University Lecturer of Scandinavian Literature

University of Helsinki, Finland

Updated: 22 days ago
Deadline: 04 Apr 2024

The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest and largest academic institution, an international scholarly community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki is usually within the top 100 universities in the world. The University of Helsinki is seeking solutions to global challenges and engendering new thinking for the benefit of humanity.

The University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Arts  is Finland’s oldest and largest unit of teaching and research in the arts in terms of the organisation and selection of its disciplines. The Faculty is also a significant international community of research, education and culture. The Department of Finnish, Finno-Ugrian and Scandinavian Studies carries out teaching and research in the Scandinavian and Finno-Ugrian languages and literatures.

The Faculty of Arts invites applications for the position of

UNIVERSITY LECTURER OF SCANDINAVIAN LITERATURE

for a fixed-term appointment from 1 August 2024 to 31 May 2026. Located at the Department of Finnish, Finno-Ugrian and Scandinavian Studies, the position will include a trial period of six months.

The appointee will work in the discipline of Scandinavian literature, which examines literature written in the Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and Faroese) from the perspectives of literary studies and literary history. The appointee will be responsible, alongside the professor and university lecturers of Scandinavian literature, for teaching Scandinavian literature within the Bachelor’s Programme in the Languages and Literatures of Finland, the Master’s Programme in Scandinavian Languages and Literatures, and the Master’s Programme in Literary Studies.

The above programmes educate experts in Nordic (particularly Swedish and Finland Swedish) literature and literary studies. Graduates may find employment as teachers, journalists, communications specialists, critics, librarians, literature scholars, and literature experts working in administrative roles or the third sector in Finland and the other Nordic countries.

The appointee will teach Nordic (particularly Swedish and Finland Swedish) literature and literary studies, including courses in literary history, analysis and theory as well as the role of literature in society. Their teaching will be aimed at students with Swedish as their first language. The university lecturer will conduct research, engage with the public, guide students (e.g., in writing their personal study plans), examine theses and maturity tests, and complete other administrative duties by agreement.

APPOINTMENT CRITERIA

In accordance with the Regulations of the University of Helsinki, an appointee to the position of university lecturer must possess both an applicable doctoral degree and the ability to provide high-quality teaching based on research and supervise theses. The assessment of candidates’ qualifications will consider scholarly publications and other research results of scholarly value, teaching experience, pedagogical training, the ability to produce learning materials, other teaching merits and a teaching demonstration.

Appointees to teaching and research positions at Finnish universities must be proficient in the language in which they provide instruction, i.e., in this case, Swedish. As the language of instruction in the present position is Swedish, we expect candidates to have excellent oral and written skills in Swedish. In addition, the appointee must have at least satisfactory oral and written skills in Finnish. The role also requires good English skills.


Foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in Swedish or Finnish may be exempted from this requirement without a separate application. If the successful applicant is not proficient in Finnish, they are expected to acquire sufficient proficiency within a reasonable period of time. Support for studying the language will be provided. Further information on language skills and the demonstration of language proficiency is available on the University website .

WHAT WE OFFER

The University of Helsinki offers the appointee a first-class research and teaching environment as well as the conditions required for international collaboration. The salary will be based on levels 5 to 7 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The appointee’s gross monthly salary will range from €3,800 to €4,800, depending on their qualifications and experience. The University of Helsinki provides its staff with occupational health and fitness services as well as professional development opportunities. 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications, together with the required attachments, must be submitted through the University of Helsinki electronic recruitment system by clicking on the link below. Internal applicants (i.e., current employees of the University of Helsinki) must submit their applications through the SAP Fiori portal.

Applicants are requested to enclose the following Swedish-language documents with their applications as a single PDF file. See instructions .

  • A curriculum vitae
  • A report (max. 5 pages) on the applicant’s teaching expertise
  • A report (max. 3 pages) describing the applicant’s research activities (incl. success in obtaining research funding)
  • A numbered list of publications

    • The top candidates will be asked to attend an interview and give a demonstration of teaching skills. The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants of any gender, linguistic or cultural background, or minority group.

    The deadline for applications is 4 April 2024.

    FURTHER INFORMATION

    Further information about the position is available from Department Director Terhi Ainiala, [email protected], and about the recruitment process, from HR Specialist Jenni Syväoja, [email protected].

    Read more about careers at the University of Helsinki.


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