| Location | Providence, RI |
Posting Details
Position Information
Title Assistant Professor, Digital Culture Department History Phil Social Sciences Division Liberal Arts Employment Type Full-Time Critical Review Track (similar to tenure track) Yes Position Description
The Department of History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) invites applications for a full-time faculty appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, to commence in fall 2027.
RISD recognizes principles of social equity, inclusion, and diversity as fundamental to its mission as an art and design school. These principles require sustained attention to a multiplicity of differences and call for an expansion of the forms of knowledge that shape our curricula and pedagogy. RISD is committed to the collective work of institutional transformation and values applicants whose teaching, pedagogical and professional experiences have prepared them to foster and sustain equitable learning environments. We especially welcome faculty whose pedagogy engages diverse perspectives, expands forms of knowledge, and helps foster a culture of belonging where all students, staff, and faculty can thrive.
We are seeking an educator and scholar whose work speaks to the enormous impact digital culture, technology, and media (broadly conceived) have on our lives and the world. Specifically, we are seeking candidates for the HPSS department with training and expertise in the fields of history, philosophy, and/or social sciences. We are particularly excited about areas that would invigorate art and design practices, including: histories and ethics of artificial intelligence, technological development, and/or social media; the social, cultural, political, economic, and/or environmental implications of digital technologies and/or forms of media. We also welcome research that examines how digital cultures and technology intersect with questions of identity, equity, and representation across diverse communities.
Required Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications
RISD/ Department Description
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a nonprofit college and museum of art and design founded in 1877 in the city of Providence, RI. Today 2,606 students from 62 countries engage in more than 40 full-time bachelor's and master's degree programs, supported by a committed faculty and worldwide network of more than 33,000 alumni.
By cultivating expansive and elastic thinking, RISD equips artists, designers and scholars to generate and challenge the ideas that shape our world.
RISD has a critical review process, which is very similar to the tenure process at other institutions. RISD supports faculty professional practice with sabbaticals, pre-critical review leave, conference funds, and professional development grants. For more information about RISD, please visit www.risd.edu.
HPSS is a multidisciplinary department within the Division of Liberal Arts. Many of us are the sole full-time faculty in our discipline. Our students are art and design majors who take one third of their courses in the Liberal Arts. We offer students several concentration tracks (equivalent to a minor) within HPSS, and within the Division of Liberal Arts as a whole. RISD provides unique opportunities for collaborative research and teaching with faculty and students in art and design disciplines (e.g., industrial design, apparel, textiles, architecture, film, painting, etc.) We are particularly excited for this faculty to collaborate with the newly formed major in Computation, Technology, and Culture.
Faculty Responsibilities
The full-time faculty teaching load is five teaching units a year, which in most departments correlates to teaching five courses per year. In addition to teaching, full-time faculty are expected to maintain a dynamic professional practice, serve on college committees, advise students, participate in curriculum development and other departmental and/or divisional activities and projects, and contribute to the vibrancy of the intellectual life of the college.
Union Yes Salary Information
For information about base pay for this position, please refer to Article XII "Salaries" (p. 19-22) in the Faculty Association Collective Bargaining Contract 2025-2028. The contract indicates the minimum base salary for each rank.
Pre-employment Requirement
The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.
Special Instructions to Applicants
RISD Faculty Search Committees comprise colleagues from within and outside of the hiring Department.
Please attach the following to to the appropriate links in the section labeled "Documents Needed to Apply":
1.) Letter of intent that addresses the qualifications and responsibilities listed above
2.) Curriculum vitae
3.) A teaching statement (750 words or less) that describes your approach to inclusive pedagogy
4.) One or two sample syllabi and a list of potential courses you could offer (in one PDF)
5.) An example of scholarly work, no more than 20 pages in length (PDF)
6.) Optional: Digital Work
Optionally, if your scholarly work involves visual or audio materials, you may provide a link.
Applications may not be edited once they are certified and submitted.
Only materials that have been requested will be considered.
Names and contact information for three references are requested as part of the application process at the finalist stage.
Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Candidates who submit their materials by November 20, 2026 are assured full consideration.
EEO Statement
RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.
Posting Detail Information
Posting Number F00130P Open Date Close Date Open Until Filled Yes
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Documents Needed To Apply
Required Documents
Optional Documents