UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Popular/Contemporary Media Studies
Assistant Professor

The Department of Art and the Film and Media Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina, Columbia invite applications for a joint, tenure track appointment, beginning Fall 2012, for an Assistant Professor of Popular/Contemporary Media Studies. A Ph.D. in film and media studies (or equivalent) and experience in university level teaching are required. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct research in his or her primary field, teach undergraduate and graduate students, and be an active participant in the intellectual life of the university and community.

The successful candidate will have a record of research achievement in film and media studies, with particular emphasis on popular and contemporary media. Possible areas of expertise could include a range of approaches to global Hollywood: e.g., popular genres in film and/or television and how they travel; industrial practices of globalized entertainment; transnational circuits of influence to and from US media and other international sites. Ideally, we seek someone who can place contemporary, mainstream English-language media in a global frame.

The position will help develop the critical media studies components of both an ambitious, rapidly growing film and media studies program (http://www.cas.sc.edu/film/) and a thriving media arts program in the Department of Art (http://www.cas.sc.edu/art/mart.html). Teaching for both units will include courses in media criticism, history, and/or theory. Scholars engaged in media practice as well as critical media history and theory would be of particular interest, although this is not required.
To apply, submit a letter of application indicating relevant research and teaching experience, curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation (sent directly from referees) to:

Film and Media Studies Search Committee
Film and Media Studies Program
Welsh Humanities Building, Room 406
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC  29208
Deadline for applications is November 15, 2011.

The University of South Carolina has been designated as one of only 73 public and 35 private academic institutions with “very high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Carnegie Foundation also lists USC as having strong community engagement. The University has over 28,000 students on the main campus (and over 43,000 students system-wide), 350 degree programs, and a nationally-ranked library system that includes one of the nation’s largest public film archives. Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, has a population of over 650,000 in the greater metropolitan area.

The University of South Carolina is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Minorities and women are especially encouraged to apply. The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status.