Position Summary

The Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University (MSU) seeks a practicing musician to teach courses in contemporary popular songwriting (such as hip hop, rock, pop, and/or punk), sound recording, and digital music production, as well as courses in writing and the humanities within an interdisciplinary curriculum.  Candidates should be able to engage students from a variety of backgrounds, including students who have no prior musical experience.  Candidates must show promise in meeting tenure requirements for an R1 university.  This includes excellence in the areas of teaching, research and creative activity, and service.  Research and creative activity can include traditional peer reviewed scholarship as well as creative work as demonstrated through such accomplishments as music released on established labels, performances at established venues, grant-funded work, relevant awards, gallery installations, and other forms of peer/industry recognition.  A terminal degree in a related field by the time of appointment and evidence of an active career as a scholar/artist capable of thriving in an interdisciplinary undergraduate learning context are required.

This position will start August 16, 2025.

?Michigan State University is a Carnegie R1 institution committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential.? The University actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities. MSU is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Doctorate -PhD or terminal degree in music, ethnomusicology, sound studies or related field

Minimum Requirements

PhD or terminal degree in music, ethnomusicology, sound studies or related field.

Required Application Materials

Applicants should include a cover letter, CV, statement of teaching philosophy, statement on inclusive practices in teaching, research and/or creative activities, sample syllabi for music/sound courses, as well as a portfolio that illustrates the breadth and depth of artistic and scholarly work. These materials should be compiled in a single PDF.? 

Special Instructions

Embedded links to online materials (such as recordings) are encouraged. Applicants who proceed to the final round will be required to submit names and emails for three people from whom letters of reference will be solicited.? Applications are due January 20. Initial online interviews are expected to be held in January.

Website

RCAH.MSU.EDU

Department Statement

RCAH is an interdisciplinary, residential college with a strong commitment to undergraduate education and wellness, and with an emphasis on the practice of radical reciprocity and socially engaged, community-based arts and humanities. As a residential program, classrooms, faculty offices, and a rich set of creative spaces are co-located within the residence hall where students live for at least two years. The College includes the Center for Poetry, Art Studio, and Lookout Gallery, RCAH Theater, and Language and Media Center (LMC). The LMC supports a wide range of media production, including equipment and spaces for sound/music recording, performance, and editing.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

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