Assistant Professor in Language Education

  • Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
  • Boston, MA, USA
  • Sep 26, 2024
Full time Education

Job Description

The Wheelock College of Education & Human Development at Boston University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Language Education. We are seeking a colleague with expertise in TESOL/applied linguistics. We are open to a wide range of specializations within applied linguistics (e.g., second language acquisition, instructional pedagogy, assessment, pragmatics, critical applied linguistics, bilingualism, etc.), but we seek a colleague with a primary focus on adult ESL. The ideal candidate should also be able to bridge different subfields of applied linguistics (e.g., a scholar who can cross over adult ESL and K-12 ESL, a scholar who can bridge TESOL and world language education) or whose scholarship makes connections between applied linguistics and another area of inquiry, such as immigration policy, literacy, cognition, culturally sustaining pedagogy, antiracism, LGBTQIA+ rights and Generative AI, among others.

The Department of Language and Literacy Education, in which this position will be housed, is a community of scholars and educators who embrace multilingualism and multiliteracies, and who share an explicit commitment to combatting the deficit framing of racially and linguistically minoritized people. To that end, we are seeking a colleague who brings a critical and social justice perspective, broadly defined, to both their applied linguistics research and their teaching of courses and who is passionate to collaborate with scholars in the College who work in related areas.

This position begins on July 1, 2025. Applicants from diverse backgrounds, especially with bilingual/multilingual proficiency, are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.

Required Qualifications:

  • Earned doctorate in TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Educational Linguistics, or a related field

  • Expertise in adult ESL (either within the US or international contexts)

  • An active and coherent program of research, with a record of peer-reviewed journal publications

  • Strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion

  • Strong bilingual or multilingual proficiency 

  • Experience teaching graduate-level teacher-education courses

Preferred Qualifications:

  • A secondary interest/expertise in another area such as K-12 ESL, immigration policy, literacy, cognition, culturally sustaining pedagogy, antiracism, LGBTQIA+ rights, and Generative AI, among others

  • International teaching experience

  • Experience developing and/or teaching online courses

The successful candidate will pursue a substantial and relevant program of research, explore collaborative possibilities with other faculty in the College and at Boston University, and seek external funding consistent with their research program. This faculty member will teach existing teacher education courses such as Second Language Acquisition, Teaching Methods in TESOL, Advanced Seminar in TESOL Pedagogy, and Critical Applied Linguistics as well as develop new elective courses. This faculty member will also supervise Ph.D. students. In addition, the faculty member will support the launch of a TESOL-Applied Linguistics online certificate program.

Inquiries may be directed to the Chair of the Search Committee: Dr. Yasuko Kanno, yakanno@bu.edu

Review of applications will begin on 10/15/2024 and continue until the position is filled.

Applicants should submit the following documents electronically to https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/28350:

  • Brief cover letter explaining suitability for the position

  • A statement describing research, teaching, and service interests/experiences

  • Current curriculum vitae

  • Three letters of reference

  • 2 recent peer-reviewed journal articles

BU conducts a background check on all final candidates for certain faculty and staff positions. The background check includes contacting the final candidate’s current and previous employer(s) to ask whether, in the last seven years, there has been a substantiated finding of misconduct violating that employer’s applicable sexual misconduct policies. To implement this process, the University requires a final candidate to complete and sign the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” after execution of an offer letter.

Our university community welcomes differences, encourages open-minded exploration, and upholds freedom of expression. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.