CAS faculty position requests matrix
FY 2016
We seek an assistant professor in late Victorian/Modern British Literature, with a strong interest in
critical theory and cultural studies. Ideally, this candidate would be able to move between the two
periods – 19th century and early 20th century – while offering courses in a range of genres. Possible
subfields within critical theory and cultural studies include, but are not limited to: colonialism and
empire, gender and class identities, visual and print culture, digital humanities, Anglo-Jewish life
and migrations.
Criteria
1. Program strength and vitality
Describe the program for which this position is intended. What are its strengths? Where does it need
strengthening? How will this position affect the strengths and weaknesses and overall quality of the
program?
EMU’s Literature program is one of the oldest, strongest, and most vibrant in our institution. Many
faculty in the Literature program are internationally recognized scholars, regularly publishing books,
articles, and creative works including novels and plays, as well as giving many national and
international conference presentations, including invited keynote addresses. They serve as editors of
nationally recognized journals, including our in-house publication, The Journal of Narrative Theory. In
addition to this scale of distinguished research-based work, four faculty have won the EMU
Distinguished Faculty Award for teaching in recent years, while many have won Dean’s grants to
develop new initiatives in the classroom. Our faculty maintain an exemplary service record, serving in
key roles on EMU college and university committees. Perhaps the best indicator of our program’s
success is that our students win awards and recognition for their work in regional and national
competitions and conferences, and many of our graduates distinguish themselves by becoming
teachers in the community or going on to competitive Ph.D. programs (over 90% of our graduates
applying to MA/PhD programs are admitted, often with full funding).
The proposed faculty line will support English programs both “vertically,” from Gen Ed to graduate
courses, and “horizontally,” across major program areas in Literature; Language, Literature and
Writing (LLW); Language, Literature, and Writing for Teachers (LLWT); as well as, indirectly, in
Creative Writing and Women’s and Gender Studies. We need to fill a huge gap in our 19th century
British literature offerings that was created after our Victorian specialist took a job at a different
university in 2015; this gap will be made still worse after our second Victorianist retires next year. To
maintain legitimacy and accreditation as a program in English Language and Literature, we must be
able to offer classes in the vibrant, rich period of Victorian literature, which spans much of the 19th
century. Also, since we have not been able to offer classes in modern (early 20th century) British
literature for many years, we would like to take this opportunity to hire an expert that could span
Victorian and modern British literature and culture. If possible, we would prefer to hire someone who
could also teach in Jewish Studies.
2. Demand for program
Discuss program enrollment and growth and how will it be affected by this hire. Refer to the dataset
developed for the Provost's Tenure-Track Faculty Request form to support your narrative.
Despite the decline in enrollments from 2011-13, the data suggest an increase in the numbers of
majors in all our undergraduate programs – LITR, LLW, and LLWT – in 2014. Moreover, our SCH
production in the MA Literature program has increased by 30% in the last year. Finally, general
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university enrollment data indicate a sharp increase in undergraduate students. We see those trends
as an opportunity and a call for our programs to diversify our offerings to attract new students into
traditionally vibrant programs. The enrollment in our MA in Literature program increased 25%
between 2004 and 2008; over a similar period, enrollment in our undergraduate majors likewise
remained steady. Therefore, the decrease in enrollments in years prior to 2014 must be placed in the
larger context of the earlier, unexpectedly sharp increase. Literature faculty also teach a substantial
number of courses in 3 other programs: Creative Writing requires its undergraduates to take 6 credit
hours in Literature (with additional elective options) and its MA students to take 9 credit hours of
Literature. We regularly offer no fewer than 8-9 graduate courses annually for students in these
graduate programs as well as in our MA in Literature. As the MA in English Studies for Teachers and
the MA in Creative Writing continue to grow, and as our own programs place higher demands on our
faculty, we anticipate that even if we could move our current faculty entirely into upper division
courses (not practicable as faculty offer popular Gen Ed courses for which we could not find suitable
lecturer replacements), we could not fully meet demands for major and graduate class offerings.
A new faculty line would thus ensure regular rotation in the following required and restricted elective
classes for Literature, English Education, and Creative Writing majors: most immediately, LITR 317
Victorian and Edwardian Literature and LITR 420 Studies in the British Novel. Depending on the new
faculty’s area of expertise, we also expect them to teach LITR 443 Women in Literature, LITR 450 Major
Authors and/or LITR 480 Studies in Literature and Culture (up to 36 students each). Moreover, we will
ensure regular offerings of our graduate classes, LITR 565 Studies in 19th Century British Fiction, LITR
566 Studies in 20th Century British Fiction, and LITR 575 Studies in Victorian Literature (up to 15
students each).
With the departure of one Victorianist, and the announced departure of the other, we will have further
declined to 15 faculty members: 12 full professors and 3 associate professors. The latest departures
have made it extremely challenging to staff the required courses for all our majors and minors: ENG
300W Writing about Literature (6 sections per year), LITR 490 Senior Seminar (2 sections), LITR 510
Critical Practices in Lit Studies and LITR 511 Literary Criticism (1 section each). We seek new faculty
with a strong interest in critical theory also so that he/she could help cover 10 sections of the required
courses offered each year. In a program that is so severely understaffed that it had to cancel a fully
enrolled, required graduate class (LITR 511) in Winter 2011, a new faculty member will ensure more
effective staffing.
3. Relation to department and college goals
Identify specific program, department and college goals that will be addressed by filling this position.
Our major program goal is to train students to “Demonstrate knowledge of major works of literature in
traditionally-defined historical literary periods and of major intellectual developments in literary
criticism.” In addition to redressing the problematic shortage of 19th century British literature offerings
in our current line-up, a specialist in this area also promises new directions in curriculum growth, most
immediately early 20th century British literature offerings. The new faculty member will be expected to
develop new upper level and graduate courses in modern/early 20th century British Literature, greatly
diversifying our current course offerings, which will benefit both our program and department. Beyond
covering period requirements, this faculty member can help us maintain our dedication to educating
students in cutting edge intellectual developments in literary criticism. We are particularly interested
in scholars who work in colonialism and empire, gender and class identities, visual and print
narratives, and/or digital humanities; however, we welcome other areas of critical inquiry as well. A
strong interest in literary criticism and cultural studies is especially important to us since it can help us
replace Andrea Kaston Tange who covered many of these fields, in addition to spearheading a
successful digital project on Anglo-Jewish Life and Migrations (http://19cJewishLife.org). Because of
such a diverse background, this faculty member will benefit the college by offering interdisciplinary
and cross-listed courses within the CAS.
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4. Current availability of faculty
How readily can the current full time program faculty address the needs associated with this position?
Explain the relationship of department faculty, lecturers and part time lecturers with this position and how
filing the position affects that relationship. Is this request to replace a separating faculty member? If yes,
during which semester did the separating faculty member last teach?
If this position is not filled, we will have to reduce our British literature offerings, which will further
impact our enrollments and the ability of majors to progress to completion. As previously mentioned,
the new position is intended to replace Victorianist Andrea Kaston Tange who moved to a different
university beginning Fall 2015. Also, the other Victorianist, Alexandra Norton, has announced her
retirement in August 2016. In addition to losing experts in 19th century British literature and culture,
the steady loss of Literature faculty to other universities, retirement, and EMU administrative positions
has resulted in a situation where we cannot staff required service courses for all our majors and
minors. Another long-time literature faculty member has announced that he will apply for voluntary
phased retirement this year. Finally, we have lost two full time lecturers in recent years, one of whom
had the required qualifications to teach upper-division courses. With the new faculty contract which
provides greater research support through sabbatical and research fellowship course releases, we have
also been increasingly relying on adjunct instructors to cover both upper-division and Gen Ed courses.
5. Relation to general education
Will the program’s ability to meet expectations of the General Education Program be affected by this
position? If so, explain how and refer to the data submitted on the Provost's Tenure-Track Faculty Request
form to support your narrative.
We would like the new faculty member to teach the following Gen Ed classes that were covered by
Andrea Kaston Tange: multiple sections of LITR 100 Intro to Lit, LITR 101 Intro to Fiction, LITR 102
Intro to Poetry, and LITR 200 Lit for Lit Lovers. These courses are offered in both regular class and
large lecture formats, as well as online, and attract high enrollments (see Gen Ed SCH). Currently, many
of these sections are taught by lecturers. EMU’s goal is to have faculty in Gen Ed courses as one way of
providing the highest quality of instruction and increasing retention rates. Moreover, we will be able to
staff Honors sections of Gen Ed classes, always taught by faculty, which have been extremely popular
with Honors students in recent years.
6. Other important information.
Provide any other data and information necessary for this request. (e.g., accreditation; source of resources
necessary for the new faculty member to be successful such as budget, lab space, access to equipment, etc.;
numbers of minors, etc.
The current NCATE curriculum standards for teachers of Secondary English Language Arts (grades 712), approved in 2012, emphasize teachers’ “content knowledge” in “a range of world literatures,
historical traditions, genres, and the experiences of different genders, ethnicities, and social classes”
and the ability to “use literary theories to interpret and critique a range of texts.” These learning
standards require that our English teacher candidates be well prepared to help their future students
meet these expectations. Furthermore, NCATE requires that teacher candidates demonstrate an
appreciation and understanding of global diversity in an effort to broaden students’ 21st-century
literacies. Learning about 19th century British literature, written at the height of British colonial trade
and expansion, helps our students understand the global contexts in which English-language literature
itself develops as a disciplinary field and make connections to contemporary global concerns. Finally,
this faculty position is perfectly geared to accomplish our top teaching and learning goal for the
literature program as stated in the Program Review, which is to increase attention to diverse
literatures across the curriculum.
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