Assistant Professor

• Director of Forensics
• Department of Communication Studies #27-10
  Job no: 561468
  Work type: Instructional Faculty
• Tenured/Tenure-Track
  

Location:

Northridge

Categories:

Unit 3

• CFA•California Faculty Association, Tenured/Tenure-Track, Full Time, Faculty•Communications/Journalism, On-site (work in-person at business location)
  Tenure-Track Faculty Position Announcement
  

Department:

Communication Studies

Faculty Hire Number:

27-10

Rank:

Assistant Professor

Effective Date of Appointment:

Fall 2027 (Subject to Budgetary Approval)

Anticipated Hiring Range:

$88,000 to $95,000 (Dependent upon qualifications)

CSUN's Commitment to

You:

CSUN is committed to achieving excellence through teaching, scholarship, learning and inclusion. Our values include a respect for all people, building partnerships with the community and the encouragement of innovation, experimentation, and creativity. CSUN strives to cultivate a community in which a diverse population can learn and work in an atmosphere of civility and respect. CSUN is especially interested in candidates who make contributions to equity and inclusion in the pursuit of excellence for all members of the university community.

As a Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI), inclusiveness and diversity are integral to CSUN's commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement. As of Fall 2025, CSUN enrolls 36,960 students, where 57.5% are Latinx, 18.4% are White, 8.5% are Asian-American, 5.5% are Black/African American, 0.1% are Native American, and 0.1% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. For more information about the University, visit: http://csun

About the

College:

For more information about the College of Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication, see: csun/mike-curb-arts-media-communication/college

About the

Department:

For more information about the Department of Communication Studies, see: csun/mike-curb-arts-media-communication/communication-studies

Position:

The department of Communication Studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is seeking a tenure-track faculty member as a Director of Forensics at the rank of Assistant Professor.

The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the department. The ideal candidate will remain active in the discipline, continue to develop expertise in evidence-backed debate and forensics pedagogy, and maintain a scholarly agenda that results in publication or equivalent contributions.

We seek a candidate with demonstrated experience or clear potential for teaching, mentoring, advising, and organizing programs that foster equity, inclusion, and representation, especially in relation to CSUN's diverse student population. The candidate should demonstrate experience coaching evidence-backed debate formats, including but not limited to

NDT/CEDA

Policy debate, Collegiate Advocacy Research Debate, Lincoln-Douglas, and/or Public Forum, as well as the ability or potential for Individual Events coaching, contribute to public debate programming, collaborate with urban debate leagues (UDL) or traditionally underserved student populations, and engagement with inclusive pedagogical practices. The candidate will also demonstrate the ability to coordinate operations, logistics, and supervision of forensics travel.

In addition to teaching, the position requires weekly office hours, attending faculty meetings, participation in assessment of student learning, and service to the department, college, and university. The successful candidate may be required to teach on weekdays, evenings, weekends, and/or online, travel with the forensics team, and will be held to the standards and requirements of the college and department in which he/she/they is/are housed for recommending tenure and promotion. Given CSUN's commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and engagement in a diverse environment, the successful candidate will help the Department achieve equitable academic outcomes for all students through teaching, student mentorship, scholarship, and service.

Responsibilities:

Faculty success at CSUN is measured by the following criteria: professional responsibilities, teaching effectiveness, contributions to one's field of study, and service to the University and Community.

The standard teaching assignment is 12 units (4 courses per semester). However, new faculty members in their first two years teach 9 units per semester (3 courses). The successful candidate will be expected to join faculty and staff in a commitment to active learning, to assessment of learning outcomes, and to multiple teaching and learning modalities, including face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses.

Successful candidates should be able to teach undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the department. A description of Communication Studies courses can be found here. Faculty members may have the opportunity to develop new courses as needed by the department. Teaching in other departments is possible, depending on the candidate's interests and the needs of the Communication Studies department.

Peer-reviewed publications are required for tenure and promotion. CSUN faculty members can apply for competitive awards that provide course releases or fund travel for research.

Participation in shared governance, usually in Department, College, and University committees and other service assignments, and other service activities is expected.

Required Qualifications:

An earned Ph.D. in Communication Studies or related field from an accredited institution at time of hire;

Evidence of a minimum of two years of experience coaching an evidence-backed debate format, including but not limited to

NDT/CEDA

Policy debate, Collegiate Advocacy Research Debate, Lincoln-Douglas, and/or Public-Forum Debate;

Evidence of, or clear potential for excellence in teaching argumentation and one or more undergraduate or graduate level courses offered in the department (in-person or online);

Evidence of, or clear potential for, research and scholarly activity that results in peer reviewed publication or equivalent scholarly contributions; and

Evidence of, or clear potential for, mentoring and advising students from diverse backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications:

Evidence of organizing public debate events;

Evidence of, or clear potential for excellence in coaching individual events;

Evidence of, or clear potential for, research and other scholarly activity that contributes to the department's commitment to social justice, including but not limited to research related to underserved, underrepresented, and/or marginalized communities; and

Evidence of, or clear potential for, the use of inclusive pedagogical practices in the classroom.

Application Deadline:

Preferred application deadline is October 2, 2026 and applications received after this date may be considered on an as-needed basis. However, the position will remain open until filled.