Assistant Professor in Political Communication and AI

Anticipated hiring range: $88,000 - $92,000 per academic year. Faculty employee benefits are competitive within the higher education sector; see the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details.

About the Department

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.

The department provides high-impact educational opportunities, including student research, community-engaged learning/service-learning, study abroad, a robust internship program, and a senior seminar (“capstone”) course. The Teaching Associate (TA) program offers graduate students hands-on teaching experience, preparing them for careers in academia and beyond. Faculty benefit from research support, the University Grants Academy, collaborative spaces, professional development opportunities, and student research collaborations through the COMM+ Lab and the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program.

The department is highly active in college and university-wide initiatives, including the Veterans Advisory Council, Project Rebound, the Center for Faculty Excellence and Teaching Innovation, the Humanities Program, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Academic Senate, and the Trans-Teach In. Faculty are regularly sought out for leadership roles across campus.

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 prioritizes culturally-sustaining and academically-affirming approaches to supporting students and faculty, fostering a culture of belonging.

San José State University enrolls over 40,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved. Approximately 45% of undergraduate students are first-generation college students, and 38% are Pell Grant recipients. SJSU is both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). The university aspires to create holistic learning environments that facilitate individual and collective transformation.

About the Role

The Department of Communication Studies seeks a teacher-scholar whose research and teaching examine the intersections of political communication, artificial intelligence, democratic life, and public discourse through social scientific, interpretive, rhetorical, and/or critical paradigmatic perspectives and research methods. Areas of specialization may include, but are not limited to:

• AI and political communication
• Misinformation and disinformation
• Political polarization
• Platform governance
• Digital campaigning
• Civic engagement
• Algorithmic publics
• Public advocacy
• Political rhetoric
• Public opinion
• Ethical, social, and democratic implications of emerging communication technologies

The ideal candidate will lead the department in establishing robust local and national governmental, policy, and technological partnerships, as well as internship programs related to civic and public sectors. In addition to developing and/or updating graduate and undergraduate courses in political communication, rhetoric, and digital media, this colleague will teach courses in communication theory and research methods, as well as general education offerings.

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 public scholarship.
• Engage in service to the department, college, university, and the broader community.
• Advise and mentor students, including supervising graduate theses or projects.
• Participate in shared governance, including department, college, and university committees.
• Organize all classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• Demonstrate awareness and experience in understanding the needs of a diverse student population through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Communication Studies, or a closely related field (completed by time of appointment).
• Evidence of a well-defined, active, and ongoing 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.
• 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

• 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 in political contexts.
• Scholarly and/or teaching engagement with the intersections of political communication, rhetoric, technology, race, gender, and power.
• Background in decolonial, feminist, queer, or critical race theories as they relate to political communication and technology.
• Experience in political and/or technological activism.
• Experience or interest in developing curriculum related to political communication, AI, and ethics.

Target Start Date

August 17, 2027