assistant Professor rank. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based upon a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, education, experience, specialty and training.

MSU Denver offers excellent benefits that include medical, dental, retirement, tuition benefit, free RTD pass, and more. For a brief overview of these options, please visit our Benefits section.

Instructions to Apply

Interested applicants must apply online at MSU Denver's career site, https://msudenver.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/MSUDenver, and search for JR103313.

Click on Apply to submit the following required materials:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Letter of Interest/cover letter that includes evidence of required and preferred qualifications 

3. Teaching philosophy (2 pages max).  Please detail your interest and prior experience with teaching diverse adult learners. Also, please describe three values that guide your teaching practices. 
4. Quantitative and/or qualitative evidence of successful independent university-level teaching experience. 
5. References. Please provide a list of three references with contact information. 
6. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement (2 pages max). See instructions below. 

DEI Statement Instructions:
We encourage applicants to reference Pillar IV of MSU Denver's Strategic Plan: https://www.msudenver.edu/strategic-plan-2030/. 

Themes that may be addressed in a candidate’s diversity statement may include, but are not limited to: 

• ­A candidate’s lived experiences and/or identities that align with the department and university’s commitment to inclusion and diversity
• Diversity and diversity-related approaches in a candidate’s research, pedagogy, and/or service
• Why a candidate believes diversity is a critical focus for higher education and ideas or strategies the candidate could enact as a member of the MSU Denver campus community to support the university’s efforts.

Official transcripts will be required of the candidate selected for hire.

Deadline

Applications accepted until position filled; priority given to applications received by February 2, 2025.

Closing Date

Open Until Filled

Posting RepresentativeTanya Rogowsky

Posting Representative Email[email protected]Benefits

The University’s benefits package is comprehensive and offers medical, vision and dental, free RTD pass, tuition reimbursement, as well as a life and supplemental insurance plans, retirement plans and other programs, such as access to a long-term disability (LTD) plan. Visit MSU Denver’s benefits website to learn more.   

For a brief overview, please see: https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/MSU-Benefit-Summary.pdf. 

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at [email protected].

Background Checks

Metropolitan State University of Denver is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students, and visitors.  To Assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background checks on all finalists for positions at the University prior to employment.

Diversity Statement

Metropolitan State University of Denver is a unique, access-oriented campus community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms. Our student population consists of nearly 58% first generation students and over 50% students of color. We are a designated Hispanic Serving Institution located in downtown Denver.

We create an equitable learning and working environment in concert with individuals who consistently demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion. We greatly value the diverse identities and perspectives of our students, faculty, and staff and recognize that in order to achieve a just and equitable society, diversity must go beyond simple representation. It requires critical inquiry and dialogue and a commitment to action. We strive to provide a culture of belonging for all community members to achieve personal and professional success.