Assistant Professor in American Studies (0.8 FTE)

Where you will be working
You will be working in the Department of American Studies, an active and international teaching and research group comprising about 10 people. Our Department is the only one of its kind in The Netherlands to offer a self-contained, interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree programme (three years) as well as a master’s degree programme (one year). Fully taught in English by an international staff, both programmes comply with US and UK benchmarks in the domain of American Studies and lead the national accreditation rankings for academic excellence across the humanities. The majority of our approximately 240 students spend a semester at one of the fifteen US universities with which our programmes have long-established student exchange relations.
Your work tasks include the preparation, monitoring and teaching of (new) course units in a range of interdisciplinary areas, among them: media and popular culture, political culture, hemispheric American culture and history, and cultural theory. You are expected to produce research and supervise undergraduate and graduate students. You are expected to develop new ideas in research and education, and secure funding (independently or jointly) for future research. You are expected to collaborate with colleagues within the American Studies programmes, as well as with other departments in the Faculty (including within externally funded projects) and with international guest researchers.
You will participate in the Groningen Research Institute for the Study of Culture (https://www.rug.nl/research/icog/). Research at ICOG is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach. It represents many periods and disciplines, ranging from (art) history and the theory of literature to media studies and from the performing arts to international relations.

• you have a PhD in American Studies or related fields, including media and popular culture studies, political culture, Latin-American studies, cultural and literary history
• you have experience in setting up new course units at university level, using inspiring teaching methods and linking your research activities to your course units at bachelor and master level in a range of interdisciplinary areas, including the aforementioned fields
• you have demonstrated affinity with and teaching experience in interdisciplinary approaches and methodologies, preferably from a transatlantic, transnational or inter-American perspective
• you are an excellent researcher, as evidenced by a publication record in national and international peer-reviewed journals and you maintain an ambitious research agenda in one or more of the aforementioned fields and perspectives in American Studies, including the development of grant proposals and the implementation of projects
• you have research plans in interdisciplinary topics within American Studies supported by a programme of research for the next four years
• you have international research experience and an international research network (appropriate to career stage)
• you like to work both independently and as a member of an interdisciplinary team
• your strengths are organizing, entrepreneurship, communication and meeting deadlines
• you are able to communicate, teach and publish in English (CEFR C1 level for reading, listening, writing and speaking)
• you have a proficiency in Dutch or are willing to learn it within a reasonable period of time (CEFR B2 for reading and listening; CEFR B1 for writing and speaking).

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- depending on your qualifications and work experience a minimum gross salary of € 3,637 (salary scale 11) and a maximum gross salary of € 5,656 (scale 12) per month for a full-time position (Please note that the offered position is 0,8 FTE and the salary pro rato)
- an 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus and participation in an employee pension scheme. Favourable tax agreements may apply to non-Dutch applicants. We offer 232 holiday hours per calendar year for a full-time position
- an 80% position (0.8 FTE) in which you will dedicate 60% of your time to teaching (including administration) and 40% to research. Your appointment will be on a temporary basis for 5 years (fixed term).
For more detailed information about working conditions and working for the University of Groningen, please refer to: https://www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/

The appointee will ideally start on 1 August 2020

The Faculty of Arts builds on a long-standing tradition going back four centuries. Our mission is to be a top-ranking faculty providing both excellent education and world-class research, with a strong international orientation as well as firm roots in the northern Netherlands. We build on knowledge and share the benefits with society. We are part of a broad, modern and international institution, educating over 5000 Dutch and international students to become ambitious, articulate and independent individuals. We are a diverse and hardworking team of 700 staff members.