Teaching Fellow in German Studies (Fixed term)

The closing date for applications is 20 July 2022 at midnight.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world’s top universities, boasting a welcoming and vibrant international community. Durham is an exceptional place in which to base your career. Our strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences see us listed as a top 5 UK and top 100 global university with our students and our world leading academics sitting at the heart of delivering our ground-breaking work. As part of our ambitious strategy we are growing and we look forward to welcoming your application.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high quality work/life balance. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLAC) at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of Teaching Fellow in German Studies. The appointment will be on a fixed-term basis for twelve months. We invite applications from those with research expertise in any aspect of the literature and culture of the German-speaking world. Experience in teaching undergraduate language classes is highly desirable, as is the ability to teach film and/or visual culture. The post is a teaching position. Independent research is not officially part of the role, although the postholder will be able to participate in the research community of the School.

This post offers an outstanding opportunity for early-career scholars in particular to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent teaching while allowing you to progress and embed your career in a vibrant and progressive institution. Crucial to current work in the School is a wide-ranging programme of decolonisation which extends to all aspects of our work at MLAC, including research, education, and a commitment to combating all forms of discrimination and marginalisation in the workplace and classroom. Details of our approach can be found at https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/decolonising-mlac/ . For more information on the School in general, please visit https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/ .

MLAC is one of the largest and most successful Schools of Modern Languages in the UK, bringing together research in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Japanese, and Russian Studies. It is consistently ranked in the top five in national league tables, such as the Guardian 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. MLAC has particular strengths in the environmental humanities, 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, 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, which 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. A second such conference, under the heading ‘Where Are We Now?’, will be held in Durham during the tenure of your Teaching Fellowship in April 2023.

In the School, staff and postgraduates are brought together in interdisciplinary discussions and collaboration through a set of research groups. These currently include Bodies, Texts, Nations; Digital Studies; Performance and Performativity; Living Texts; Linguistics and Translation; Decolonisation; and Transnational Cinema. The School plays a leading role in the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, the Centre for Culture and Ecology, the Centre for Visual Arts and Culture, and the Institute of Medical Humanities, and has an important role in the University’s prestigious Institute of Advanced Study, which promotes world-class research across the Faculties. The School is also a key contributor to one of four major research programmes to which the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awarded funding in 2016 as part of its Open World Research Initiative (OWRI). It is part of a consortium headed by the University of Manchester, which has been awarded c. £4 million to develop a large interdisciplinary research programme titled ‘Cross-Language Dynamics: Reshaping Community’.

German Studies

German Studies in Durham is consistently ranked among the best programmes in the UK: it appears in the top five in major national league tables, contributing to Durham University’s top 50 placing for Arts and Humanities in the Times QS World Rankings 2022.

There are currently seven members of academic staff in German actively engaged in research and publication, part of an overall complement of almost fifty research active staff in the School. Within the broader field of Germanophone literature and culture, from the early Enlightenment to the present day, staff research areas encompass: contemporary literature and film; visual culture and photography; environmental humanities; gender and queer theory; literature and globalisation; colonialism, postcolonialism, decoloniality; migration and transculturality; literature and science, cognitive humanities, system theory; political theory; aesthetics and politics; literature and law; human rights; German-Jewish thought; religion, theology, and literature; urbanism; memory culture; representations of the Holocaust; Austrian literature; modernism; and 18th- and 19th -century literature, in particular the 'Age of Goethe', Romanticism, and realism. For more information, see individual staff pages at https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/about-us/our-people/ . More detailed information on German at Durham in general is available from https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/undergraduate-study/language-areas/german-studies/ and related pages.

Applications are invited for a Teaching Fellow in German Studies. You will have research expertise and teaching experience in the literature and culture of the German-speaking world. The ability to teach language classes at all undergraduate levels is highly desirable, as is additional experience in teaching material related to film and/or visual culture. The successful candidate will teach a range of cultural and – where required – language modules in accordance with the needs of the German section. Courses in which the Teaching Fellow will likely be involved next year include ‘Reading German Culture’ (GERM1091), ‘Sex and Identity in German Cultures’ (GERM2121), ‘Violence in German Literature, Film and Visual Art’ (GERM2141), and ‘In Search of Happiness’ (GERM3281). For a list of modules currently on offer, see here: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/undergraduate-study/language-areas/german-studies/german-modules/ .

If successful you will be fully integrated in the German Studies team within Durham University’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures and you will be expected to contribute to the delivery of teaching on the relevant programme, to include curriculum development, the convening of modules, all aspects of assessment, the supervision of final-year dissertations, and academic advising.

The role of Teaching Fellow offers the opportunity of valuable experience to those early in their academic career.  The University is keen to maximise the career benefits of this role in terms of exposure to relevant departmental experience.   The post of Teaching Fellow will involve a significant but rewarding teaching load, and includes administrative duties which relate to education.

The post is for a fixed term of 12 months only, and it is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term.

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by 1 October 2022.

The University provides a working and teaching environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

• Offer lectures, seminars, classes, and dissertation supervisions at all levels, demonstrating awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning, as well as the ability to manage one’s own teaching and designing, planning and writing teaching materials where relevant;
• Develop and deliver an inclusive curriculum and make an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated;
• Seek and take on board feedback on teaching, contribute to the educational skills of colleagues, and generally engage with others in continuing professional development; 

• Provide support to students, including the assessment of their academic performance, the provision of feedback, and dealing with student disciplinary matters and complaints;

• Undertake effectively and efficiently any administrative role allocated by the Head of School;
• Take part in relevant meetings, such as those of the School’s Board of Studies or meetings of the German Studies unit;
• Contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming, where everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect;
• Engage in wider citizenship to support the department and the wider discipline;
• The candidate will be assigned the supervision of a number of 20- and/or 40-credit final-year dissertations by students in German Studies (MLAC3001 and MLAC3012);
• The candidate will be integrated in the German Studies team, supporting the delivery of the relevant programme, to include curriculum development, convening responsibilities, participating in all aspects of assessment (design, marking, moderation), and student academic advising.

How to Apply  

For informal enquiries please contact Professor David Cowling, Head of School ([email protected]) and/or Dr Alexis Radisoglou, Director of German Studies ([email protected]). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University  .

• a CV
• a covering letter which details your experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out above.
• a statement as to your aspirations as a Teaching Fellow in terms of what motivates you, what you would like to achieve and what your broad approaches to teaching excellence and innovation are as relevant to the post described above (maximum 2 pages).

You should provide details of 3 referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference (if they are not listed as an academic referee).  Please note:

• We shall seek references during the application process.  Unless in the case of very early career candidates, referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s) and include references from a University other than your own.
• We would ask that you alert your referees to this application as soon as possible so that we can quickly obtain references.  If you do not wish (some or all) of your referees to be approached during the recruitment process; you must clearly indicate this to us at the time of your application.
• References sought for candidates may be made available to the panel during the shortlisting process.
• We will seek a reference from your current line manager if we make you an offer of employment (albeit you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee).  Please clearly indicate on the application form which referee is your current line manager and indicate if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.

The assessment for the post will include a presentation to staff and postgraduate students in the School, as well as a formal interview. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment on 17 August 2022.

Person Specification

Candidates applying for a grade 7 post will have recently completed or be concluding their PhD. While they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the essential criteria as listed below:  

Essential Criteria:

• A good first degree in German Studies or a related field.
• A PhD in German Studies.  (Applications are welcomed from those who are awaiting their viva or are close to submitting, but it is expected that the successful candidate will have the PhD before taking up the post.)
• Experience of teaching and examining at University level with positive student feedback gained.
• Demonstrable ability to teach university undergraduate courses in German Studies, especially literature, culture and language at all levels.
• Experience of contributing to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching and/or assessment of learning at University level, including the design and creation of successful learning environments and curricula.
• Demonstrable ability to participate in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high quality teaching.
• Research expertise in German Studies that complements the specialisms of existing staff.
• Demonstrable ability to teach film and/or visual culture.
• Experience of successfully working in an administrative role within an organisation or department.
• Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
• Participation in student-oriented extra-curriculum activities.
• Evidence of work undertaken (or which would be undertaken) in preparation for teaching and keeping up to date with developments in the subject area, such as:

• active membership and engagement with a professional body;
• demonstrable innovation in educational practice;
• publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication;
• attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or
• materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department.

• Candidates may have, or should have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of HEA.