Junior or senior professor of modern German literature and culture

Department: Department of Literature
Regime Part-time

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The Department of Literature in the Faculty of Arts has the following part-time (65 %) vacancy: junior or senior professor of modern German literature and culture.

Position

You will contribute to the University of Antwerp’s three core tasks: education (40 %), research (40 %) and service (20 %). Your role also includes organisational and managerial aspects.

Education

• You will provide high-quality education in the Bachelor and Master of Linguistics and Literary Studies and in the Bachelor of Applied Linguistics.
• In the three-year bachelor’s programme of Linguistics and Literary Studies you will teach:
  • German Literature 1: Prose, Poetry, Theatre, Film (3 ECTS): in this introductury course you will teach students how to analyze literary texts (especially analysis of prose, poetry, theatre texts).
• In the Bachelor of Linguistics and Literary Studies and the Bachelor of Applied Linguistics you will teach:
  • German: Cultural History (4 out of 6 ECTS): in this introductory course you will give students an overview of German cultural history, you will read with them texts from different media and you will use digital and visual media.
• In the one-year master’s programme Linguistics and Literary Studies you will teach one elective course that matches your research (6 ECTS).
• In your teaching, you must pay attention to students’ needs with respect to German language acquisition.
• The teaching load may evolve in function of the course programme and internal consultation with colleagues. The total teaching load will remain more or less the same as the above (with a maximum of 15 and a minimum 12 ECTS).
• You will play a role in developing activating, student-centred and competence-driven programme components and study programmes.
• You will supervise students during the writing of bachelor’s and master’s papers and you will organize extracurricular activities.

Research

• You will develop high-quality scientific research in the field of modern German literature and culture.
• Connections to ongoing research in the Department of Literature and/or the Faculty of Arts in terms of content are an asset (e.g., Digital Literary Studies, Jewish Studies, Theater and Film Studies, Book History/Web Literary Studies, Gender and Language/Literature, Youth Literature, Urban Studies, or topics of German Literature in a comparative/transcultural/multilingual context).
• You initiate new research traditions and coordinate the progress of scholarly research projects.
• You will acquire and manage national and international research funding.
• You will publish in international, peer-reviewed journals and will write, edit or contribute to books published by leading academic publishers.
• You will develop an international scientific network.
• You will supervise PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Their number depends on the acquisition of fellowships and project subsidies from national and international institutions. On the one hand, talented young researchers can initiate research themselves by applying for individually awarded fellowships and involving you as their adviser. On the other, you are expected as a junior or senior professor to acquire research funding yourself, with which you can then recruit fitting doctoral and/or postdoctoral researchers.

Services

• You will play a role in the provision of both academic services and service to society, within the institution and externally. Among other service activities, you will participate in student recruitment, boards and committees, and popular communication to a non-academic audience. You are a co-organizer of the Deutschcafé.

Organisation and leadership

• You will accept coordinating responsibilities in the areas of education, research and/or service provision and you will contribute to policy-making at the level of the research unit, department, programme committee and/or faculty to which you belong.
• Your leadership style will be motivating and coaching. You will be attentive to junior researchers’ growth, mental well-being and career planning and to the social cohesion among researchers in the department.

Profile

• You hold a PhD in modern German literature or related disciplines. A habilitation is not required, but one can certainly apply for this position as a habilitated person as well.
• You can demonstrate several years of postdoctoral experience (or equivalent).
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies .
• You have established an excellent international research portfolio with academic peer-reviewed publications that irrefutably demonstrate your expertise in the field of modern German literature and culture.
• You have an excellent knowledge of German-language literary and cultural history from the 18th  century to the present (with a verifiable research focus in one or more periods), you are familiar with German-language ‘canon literature’, as well as with alternative or counter-canonical movements. You have an excellent knowledge of literary and cultural (and possibly media-analytical) theories and methods and also know how to communicate them adequately.
• You have proven experience in academic teaching. It is an asset if you have already had teaching experience in the field of German literature to non-native speakers and if you have already worked with models of blended learning.
• Your courses will be taught in German so your writing and speaking skills should be at the level of native speakers (European Reference Framework C2).
• A good command of English is an asset as this will be the language for grant acquisition.
• Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision . You are motivated to develop your teaching skills further through the professionalisation opportunities  available.
• If you do not speak Dutch, the administrative language of the university, you should be willing to obtain a CEFR B2 level of proficiency in Dutch. As soon as you take on teaching duties in Dutch as a programme component coordinator, you should be able to demonstrate a CEFR C1 level of proficiency in the language of instruction. The University of Antwerp supports international staff members through an integration trajectory and offers tailor-made language coaching in compliance with Flanders’ statutory language regulations .
• You demonstrate leadership potential and organisational skills.
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
• You are a team-player who looks forward to working with colleagues in (German) literary studies and linguistics at the UAntwerpen.
• You commit yourself to turning your work environment into an inclusive place in which diversity is valued and all students, including those with special vulnerabilities, feel safe.

What we offer

• We offer a part-time appointment as a member of the Senior Academic Staff (Dutch: Zelfstandig Academisch Personeel, ZAP). The level of your appointment (assistant professor, associate professor, professor or full professor) is determined on the basis of your professional experience and academic qualifications. Junior ZAP members are usually offered temporary appointment as a tenure track assistant professor for five years, which is then followed by permanent appointment as an associate professor. Appointment as an associate professor or higher leads to permanent appointment (tenure) after a maximum of three years. A favourable performance appraisal is always required for permanent appointment.
• We offer, after a positive evaluation of a PhD project application you submit, an attractive starter package consisting of a four-year PhD project and €15 000 of consumables to boost your research from the start of your employment at the University of Antwerp.
• Your gross monthly salary is calculated according to the pay scales  for Senior Academic Staff and calculated pro rata based on the percentage of employment.
• You will receive ecocheques, a laptop, a workplace, an Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• The planned starting date is 15 September 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.
• You will do most of your work at the City campus of the University of Antwerp (Prinsstraat 13) in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here  and discover all the other benefits .

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 26 February 2024 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on 'apply', complete the online application form and don’t forget to include the following documents:
  • (1) your motivation letter in German,
  • (2) the completed job application appendix for ZAP  in English,
  • (3) your academic CV in German or English.
  • A research plan is only requested from those who will be invited to the selection interview.
• The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next steps in the selection procedure. We kindly request that you already reserve 6 May 2024 for a selection interview and a teaching sample on campus. If you are invited to the selection interview, you will also be asked to propose a topic for a four-year PhD project.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions  or send an email to [email protected] . If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact Prof. Dr. Thomas Ernst, modern German literature, at the mailing address [email protected] .

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award  for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity  and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.