The Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Cultures is looking for an Assistant professor in English Literary and Cultural History.

The candidate should hold a PhD in English Literature, and have a sound track record of research in one or more of the themes mentioned above, namely: exile, migration, colonialism; history of the humanities; and/or literature and the environment.

The ideal candidate will be able to give evidence of collegial teamwork, and in addition to a PhD, international publications, and an international academic network, will have a research profile that speaks directly to the ASH priority areas, and a university teaching track record that coincides with the core curriculum of the English Literature Section. The successful candidate should also have proven flexibility in teaching beyond his or her own immediate research focus, and a willingness to teach in new areas should the department require this.

Tasks:

• Conducting independent research in the broad area of English literature and history, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals or books;
• actively pursuing external funding for research, notably from national and European Research Councils; actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
• actively contributing to the research activities of the Amsterdam School for Historical Studies (ASH);
• teaching, coordinating, and developing courses in the English Literature Section of the MVTC;
• supervising BA and MA theses and tutoring students;
• participating in departmental committees and working groups, and carrying out administrative tasks as required.

• PhD in English or relevant degree;
• an international research network in the research area concerned;
• research output commensurate with the level of the position;
• demonstrable ability and ambition to obtain external research grants;
• wide experience of different forms and levels of university teaching, at BA and MA level;
• broad teaching skills, relevant to multiple departments in the Faculty of Humanities;
• the Dutch University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO), or willingness to acquire this within the first two years;
• a good team worker; versatile at all levels, and capable of multidisciplinary co-operation;
• excellent organizational experience and skills;
• teaching and admin duties require native or near-native fluency in Dutch and English; appointments are subject to the candidate’s proficiency in both, or their undertaking to acquire thorough knowledge of Dutch and English as speedily as possible; non-native Dutch speakers must achieve an active and passive command of Dutch within two years. Passing the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2), programme II, is a prerequisite for a permanent employment contract.

The contract is initially temporary for a period of two years. Subject to a positive assessment, it will be converted to a permanent contract. The start of the contract is scheduled for 1 August 2020.
The scope of the employment contract is 38 hours per week (1.0 FTE). The UFO profile of assistant professor applies to this position (salary scale 11/12, depending on relevant work experience). The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities applies.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

Faculty of Humanities – Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Cultures

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in the field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the Faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

The Faculty of Humanities offers assistant professors the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers at research institutes that - partly as a result of their interdisciplinary approach - are world-renowned. Moreover, you will be teaching in a dynamic context in which new teaching methods are being developed.

The English Literature Section of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Cultures (MVTC) within the Faculty of Humanities is looking for an Assistant professor with teaching and research interests at the intersection of English literature and cultural history. The research of the candidate will be part of the Amsterdam School of Historical Studies (ASH).

ASH is one of the five research schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research. Candidates may have expertise in any relevant world region and era, but their research should focus on one or more of the following themes: exile, migration, colonialism; history of the humanities; literature and the environment.

The Assistant professor will conduct research within the ASH priority areas, and will be expected to teach courses across different periods of English Literature at both BA and MA levels.