Do you have a background in social sciences or an interdisciplinary field of study? Would you like to help undergraduate students learn all about theoretical concepts, research methods and tools in a collaborative setting? Will you be studying in the academic year 2024-2025? We are looking for new additions to our team of Teaching Assistants (TA) and you may just be one of them!

In September 2022, a brand new Bachelor’s programme at the UvA welcomed its first students: Computational Social Science. This interdisciplinary programme is a collaboration between the faculties of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG), Science (FNWI) and Humanities (FGw).

Students learn how to analyse ‘real world’ data on complex societal issues such as climate change, global health and digital surveillance to identify opportunities for (behavioural and systems) change and to design evidence-based intervention strategies. They will programme hands-on tools that support sustainable digital innovation and contribute to making the world a better place!

Computational Social Science is an English-taught programme with a unique curriculum that is solely made up of project driven, semester-long courses of 30 EC. More information can be found here.

What are you going to do
Our exciting curriculum contains a significant amount of group work. As a TA, you will be assigned to a fixed group of 15-20 students and mostly support them as they develop these projects. You may also be asked to provide feedback on (draft versions of) individual assignments that our students submit. Our TAs also offer academic guidance to students via online channels or on-site in our programme’s dedicated ‘learning spaces’ in the JK building at Roeterseiland Campus. It is also possible to give some of the workshops in academic skills and help lecturers prepare workshop materials.

Exact hours and days to offer student guidance on-site or online are to be determined by mutual agreement. Teaching activities for our first-year course Foundation: Appreciating the complexity of social challenges are scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings. Teaching activities for our second-year course Connections: Linking data for better interventions in health and mobility systems are offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday afternoons.

The number of hours per week for which you will be hired can be aligned with your availability. In general, for the first-year course, 8-12 hours per week are required and for the second-year course, 8-10 hours per week.

What do you have to offer
We are looking for friendly, approachable and above all enthusiastic students who are willing and able to engage with undergraduate students. You will need to know how to recognise and hold the line between guiding students’ independent learning and doing students’ work for them. Experience in teaching or group facilitation would be an asset.

Computational Social Science draws from Political Science and Sociological theory, primary research skills, as well as practical skills in communication and stakeholder outreach. We do not expect you to have expertise in all these areas, but you must be willing to learn and keep up with the basics of our students’ curriculum (there will be paid time allowed for this).

Experience in two or more of the following areas is preferred:

• Levels of analysis
• Structure/agency debate
• Wicked problems, especially climate change or digital surveillance
• Theories of behavioural change
• Writing executive summaries
• Creating infographics
• Survey design
• In-depth interviewing
• Ethnography
• Statistics
• Stakeholder outreach and management
• Design thinking
• ATLAS.ti
• Qualtrics

Note: this job does not require programming skills.

You must have an excellent command of English (spoken and written); advanced Dutch is a significant asset.

Master’s students preferred; senior-year Bachelor’s students will be considered. Students with a compelling non-academic background (in entrepreneurship, community organising, etc.) are strongly encouraged to apply.

What can we offer you
We offer a temporary contract at the Education Office Social Sciences. The starting date will be Monday, 2 September 2024. Depending on the year of study, the salary range is €2618 tot €2846, gross per month (Student Assistant salary grade, pursuant to the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities) based on a full-time workweek. Employment will initially be for a semester. Upon positive evaluation and satisfactory performance, your contract may be extended.

What else do we offer

• a position that highly values a can-do attitude and fully encourages you to take initiative;
• a dedicated programme team that is enthusiastic about innovative teaching in which student learning and social engagement take centre stage;
• an inspiring academic and international work environment in the city centre of Amsterdam.

About us
The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Questions
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• Lisa van Pappelendam A.L.vanPappelendam@uva.nl

Job Application
Are you excited about the prospect of being a Teaching Assistant in our programme? Then we look forward to receiving your application by May 19, 2024.

Applications should include the following documents bundled in a single .pdf:

• a curriculum vitae;
• a letter of motivation.

We will invite potential candidates for interviews within 1 week after the closing date.