Teaching Assistant Professor in Law and Policy Writing (English Department) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at University of Pittsburgh

Teaching Assistant Professor in Law and Policy Writing (English Department)

The Department of English at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for a full-time Appointment Stream Teaching Assistant Professor position in legal and policy writing and rhetoric, beginning in fall 2027. The position is outside the tenure stream. Appointments are renewable, and career advancement is possible based on need, funding, and performance. The teaching load is six 3-credit courses per academic year (typically 3-3, with no summer teaching), plus a committee or supervisory assignment. Support for faculty development includes an annual review, and every new teaching assistant professor is assigned a mentor. The appointment may be eligible for the faculty union bargaining unit.

Many students in our Public and Professional Writing (PPW) major and certificate are preparing for careers in law and public policy, which creates strong demand for legal writing instruction. Students also regularly ask for advanced legal or policy writing courses that would extend our Writing for Law and Government course cluster.

The faculty member we hire will regularly teach Writing in the Legal Professions, a writing-intensive course on the rhetoric of law. Students examine how legal texts create a culture and a world through their language and arguments, drawing on the work of legal scholars and on literacy texts to consider how arguments, evidence, testimony, and judgments constitute public issues and values. The course draws many students who are headed to law school, along with others interested in law, rhetoric, and the construction of public values. This colleague will also have the opportunity to teach The Language of Policy and Power, Writing Arguments, Writing for the Public, Writing for Change, and potentially our first-year composition course. We expect that they will develop at least one new course in legal or policy writing.

Applicants must hold a PhD, JD, MFA, or other terminal degree in English, rhetoric and composition, law, or a related field, and must have experience teaching writing at the college level. Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in support of the department’s educational mission are also required.

We especially welcome applicants with scholarly or professional expertise in legal or policy writing and rhetoric, such as doctoral research on legal or policy discourse, a JD, or work as a practicing attorney or policy analyst. We also welcome a record of excellent writing instruction; demonstrated ability to develop curriculum around broadly defined learning objectives; effective communication skills; and experience mentoring students in their academic and professional development. Applicants should be able to show how their expertise would shape a course.

The Composition program is one of four constituent programs in English, along with Literature, Creative Writing, and Film. It offers first-year composition courses and the PPW major and certificate, and its courses are integral to the Digital Narrative and Interactive Design joint major with the School of Computing and Information, the Public Communication of Science and Technology certificate, and the interdisciplinary Disability Studies certificate. We value flexible teachers who can create engaging courses that respond to the needs of our programs and to school-wide general education requirements. Candidates should show an aptitude for service and a willingness to contribute to the mission of the department.

Review of applications will begin January 11, 2027, and will continue until the position is filled. The position is scheduled to begin on August 15, 2027, and the appointment requires administrative and budgetary approval.

Teaching Load: 3/3 plus committee or supervisory assignment.

To apply, candidates should submit the following materials as PDFs through the Pitt Talent Center (http://join.pitt.edu):

• A cover letter of one to two pages, addressed to Gayle Rogers, Chair, that describes your teaching experience, your expertise in legal or policy writing and rhetoric, and your experience in service and programming.

• A current CV and a list of courses taught.

• A teaching portfolio that includes a statement of teaching philosophy, sample syllabi and assignments, peer evaluations of teaching, and student surveys, for a minimum of three courses.

Candidates who advance will be asked for three confidential letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the candidate’s work. These should be emailed to engchair@pitt.edu.

For information or questions, contact: Lauren Morrison | 412-624-6346 | engchair@pitt.edu.

The University of Pittsburgh is an equal opportunity employer.