Assistant Professor of Game Studies - University of Oregon

Department: School of Journalism and Communication
Rank: Assistant Professor
Annual Basis: 9 Month

Application Deadline

February 28, 2025; position open until filled

Required Application Materials

To ensure consideration, please upload the following with your online application:

• A letter of interest outlining how your knowledge, skills, and experience meet the minimum and/or preferred qualifications of the position.

• Current CV or resume including dates of employment.

• Name and contact information for three professional references. The candidate will be notified prior to references being contacted.

• A diversity statement (see below).

As part of the application process, applicants seeking faculty positions at the University of Oregon are asked to submit a statement about their past, present, and future contributions to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in their professional careers. For example, you may have worked with members of communities or local governments in politics, or university constituents such as students, staff, or faculty to further the goals of equity and inclusion.

In evaluating statements of contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion, search committees often consider the applicants:

• Awareness of inequities and challenges faced by underrepresented minority students and faculty.

• Track record (commensurate to career stage) of activities that reduce barriers in education or research for underrepresented minority students and faculty.

• Vision and plans for how their work will continue to contribute to UO's mission to serve the needs of our diverse state and student population and create an inclusive campus.

We particularly welcome applications from scholars who are from populations historically underrepresented in the academy, and/or who have experience working with diverse populations. Applicants are encouraged to highlight their experience and philosophy with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to address how they integrate these values in research, teaching, engagement, and/or service.

Any application missing the above documents/information may be considered incomplete.

Position Announcement

The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor with a research and teaching emphasis in the area of Game Studies. We seek to hire colleagues who will conduct research on and teach about games (both analog and digital), game communities and affiliated technologies and platforms (e.g., Discord, Twitch, Esports, Virtual Reality) through the lenses of media studies, strategic communication, design, marketing, or their impacts and effects on users and culture.

As one of the largest media and entertainment industries, games sit at the intersection of a variety of interactive and immersive interactive communication technologies, ranging from artificial intelligence to live streaming, that require rethinking the professional and social boundaries of media practitioners and consumers. At the same time, the ideological, economic and social norms fostered by gamers and game studios profoundly impact how everyday players and media users approach life, their sense of self, and create and maintain their own communities. From content creators, influencers and political pundits using streaming services like Twitch to the ways Artificial Intelligence is being deployed and adopted any number of professions, the impact of games and gaming is undeniable to the future of media.

Hires would bring the following key contributions to our faculty:

1. Expertise in theories and concepts pertinent to game studies in regard to fields of media studies, communication, design, marketing, human-computer interaction, journalism, or affiliated fields.

2. A related specialty, such as the study of esports, fan studies, digital asset and game production, content creation, gaming identity, digital cultures, emerging media industries and economics, environmental studies, human-machine communication, strategic communication, and media psychology.

3. A capacity to teach required coursework in our new Game Studies minor at the SOJC such as media ethics, gender, media and diversity, and introduction to media studies, and potentially contribute to our online Immersive Media Communication Master’s program.

This hire will join our growing body of scholars studying and teaching game studies and Immersive Media, including the new Game Studies minor launched in Fall 2024, which focuses on training media professionals in the culture and communication of games. Faculty members would also ideally strengthen SOJC’s ties to other units on campus, such as existing collaborations with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) (e.g., the annual Data|Media|Digital Graduate Symposium), the campus-wide New Media and Culture Certificate program for graduate students, the ethics minor in philosophy, and UO’s Data Sciences Initiative. They could also work with the variety of extracurricular activities and programs associated with gaming on campus, including the varsity esports team, board game club, and the Art & Technology program in the School of Design. Games also are a significant component in the SOJC’s Immersive Media Communications program in collaboration with the Oregon Reality (OR) Lab, which focuses on experiential learning and research regarding the ethical use of immersive media and their social, cultural and professional impacts.

Finally, ideal candidates will have strong potential to mentor undergraduate and graduate students as well as strong potential for and commitment to contributing to a culture of inclusive teaching and evidence of valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Equally important, candidates would be encouraged to take advantage of the university's existing partnerships to bring the industry and storytellers both in Portland’s “Silicon Forest” and Oregon’s thriving gaming community into the classroom while driving thought leadership as gaming and immersive technologies evolve.

Positions will be based in Eugene on UO’s main campus.

Department or Program Summary

The School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) is an accredited research and professional school serving approximately 2,450 undergraduates and 150 graduate students both on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene and at the George S. Turnbull Center in Portland. Degrees offered are the B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., and Ph.D., as well as minors in Media Studies and Science Communication. The School also includes an interdisciplinary major in Cinema Studies and interdisciplinary minors in Multimedia and Native Studies. The SOJC employs approximately 125 individuals as faculty and staff, more than 50 graduate employees, and approximately 50 student employees. Founded in 1916, the SOJC is one of the oldest journalism programs in the nation. With deep roots in industry history and rich traditions, the SOJC is also home to state-of-the-art technology facilities such as the Oregon Reality (OR) Lab in Portland, the Experience Hub which focuses on media production (e.g., podcasting, social media) and a variety of immersive and interactive spaces for the creation, interaction and display of games on campus.

The University of Oregon values and seeks diversity as a source of enrichment for our university community. The School of Journalism and Communication is deeply committed to building an inclusive community and particularly invites and welcomes applications from scholars who are from populations historically underrepresented or underserved in the academy. We encourage applications from candidates who, through their research, teaching, service, and community engagement demonstrably promote and contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning and working environment for our students, staff, and faculty. Applicants are encouraged to highlight their experience and philosophy with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. in communication, media studies, journalism, advertising, strategic communication, science and technology studies, information science/studies, philosophy, or another related field, or all but dissertation (ABD) with expected completion by the time of appointment. Please note your anticipated PhD completion.
• Ability to execute independent and/or collaborative research that advances theory and bridges knowledge and practice.
• A record or promise of scholarly accomplishment that includes publication in high-quality academic journals in communication, media studies, journalism, information studies, media psychology, computer science and design, and/or related fields.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong commitment to contributing to a culture of inclusive teaching; and evidence of valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to teach across the required undergraduate curriculum including courses like “Making Sense of Media” and “How Stories Work,” as well as core media studies course (e.g., “Media Ethics,” “Communication Law).
• Ability to teach across game studies minor courses such as “Introduction to Studying Games,” “Making the Virtual a Reality,” “Understanding Esports” and “Analog games.”
• Ability to teach in at least one graduate program including: Master’s in Strategic Communication, Master’s in Advertising and Brand Responsibility, Master’s in Immersive Media Communication, Communication and Media Studies Master’s and Ph.D.
• An interest in Master’s and doctoral student mentorship.
• Demonstrated potential for teaching excellence.

About the University

The University of Oregon is an Association of American Universities member and Tier-One research institution that is ranked “highest research activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Located 110 miles south of Portland, in Kalapuya Ilihi, the homelands of the Kalapuyan people. The Eugene metro area (pop. 375,000) is in a region noted for its dynamic quality of life and progressive cultural environment. We are about an hour’s drive from the Pacific coast and the Cascade Mountains.

The University of Oregon has an enrollment of over 20,000 undergraduate and 3,600 graduate students. Of these, 34% are students of color. The university makes institutional commitments to diversity and actively supports its goal with resources such as the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence, the Black Cultural Center, the Many Nations Longhouse, the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, the Multicultural Center, and the Division of Equity and Inclusion, among other initiatives.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit http://hr.uoregon.edu/careers/about-benefits.

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit https://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits.

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://clery.uoregon.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report.