Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Media and Journalism Studies, Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, and Linguistics.

The Position
Excellent research assessments and growing student numbers enable the Department of Media Studies and Journalism to hire an assistant professor of Social Media and Politics.

Candidates have a research agenda that focuses on the interplay between social media and politics. This could include a more narrow focus on party and parliamentary politics, but also on politics at large, including online debate, informed citizenship, news and misinformation, polarisation and harassment, connective action and protest movements, or the politics of everyday life. Candidates should be able to work with computational methods to study social media platforms and messenger services. Preferably, candidates have proven teaching skills with R and Python, experience with statistical analysis, and are interested in interdisciplinary research. Candidates are expected to teach in our BA and MA programs with theory courses such as “Political Action in the Network Society” and methods courses including introductory level statistical analysis with R, social network analysis, and/or automated text analysis

We expect candidates to teach courses in media studies on the BA and MA level, and contribute to our research programme. The position combines teaching (60%) and research (40%).

Media Studies in Groningen

The international, English-taught BA programme in Media Studies focuses on the social and informative functions of media. It is rooted in the humanities but also draws upon methods and paradigms developed in the social sciences and other disciplines. The degree aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of the affordances of different platforms and the interplay between them; the political and economic underpinnings of media systems; patterns of use, production and content; and the functions and impact of media in culture and society. Throughout the curriculum it provides a comparative perspective by studying media in their cultural, historical, economic, political and international contexts. “Politics and Global Citizenship” is one of the profile students can choose in the second year of the programme. It has an annual enrolment of 120-140 students from all parts of the world.

The MA programmes “Social Media and Society”, “Datafication and Digital Literacy” and ‘Media Creation and Innovation’ provide students with cutting-edge knowledge of the digital transformations that profoundly change society. The MA programmes in Journalism focus on high quality reporting in a cross-media setting with a strong focus on digital skills and innovation, and combine academic reflection with academic skills. Our BA and MA programmes rank first among all Media Studies programmes in the Netherlands in the national student survey.

Research is conducted within the interdisciplinary Centre for Media and Journalism Studies. Its strategic themes focus on “Citizenship and Inclusion in Digital Societies”, “Data Infrastructures & Algorithmic Practices”, “New Interdependencies of Journalism” and “Cultures of Media Production”. Members of the Centre have been successful in recent years in attracting external research funding. If appointed, the candidates are expected to actively contribute to a vibrant research environment. They are provided ample support in applying for bids with national and international funding agencies.

The successful applicant is expected to:

- teach and supervise students in the department’s undergraduate and graduate programmes. International candidates will teach solely in English. They are expected to follow a Dutch language course
- participate actively in curriculum development, design and administration of course modules
- conduct and generate top research in media studies or communication studies
- pursue research grants and other forms of external funding
- participate actively in international research networks and build international collaborations
- participate actively in the activities of the interdisciplinary research Centre for Media and Journalism Studies.

In addition to a number of basic requirements set by the University of Groningen, such as excellent social and communication skills, presentation skills, coaching skills and a results-oriented attitude, we are looking for candidates who have:

- a PhD in Political Communication, Media Studies, Communication Studies, or related fields
- wide-ranging knowledge of political communication, social media and computational methods, with proficiency in R and Python
- teaching experience at university level and proven didactic abilities
- gained their University Teaching Qualification or are prepared to do so within two years
- an excellent research track record, including relevant publications
- an outstanding national and international academic network as well as strong contacts with professionals in the field
- willingness to make substantial contributions to the development of the Department’s research and educational programmes
- organisational experience and skills
- excellent command of English (at least CEFR B2/C1 level for reading, listening, writing and speaking), and the willingness to learn Dutch in due course.

Fixed-term contract: 12 months.

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

• a salary based on qualifications and experience of between € 4,332 and € 5,929 (salary scale 11) gross per month for a full time position a full-time position (1.0 FTE)
• a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income
• an 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance
• minimum of 29 holidays and additional 12 holidays in case of full-time employment.

The appointment will be initially for a period of one year, with the possibility of appointment for an indefinite period (permanent contract). This will be determined based on an appraisal, as well as the needs of the programme. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for the University of Groningen (Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities 2022-2023, available in English at http://www.vsnu.nl).

Preferred date of entry into employment is 1 February 2024, or as soon as possible