Assistant Senior Lecturer in French, especially French Linguistics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Modern Languages conducts research and provides doctoral (third-cycle) and basic (undergraduate, first-cycle) education in numerous languages, and in literature from many language areas. We educate some 1,600 students a year on our 140-plus courses. In most of our languages, we are engaged in teaching and research in both linguistics and literary studies. In the French and Romance languages subject area, courses are provided in spoken and written proficiency, linguistics, literary studies and subject didactics. These are freestanding courses within the framework of three programmes: the Bachelor’s Programme in Languages, the Master’s Programme in Languages and the Teacher Education Programme. Education at research level is provided in Romance languages, with specialisation in linguistics or literary studies.

The research in French Linguistics conducted at the Department is highly corpus-based and focused on semantics, pragmatics and argumentation, mostly with a synchronous and not infrequently a contrastive perspective.

More information about the Department’s work is available at http://www.moderna.uu.se/.

Subject area: French with specialisation in French linguistics.

Duties: The purpose of the appointment is to enable the teacher to develop independence as a researcher and gain qualifications in both research and teaching, thereby meeting the eligibility requirements for an appointment as senior lecturer. The duties include research in the subject area concerned, amounting to 50% of the appointee’s time, and teaching and administration not exceeding 50%. The teaching covers all levels, mainly in linguistics modules and those focusing on language proficiency. Supervision, course responsibilities, course administration and course development also count as teaching. As assistant senior lecturer, the appointee is expected to actively apply for external research funding; monitor developments in his or her subject area; and take part in the Faculty’s and the Department’s teaching and research development work.

The position will require the appointee’s attendance at the workplace to take part in, and contribute to, the joint work of the Department and Faculty. The professional working language of the Department and Faculty is Swedish. The university offers courses in Swedish for all employees.

Qualification and eligibility requirements: A person who has gained a PhD in the subject area of French, with specialisation in French Linguistics, or attained a corresponding level of research expertise and demonstrated teaching expertise, is eligible for appointment as an assistant senior lecturer. In particular, applicants who have obtained a PhD or acquired corresponding expertise no more than five years before the end of the application period will be considered. One precondition for the applicant being deemed to possess teaching expertise is attendance at an academic teacher-training course of at least five weeks’ duration or acquisition of corresponding knowledge by other means. If there are special reasons for so doing, the academic teacher training may be allowed to take place during the appointee’s first two years of employment. A documented ability to teach in idiomatically correct French is a requirement. The applicant must have the personal characteristics required to perform the role well. Personal characteristics of this kind are flexibility, a good ability to work with others and a readiness to take responsibility.

The applicant’s research expertise, personal characteristics and professional skill are required to be relevant to the subject content of the appointment and the duties it will include.

Assessment criteria: In selection among eligible applicants, particular importance will be attached to research and teaching expertise. With reference to the nature of the appointment being that of a qualifying position, applicants’ teaching and research expertise will be assessed mainly in qualitative terms. Accordingly, an applicant’s quantitative advantage that may be explained by the applicant having been active for a longer period will not determine the outcome.

Equally careful attention will be paid to reviewing applicants’ teaching and research expertise.

In this recruitment, the University will mainly consider an applicant who, after an overall qualitative assessment of the person’s expertise and skill, is deemed to have the best prospects of implementing and developing the duties concerned and contributing to favourable development of activities.

Research expertise: In the assessment of research expertise, the quality of the applicant’s research in the subject of French linguistics or equivalent will be considered. Research qualifications in semantics, pragmatics and argumentation will be deemed especially valuable. The scope of the applicant’s research, principally in terms of depth and breadth, will be regarded as important. Experience of research initiation and project collaborations are qualifying, and particular importance will be attached to the applicant’s capacity to contribute to future development of research in the subject area at the Department.

Teaching expertise: Teaching expertise relates to qualifications in education and teaching. In the assessment of teaching expertise, the quality of teaching is the primary consideration. Its scope, in terms of both breadth and depth, will also be considered important. Weight will also be attached to the applicant’s ability to plan, initiate, lead and develop education and teaching, and capacity to link the teaching to research. In addition, special importance will be assigned to the applicant’s scope for contributing to future development of teaching in the subject area at the Department.

Other expertise: Administrative expertise will be regarded as important. This expertise is demonstrated through the ability to plan, organise and prioritise work in an efficient way that is appropriate for the purpose, and through the ability to specify and adhere to time limits.

Experience of cooperating with the community at large is a qualification, as is a testified good ability to work with others.

All qualifications must be documented in such a way that they can be assessed in terms of both quality and scope.

Other considerations: Personal circumstances (such as parental leave) that, in the qualification assessment, can be credited to the applicant should be specified in the summary of qualifications and experience.

Appointment period and promotion: The appointment as an assistant senior lecturer may be held for a maximum of four years. At the end of this appointment period, the appointee will be entitled to be considered for an appointment as a senior lecturer. An appointment to senior lecturer must be based on a balanced assessment of the applicant’s expertise in research, teaching, administration and management. In the assessment, particular emphasis will be laid on the work carried out during the period in which the applicant has been employed as an assistant senior lecturer. One basic requirement is then that the applicant must fulfil the provisions applying to senior lecturer appointments in the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University and the Faculty of Languages’ Supplementary Guidelines thereto. To be considered for promotion, the applicant needs to have documented proofs of the ability to use Swedish as a working language. In addition, the applicant must have performed the duties of assistant senior lecturer satisfactorily. A written application to be considered for promotion to senior lecturer must be received by the Board of the Faculty of Languages at least six months before the appointment as assistant senior lecturer ends.

Research expertise: The applicant’s research qualifications must be of a good international level and show an independent researcher profile. The applicant should have demonstrated a capacity to initiate and run research projects independently. The assessment of research expertise will include consideration of the following aspects deemed important: the applicant’s grants or the equivalent awarded by research funders; work published in forms of publication relevant to the subject; presentations or the equivalent at academic conferences or workshops; admission to docent (fellow or associate professor); and other qualifications relevant to the subject.

Teaching expertise: The applicant must have attended at least ten weeks’ academic teacher training relevant to the work or possess corresponding knowledge. In the assessment of teaching expertise, importance will be assigned to a documented ability to plan, develop, implement and evaluate courses at basic and advanced level, and to experience of supervision in education at research level.

Administrative expertise: The applicant should have shown administrative expertise through cooperation in overall planning of research and teaching activities. In the assessment of administrative expertise, importance will be attached to roles in research projects and administrative assignments at university, faculty or department level, and to external assignments.

Application procedure: A full application, written in Swedish or English, must be submitted through Uppsala University’s electronic recruitment system, Varbi, and contain:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal letter
• List of appendices
• Account of research qualifications, including a research plan of up to five pages in length describing the research that the applicant intends to carry out during the appointment period
• Account of teaching qualifications, including a reflective description of how the applicant seeks to develop personally in terms of teaching skills within the scope of the appointment
• Account of administrative and management qualifications
• Account of qualifications relating to cooperation with the community
• List of publications
• Publications cited (max. 10).

Note that the application and appendices must be submitted electronically in the Varbi recruitment system. Three hard copies of any publications cited and not available in electronic format, or for scanning, must be sent to the Faculty of Languages, Uppsala University, Box 256, SE–751 05 Uppsala. Write the following reference code on the envelope: UFV-PA 2022/341.

For further information, see the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University and the Faculty of Languages’ Supplementary Guidelines thereto.

Salary: subject to individual negotiation.

Starting date: 01 January 2023 or by agreement.

Form of employment: temporary. An appointment as assistant senior lecturer may be held for a maximum of four years, with the opportunity of promotion to senior lecturer (Swedish Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 4, Section 12a).

Proportion of full-time employment: 100%

Information about the position is available from: Christina Kullberg, Deputy Head of Department, tel. +46 18 471 1440, email christina.kullberg@moderna.uu.se.

We look forward to receiving your application not later than 04 April 2022, UFV-PA 2022/341.