Position Rank and Title: Assistant Professor in Critical Digital Communication

School/Department Name: Communication Studies

Compensation: Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $86,000-90,000    

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector.  See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date: August 17, 2026

Application Deadline: November 1st, 2025 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The Department of Communication Studies at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for an Assistant Professor in Critical Digital Communication beginning in August 2026. We invite applications from scholars whose research explores the cultural, political, and social dimensions of digital technologies—especially artificial intelligence—through intersectional frameworks (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, class, ability). We are particularly interested in candidates who approach digital communication from a human-centered lens including but not limited to critical, decolonial, feminist, or community-based perspectives, and who integrate these approaches into their pedagogical practices as well as in more applied spaces such as organizational and health settings with an activist orientation. The ideal candidate will contribute to both our undergraduate and graduate curricula and help lead conversations around the ethical and pedagogical implications of emergent technologies, particularly as they affect historically marginalized communities.

The Department of Communication Studies at San José State University is a vibrant and diverse academic unit offering B.A. and M.A. degrees. We are committed to critical, innovative, and justice-oriented approaches to teaching, scholarship, and public engagement. The department values interdisciplinary research, inclusive teaching practices, and collaborations with Silicon Valley communities. Faculty and students actively engage in impactful research, contributing to scholarly conversations at regional, national, and international levels. We also retain a long history of offering high-impact educational opportunities, including student research, community-engaged learning/service-learning, study abroad, our robust internship program, and our senior seminar (“capstone”) course. The department’s Graduate Teaching Associate (TA) program provides graduate students with hands-on teaching experience, preparing them for careers in academia and beyond. All of these support our mission to educate students to effectively participate in diverse local and global communities. Our faculty span a range of expertise and benefit from access to a wide array of resources, including research support, the University Grants Academy, collaborative spaces, professional development opportunities through faculty learning communities, and channels for research collaboration with students such as our very own COMM+ Lab and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. As a department we are highly active in college and University-wide initiatives—including Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program; the Veterans Advisory Council; Project Rebound; the Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation; the Humanities Program; Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Academic Senate, and the Trans-Teach In. Our faculty are regularly sought out for leadership roles across campus, reflecting both our commitment and influence in shaping the broader community.

The Department of Communication Studies is part of the College of Social Sciences, which is committed to equitable and inclusive teaching and learning. The College sees faculty and student success as inextricably linked, and strives to provide culturally-sustaining, and academically-affirming approaches to supporting and engaging students and faculty. We provide opportunities for faculty development around asset-based, holistic student success, and support scholarship of engagement that addresses issues that affect our campus and community. In all of our endeavors, we strive to build leadership capacity and foster a culture of support and belonging for faculty, staff, and students.

The Department of Communication Studies and San José State University value inclusive excellence and are committed to advancing equity through research, teaching, and service. We enroll nearly 40,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved; approximately 45% of our undergraduate students are first-generation college students and 38% are Pell Grant recipients. In addition, we are both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). SJSU aspires to create holistic learning environments that facilitate both individual and collective transformation. We seek teacher-scholars who cultivate inclusive, empowering spaces for mutual learning, skill-building, and knowledge exchange for all students. Our commitment to lifelong learning supports meaningful connections among faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader communities we serve.

We invite all applicants to include a Statement of Inclusive Excellence (or incorporate it into your cover letter) to share how your lived and professional experiences will contribute to the SJSU community—particularly in relation to student success and inclusive education. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Inclusive Excellence Statement Guidelines.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Communication Studies, Digital/Media Studies, Critical Pedagogy, or a closely related field (completed by time of appointment)
• Evidence of a well-defined and active research agenda demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations
• Demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching, including inclusive and equity-minded pedagogy
• Ability to teach existing courses in the department and develop new courses in the candidate’s areas of expertise
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Strong record of teaching excellence, teaching experience, and a record of service.
• Research and/or community engagement addressing the impacts of AI on historically marginalized communities.
• Scholarly or teaching engagement with the intersections of technology, race, gender, and power.
• Background in decolonial, feminist, queer, or critical race theories as they relate to technology and communication.
• Experience in digital media production, critical digital literacy, or technology-centered activism.
• Experience or interest in developing curriculum related to AI, ethics, and society.

Key Responsibilities

• Teach and develop undergraduate and graduate courses in communication studies, including core and elective offerings.
• Maintain an active research agenda leading to peer-reviewed publications and/or public scholarship.
• Engage in service to the department, college, university, and the broader community.
• Advise and mentor students, including supervising graduate theses or projects.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience in understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.
  
  

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• inclusive excellence statement [dedicated statement or addressed in letter of interest]
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy
• research plans
• three reference letters

Inquiries may be directed to the Department Chair or Search Committee Chair: TBD

Conditional Offer

The work for this faculty position may only be performed in the State of California and requires establishing an on-campus presence. Employment is contingent upon US residence and proof of eligibility to work in the United States. Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. SJSU will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current employee who was conditionally offered the position.

San José State University: Silicon Valley's Public University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley — one of the most innovative regions in the world — San José State University is the founding campus of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system and the first public university in the West. Recognized as a leading transformative educational institution, San José State is an essential partner in the technological, economic, cultural, and social development of Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and California. SJSU is a top-200 school nationally in research funding and second highest in research productivity in the CSU system. Cutting-edge research, world-class scholarship, student-centered learning, diverse communities, and commitment to social justice, allow SJSU to provide life-changing opportunities and advance the public good locally and globally.

Equal Employment Statement

San José State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of Age, Ancestry, Caste, Color, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, Gender Expression, Gender Identity, Genetic Information, Marital Status, Medical Condition, Military Status, Nationality, Race, Religion, Religious Creed, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Sex Stereotype, and Veteran Status. This policy applies to all San José State University students, faculty, and staff as well as University programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

Campus Security and Fire Safety Notification

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Annual Security Report (ASR) is also now available for viewing at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Security-Report.pdf. The ASR contains the current security and safety-related policy statements, emergency preparedness and evacuation information, crime prevention and Sexual Assault prevention information, and information about drug and alcohol prevention programming. The ASR also contains statistics of Clery crimes for San José State University locations for the three most recent calendar years. A paper copy of the ASR is available upon request by contacting the Office of the Clery Director by phone at 408-924-1501 or by email at clerycompliance@sjsu.edu.

Pursuant to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Annual Fire Safety Report (AFSR) is available at https://www.sjsu.edu/clery/docs/SJSU-Annual-Fire-Safety-Report.pdf. The purpose of this report is to disclose statistics for fires that occurred within SJSU on-campus housing facilities for the three most recent calendar years, and to distribute fire safety policies and procedures intended to promote safety on Campus. A paper copy of the AFSR is available upon request by contacting the Housing Office by phone at 408-795-5600 or by email at uhs-frontdesk@sjsu.edu.