Assistant Professor of Communication-Digital Media Law and Policy

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BACKGROUND

Trinity University is a secular, independent, private institution, founded in 1869. Trinity offers high-quality science, liberal arts, and pre-professional programs as represented by the four schools (STEM, Arts & Humanities, Social Science and Civic Engagement, and Business) to approximately 2,500 undergraduate students from the U.S. and more than 45 countries. The attractive campus overlooks downtown San Antonio, a city rich in heritage and ethnic diversity. Additional information can be found on the Resource Guide to Trinity & San Antonio.

The Department of Communication is part of the School of Social Science & Civic Engagement, home to six academic departments and four interdisciplinary programs. The School has a long record of involvement in interdisciplinary research and teaching, both within the School and across the University. It prizes experiential learning opportunities for Trinity students, including research with faculty, consulting for local civic organizations, and teaching in San Antonio schools.

Embracing the liberal arts and sciences mission of the university, the Department of Communication stresses an integrated, non-sequenced approach to its curriculum. Students in Communication at Trinity build their major upon three core areas: Mass Media, Media Texts, and Media Audiences. Housed in the Richardson Communications Center, the department provides students with hands-on opportunities such as the KRTU radio station and Tiger TV.

Both the Department of Communication and the University as a whole value and safeguard academic freedom for faculty members in their teaching and scholarship. Trinity is guided by a set of core values and is committed to implementing practices in pursuit of an inclusive campus for all students, faculty, and staff to feel welcomed and engaged in a community of learning.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Specifically, candidates would be expected to:

• Teach one of the core courses for the major: either COMM 1301 (Mass Media), a media industries course; or COMM 2302 (Media Texts), a course on media interpretation and criticism; or COMM 3303 (Media Audiences), a course on understanding the relationship between media and audiences.
• Teach COMM 3462 (Media Law) and COMM 3364 (Ethics and the Mass Media).
• Develop and teach special topics courses in their specific area of expertise, including First Amendment law, media ethics, digital privacy, and/or platform policy.
• Contribute to teaching the First Year Experience or other courses in Pathways, the university's interdisciplinary general education program.
• Maintain a productive research agenda focused on digital media law and policy.
• Engage in service to the department, the university, and the greater San Antonio community.

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

This position will be a nine-month appointment starting August 2026.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Required: Ph.D. in communication or related field. Must be completed prior to August 2026 start date.

EXPERIENCE

Required: Research in digital media law and policy

Preferred: The ideal candidate will possess expertise in one or more of the following:

• First Amendment law and its application to online speech
• Data protection and privacy law
• Ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence and social media
• Social media platform governance and policy
• Platform capitalism and digital technologies

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

Potential for teaching excellence, a passion for mentoring and working with undergraduate students, and an active research plan. Preference given to applicants with clear commitment to and experience engaging with real-world issues.

HOW TO APPLY

For internal applicants, please apply through Workday using the 'Jobs Hub' application, see instructions provided here.

For external applicants, when starting the application, select "Apply Manually." Only complete fields with a red asterisk, which are required. Please create your Workday application account using a personal email address, as you will need to maintain access to this account throughout the pre-hire process, if selected.

For all applicants, you do not need to complete the "(Work) Experience," "Education," "Certifications," or "Languages" fields - these details will be provided in your curriculum vitae.

In the "Application Documents" field, please upload the following, each as a separate pdf file [note: a maximum of five (5) files can be uploaded]:

• Letter of application and curriculum vitae (include names and contact information for three professional references)
• Graduate institution transcript(s)
• Sample of written work
• Statement of teaching philosophy (include teaching evaluations if available
• Intentional inclusion statement - Intentional Inclusion is a core value at Trinity University. Please provide a brief (1-2 page) reflection on the ways that you might contribute to cultivating an environment where people feel welcomed, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. Provide examples of how that relates to your teaching, research/scholarship and other professional activities.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Dr. Josie Liu, search committee chair, Department of Communication, zliu@trinity.edu

Please ensure that all required documents are uploaded prior to submitting an application. If you have revisions needed to an application already submitted or need help submitting an application, please contact Human Resources at 210-999-7507 or email humanresources@trinity.edu.