Know any folks out there interested in rhetoric? Communications pedagogy? Research into professional communication and/or literacies across media?
Well, some of my colleagues are looking to hire a senior (aka tenured/tenurable) scholar/teacher in this area, with MIT hiring its first (in a long time, certainly, if not ever) professor of rhetoric. Here’s the description:
MIT’s Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Science seeks to appoint a distinguished scholar in rhetorical studies at the rank of tenured associate or full professor to start in the Fall of 2012. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in rhetoric or a relevant field of interdisciplinary rhetorical studies, with a distinguished record of publication, broad experience in developing innovative college level courses in rhetoric and communication; and a record of funded research in one or more areas of communication education or media literacy. The candidate will work collaboratively with colleagues in the Programs of Writing and Humanistic Studies, Comparative Media Studies, and Literature, while providing faculty level support for MIT’s educational programs across the disciplines at MIT. Relevant areas of specialization include the history, theory and critical tradition of classical rhetoric; contemporary rhetorical studies in one or more academic or professional disciplines or fields of study; and oral presentation, visual studies, digital humanities, narrative, and media studies. MIT is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.
And here is where one would submit an application.
So — if this big and broad community has some among it, or some in its circle of acquaintances who might be interested…come on down!
And, of course, use this thread to spread the word about jobs you seek and/or jobs you know of.
Image: Jan Steen, Feast of the Chamber of Rhetoricians near a Town-Gate, before 1679.
BGinCHI
Did you put this in so that Newt Gingrich wouldn’t apply?
Good thinking.
Tom Levenson
@BGinCHI: The sound you hear is my head exploding…;)
Well played, sir.
Tim F.
I believe that Cole’s academic specialty is rhetoric and propaganda. That said, you would need Archimedes’ lever to move him out of West Virginia.
Redshift
A friend of a friend is looking for a software build and deployment Engineer in Baltimore. I don’t know any more than that, but if you’re interested, I can put you in touch and they’ll fill you in on the details.
Tom Levenson
@Tim F.:
“Hey Tunch!”
…
“Massachusetts has enough Maine coon cats hanging around to make you look merely — big boned.”
…
“You get what I’m saying, amirite?”
If Tunch sees an opening — would John have the wherewithal to resist His Lordship?
BGinCHI
@Tim F.:
Fixed for accuracy.
harlana
Thank you for the jobs thread! And I love the “pretentious art”! It reflects some of my own tastes. I wonder what future event or rumination will be worthy of a Vermeer post!
LTL-FTC
Funny to see an academic job ad here. One of the best things about reading BJ is that I can escape but everything converges I guess. I’ll circulate the call.
Korea Beat
Since we’re on the topic of academic jobs, I’m a freelance editor of journal articles and dissertations in the fields of linguistics and law but looking to expand. I’m currently working on three dissertations, but have plenty of time for more. I also do Korean translation.
If you’re interested or know someone is, please get in touch with me via [email protected]. Thanks!
Dave
Yes, you could apply for a tenure-track position at MIT with a Ph.D. in Rhetoric. But you could also, more confidently, go fuck yourself.
harlana
can’t promise anything but shoot me a resume (you may redact your last name, address info, etc. if you like)if experienced and looking for work in:
supply chain/quality management
digital marketing services
software solutions
VP Marketing/Sales
VP Operations
engineering
Site Leaders
Six Sigma and Lean Leaders
the clients are high-end and selective so i can’t promise anything but you never know
again, redact your personal information if that makes you more comfortable and if we need to contact you, i will write you back
teagoddess at yahoo dot com
Adolphus
I don’t do rhetoric, but if you have any openings for a soon-tobe-minted PhD historian of science with 20 years museum experience, call me.
BGinCHI
@Dave: Why “more confidently”?
I think the success rate for both is pretty low.
D. A. Winsor
I used to do this kind of work for a living. It was actually fun. Not particularly lucrative, but fun.
BGinCHI
ALERT
Tunch has escaped and is on the North Shore!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-lake-forest-residents-report-signs-of-a-large-cat-in-area-20111024,0,4164049.story?track=rss
Do not attempt to capture.
Mike Goetz
When did college teaching jobs become giant piles of horseshit?
schrodinger's cat
@BGinCHI: Are you calling Tunch fat? He is not fat, he is floofy.
Exurban Mom
Does such a person even exist in the wild? It sounds like you are truly asking for the moon, stars, and a few planets thrown in for good measure….good luck with that…
Tom Levenson
@Exurban Mom: Thus every academic search…;)
Actually, at senior rank, having a reasonable publication list, several courses taught/developed, and (in grant-receiving fields) regular funding is not wildly unheard of.
J
You know this much better than I do, but if your colleagues were just willing to make this an entry-level rather than a senior search, you could do really well and hire Freddie.
BGinCHI
@schrodinger’s cat: Enabler.
Doxastic
Sigh, if only I were a decade older…
ornery
Rhetoric is the secret sauce of Establishment, which ended the democracy of ancient Greece and destroyed the Republic of Rome.
I guess calling it Propaganda Arts would be too alarming … the first thing a competent rhetoric prof would change.
Snarky, but a little bit true…
Southern Beale
Just saw this:
NBC-Olympics is looking for a Prod. Assoc./Editor to produce & edit video for 2012 games. Job description is here.
Walker
@J
You never hire a junior position to fill a position that your university has never had. Since there is no existing support structure (they would be building it), there is almost no hope of tenure. It is not fair to a junior hire.
Anarchaeologist
Well I posted a couple of Jobs threads ago about my plans to go to graduate school- unfortunately my thyroid gland had other plans and took a permanent vacation. I’m slowly getting my hormonal balance back and searching for work in the Iowa City area. I do have a f/t management gig at a pizza place, but would like something in the environmental field- hopefully something that I can ease into as I recover my health. Any help would be appreciated.
Quaker in a Basement
Rhetorical Studies?
Do all the exams consist of rhetorical questions?
[BaDUM tisssh!]
Origuy
I love Jan Steen. This became my new PC wallpaper.
CaseyL
Well, not only do I work for a complete dickhead, but since he’s too damn cheap to get a real phone system installed in our offices, we now get to use our personal cell-phones as our work phones (he’ll kick in a lordly $20-25 per month for the privilege of not having to pay for an office phone suite).
I’m so sick of him I can’t stand it. I’m a paralegal, and I love my work, but to get shut of this place I am willing to take just about any office job. Anybody know anyone in the Seattle-King County area who could use an office ace?
TK-421
I am desperately seeking a person who has expertise in industrial comm/field sensor integration. Understanding how to design/supervise the wireup of online sensors into a client’s existing SCADA is a must. No, I don’t know what this kind of job is “officially” called, but I know it when I see it and I am having a dickens of a time trying to find where these people are (or what to call them).
It’s independent contractor work that (hopefully) would become a full-time position. I’m getting kind of desperate for this expertise. Several choices exist for my email addy: tk-421 at wolverineliberationarmy dot com is a finicky one, so try cfaller96 at gmail dot com (and plz don’t sign me up for whatever you guys sign John Cole up for).
gelfling545
It certainly (from the picture) looks like the folks in the rhetoric field have much more fun that one would imagine. Apparently a minor in partying is also required.
TrishB
@harlana: Is there a specific area of the country where your clients are looking for staff?
TrishB aka PMP, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, ITIL v3.
carlosthedwarf
I’m looking for a position in communications or marketing, preferably for a non-profit. I have two years experience in the field, with a specialty in social media. I’d prefer to stay on the East Coast, but I’m willing to move just about anywhere for the right opportunity. If you know of anything, please email me at carlosthedwarf2[at]gmail[dot]com.
rm
Damn. I have a Ph.D. in rhetoric, but I’m afraid there are only a few people in the country who can qualify for that hire. They probably already know who will apply.
ornery, dude. You are wrong on the internet. We rhetoricians are the noble upholders of honest, ethical communication, and after taking our vows of poverty we walk the earth, from town to town, helping people with their rhetorical emergencies, and sometimes are taken in by kindly English departments. We are the lefty critics of the empire, which is why we don’t matter.
The evil propagandists of the Empire are all in the Communications Department, where they train the stormtrooper clones to become PR flacks and broadcasters. They wear black suits and drive expensive cars and hate kittens. That they study the same rhetorical theories we do is just a coincidence.
Xenos
@rm: Add to that law school- not very theoretical, but practical approaches to rhetoric in the context of legal ethics.
I don’t know if it is still done, but back in the ’50s there was a rhetoric program at Harvard Business School (under the rubric of negotiation techniques) that specifically trained the students there how to use dishonest and misleading language. Much as in law school, it is justified in the name of helping the students not be made into chumps by counterparties in the real world.