Assistant Professor in Medieval Italian Studies (MLAC22-3)

Closing date: 10 March 2022 at Midnight (UK)

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of Assistant Professor in Medieval Italian Studies. We invite applications from those with research and teaching interests in the broad field of Medieval Italian Studies that complement the research strengths of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. We particularly welcome applications from candidates whose research expertise in Medieval Italy extends beyond narrow definitions of the period and considers the legacy and relevance of Medieval Italian literature and culture across time. This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and teaching while allowing you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University is one of the largest and most successful units of this kind in the UK, bringing together research in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Japanese and Russian Studies. For more information, please visit our School pages at https://www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/ . It is consistently ranked in the top five in national league tables, such as the Complete University Guide. The School's reach spans Europe, the Arab world, Russophone Eurasia, Hispanic America, and East Asia, and their mutual socio-cultural, intellectual and linguistic relations. The School federates expertise to generate innovative research practices and activities that cross historical, geographical and methodological boundaries. Its research focuses on the transnational study of literatures, cultures and histories. The School has particular strengths in medieval and early modern studies, visual arts and culture, and the relationship between the sciences and the humanities, with further strong research interests in 19th to 21st century literature and culture, textual scholarship, gender and sexuality studies, critical and cultural theory, travel literature, environmental humanities, creative writing, and translation. Indeed, translation - understood in its broad sense of transmission, interpretation and sharing of languages, ideas and histories - underpins the School's collective practices. The School's forward-thinking research agenda was highlighted in its major conference "Our Uncommon Ground", held in Durham in 2018. This conference brought together speakers from across the world to articulate and embrace the values of a discipline equipped to study cultures and their interactions in historical perspective.

At the forefront of the School's current activity is a programme of decolonisation, in which a commitment to antiracism is accompanied by a commitment to combating all forms of marginalisation in the workplace and classroom. Our goal is to decolonise the School of Modern Languages and Cultures in all its aspects, including research and education. Details of our approach can be found at https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/decolonising-mlac/ . The successful candidate will be expected to show how their teaching and/or research will contribute to the success of the decolonisation programme.