Assistant Professor in Modern English Literature and Culture

The Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen invites applications for the position of Assistant Professor of Modern English Literature and Culture. The successful candidate will be a member of the Modern English Literature and Culture chair group, a self-contained teaching and research unit. The division between teaching/admin and research is 60/40. An ability to teach contemporary literature, creative writing and/or publishing and book studies is an advantage. We look for a colleague who will bring new elements to our curriculum that will appeal to students.

What are you going to do?

Teaching

The successful candidate is expected to teach across our BA and MA programmes, in both survey courses and more specialised ones. Our BA in English Language and Culture (https://rug.nl/bachelors/english-language-and-culture/#int) has an annual enrolment 80 Dutch and international students. We offer two one-year MA tracks: the MA track in English Literature and Culture (https://rug.nl/masters/english-literature-and-culture/), offering creative writing and a wide range of specialist courses on literatures in English, and the MA track in Writing, Editing and Mediating (https://rug.nl/masters/writing-editing-and-mediating/), focused on literature in professional contexts (e.g. editing, publishing, and book history, with creative writing as an optional component).

Research

The successful candidate is expected to contribute outstanding research in their specialist area while also attracting PhD talent, develop their own innovative research and funding plans, communicate their research and societal impact. Also, to foster interdisciplinary research at the Faculty of Arts and beyond, in alignment with the Faculty’s and University’s strategic plans, and to be trained in modern Humanities methodologies. An ability to generate funding opportunities and cooperation with the creative sector is a plus. Research in the field of Modern English Literature and Culture is housed in the Groningen Research Institute for the Study of Culture (ICOG) which comprises five research centres with a strong inter- and multidisciplinary community. Our Faculty currently hosts the Netherlands Research School for Literary Studies (OSL) which is responsible for all postgraduate disciplinary training in literary studies.

Administration

The successful candidate is expected to perform administrative duties to support the provision of our BA and MA teaching programmes. This includes, but is not limited to, committee and outreach work.

The Assistant Professor will:

• Devise and teach English literature courses at BA and MA levels. They may also contribute to the Faculty’s BA in European Languages and Cultures, or the two-year Research Master's track in Arts, Media and Literary Studies (ReMA AMLS).
• Conduct research in the field of Anglophone literature and culture (contemporary and/or publishing and/or creative writing).
• Co-supervise PhD students.
• If appropriate, apply for external research funding.
• Fulfil organisational roles within the English programmes and the Faculty of Arts.

You have:

• A PhD degree in English Literature or a closely related field.
• Proven ability in academic research, demonstrated by a combination of the following: publications in leading international journals; a monograph or collection with an academic press; successful funding applications.
• Demonstrable success as a dedicated teacher.
• If not yet in hand, a willingness to acquire the Dutch university teaching qualification (BKO), for which training is available.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrable organisational competencies.
• The ability to collaborate in teaching and research.
• In case of employment exceeding 12 months: the willingness to learn Dutch at least to the B2 level of the https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages (for which language classes are available).
• Residence in or near Groningen after appointment.

• 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
• End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
• Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.

At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.

The Faculty of Arts is a large and dynamic faculty located in the heart of the city of Groningen. More than 5,500 students and 900 staff work every day at the frontiers of knowledge. The Faculty offers a diverse range of academic programmes, with 16 Bachelor's programmes and over 40 Master's programmes. With its strong international orientation, the Faculty conducts research in fields including archaeology, cultural studies, history, international relations, journalism, literature, and linguistics. If you would like to learn more about the Faculty of Arts, visit rug.nl/let. 

Programme

The BA English Language and Culture programme and the MA Literary Studies are staffed by teachers housed in three chair groups: the chair group in Medieval English Literature and Culture, in Modern English Literature and Culture, and in English Linguistics. The English unit is the oldest in The Netherlands and a decade ago, Groningen’s English BA and MA programmes were the first in the country to switch entirely to English-language instruction and assessment. We are a well-established unit with solid student enrolment at both BA and MA levels and a collegial, productive work environment with research and teaching collaborations between colleagues specializing in language skills, linguistics and literature.

Research and teaching in the Modern Literature and Culture chair group embraces literatures of the English-speaking world from roughly 1550 to the present. Once our current vacancy is filled, we will be a team of nine full-time tenure-track/tenured staff members (in addition to varying numbers of temporary lecturers). Teaching responsibilities of staff members in the Modern English Literature and Culture chair group focus mainly on two highly regarded programs: the BA program in English Language and Culture, which has been repeatedly assessed as a top-rated English program in the Dutch National Student Survey.

Do you have any questions or need more information?

Questions about the content of the job?
Julia Kühn (Full Professor): j.c.kuhn@rug.nl

Questions about your application process?
Clemens Six (Full Professor): C.Six@rug.nl