Associate Senior Lecturer in Semitic Languages (specialization in Arabic)

Associate Senior Lecturer in Semitic Languages with a specialization in Arabic

Uppsala University,  Department of Linguistics and Philology

The Department of Linguistics and Philology conducts research and offers education in language studies and philology with a focus on the languages and cultures of Asia, the classical languages of Europe, general linguistics and computational linguistics. Education is offered at basic, advanced, and doctoral levels. Some eighty people are employed by the department. Together with students and partners they create a multicultural and intellectually vibrant environment.

The department is looking for an Associate Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Semitic Languages with a specialization in Arabic. Semitic Languages is a main area of study at the basic, advanced, and doctoral levels, with a focus on Arabic, Hebrew and Aramaic/Syriac. The department's research spans Arabic and Aramaic linguistics and dialectology, language documentation, and Arabic and Hebrew literature.

Subject Area
Semitic languages with a specialization in Arabic

Duties
The purpose of the position is to give the candidate an opportunity to develop his/her independence as a researcher and to gain the necessary qualifications as regards both research and teaching for an appointment to a position as Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor). The duties include research in the relevant subject area 50 % of the time and teaching at all levels (campus and distance) and administration. Teaching will primarily concern Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialect. English or Swedish will be the language of instruction. Teaching in the history, culture and society of the Arab world is also part of the duties. Teaching includes supervision, course coordination and administration as well as course development. An Associate Senior Lecturer is expected to submit applications for external research funding and to follow developments in the subject area, as well as participate in pedagogical and scientific development efforts at the department and faculty levels.

Eligibility requirements
Applicants are eligible for employment as Associate Senior Lecturer if they hold a doctoral degree or have the equivalent academic competence and have demonstrated pedagogical competence. Precedence will be given to those applicants who have completed their PhD projects or reached the equivalent competence no more than five years before the deadline for applications. This post requires a doctorate or equivalent academic qualification in Arabic or equivalent. Being qualified to teach Modern Standard Arabic is a requirement. Those who do not have a full command of Levantine Arabic should be able to teach this dialect within two years. In order to meet the requirement of pedagogical qualification, the applicant should have completed at least five weeks of relevant training in higher education teaching or acquired the equivalent competence in other ways. In special circumstances, the training can be carried out during the first two years of the employment period. Documented ability to teach in English or Swedish is a requirement. The applicant must have the personal qualities required to carry out the duties of the position in a successful manner. Qualities of this kind include flexibility, good interpersonal skills, and a readiness to assume responsibility for activities.

Assessment criteria for candidates who meet the eligibility requirements
In the ranking of eligible applicants, special weight will be given to academic and pedagogical skills. The assessment of teaching skills will be given the same attention as the assessment of scientific skills. Administrative and outreach-related competence will also be considered important.

Owing to the nature of a tenure-track position, the academic and pedagogical qualifications of the applicants will primarily be assessed from a qualitative perspective. A quantitative advantage as regards qualifications should thus not be decisive if it is due to an applicant having had a longer period of activity in the academia.

Academic competence refers to merits in research. In the assessment of academic competence, scientific quality will be the primary consideration. The scope of the research, in particular its depth and breadth, will also be taken into account. In the assessment of research qualifications, emphasis will be placed, firstly, on Modern Standard Arabic; secondly, on Levantine dialect; and thirdly, on other varieties of Arabic. Competence in the history, culture, and other societal aspects of the Arab world and in Semitic languages in general will also be counted as valuable, as will documented skills in academic cooperation.

Pedagogical competence refers to educational and teaching qualifications. In the assessment of teaching skills, pedagogical quality will be the primary concern. The scope of the teaching, both breadth and depth, both in Arabic and other Semitic languages, will counted as valuable. Documented experience in teaching Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialect is of primary importance. Experience in teaching other Arabic dialects and additional Semitic languages is also valuable. In addition to academic teaching, training and teaching experience from other activities, including for example supervision, in-house training, or mentoring programs, will be considered.

Administrative competence and leadership skills involve the ability to plan, organize and prioritize tasks in an efficient and rational manner including the ability to set and meet deadlines. Skills include overall business planning and the ability to manage resources in a way that reflects the priorities of the organization, as well as the ability to work in a structured way and with an awareness of objectives and quality.

In this recruitment process, the university will primarily consider those who, according to a qualitative overall evaluation of competence and skills, have the best qualifications for carrying out and developing activities in the relevant areas and for contributing to the positive development of the organization.

Period of employment and promotion
The employment as associate senior lecturer may be held for at most four years. At the end of the employment period as associate senior lecturer, the applicant is entitled to be considered for employment as senior lecturer. Promotion to senior lecturer will be based on a comprehensive assessment of the applicant's scientific, pedagogical, administrative, and management skills. In the assessment, particular emphasis will be placed on the work carried out during the time the applicant has been employed as associate senior lecturer. A basic requirement is that the applicant must meet the requirements that apply to senior lecturers according to the employment regulations of Uppsala University and of the Faculty of Languages. In this case, the applicant must also have acquired teaching competence in Levantine Arabic, as well as the ability to use Swedish as his/her teaching and working language. In addition, the applicant must have carried out his/her duties in satisfactory manner. The applicant must submit a request for promotion to senior lecturer to the Board of the Faculty of Languages at least eight months before the end of the employment as associate senior lecturer

Research expertise: The applicant’s research qualifications must be of a good international standard and show an independent research profile. The applicant should have demonstrated an ability to independently initiate and run research projects. In the assessment of research expertise, weight is given, for example, to grants or the equivalent from research funders; published works in forms of publication relevant to the subject; presentations, or equivalent, at scientific conferences or workshops; award of docent (associate professor) status; and other qualifications relevant to the subject.

Teaching expertise: The applicant must have completed at least ten weeks’ academic teacher training of relevance to activities at the University. In the assessment of teaching expertise, weight is given to documented ability to plan, develop, implement and evaluate courses at undergraduate (bachelor’s degree) and advanced (master’s degree) levels, and also experience of supervision in education at research (doctoral degree) level.

Administrative skills: The applicant must have shown administrative expertise and leadership expertise by participating in overarching planning and management of research and teaching activities. In the assessment of administrative and management expertise, weight will be given to roles in research projects; administrative and management assignments at University, faculty or department level; and external assignments.

Additional information
Parental leave, part-time work owing to caring for children, union work, military service or similar activities are considered work experience and should be included in the applicant’s CV.

The candidate is expected to spend most of his/her working hours at the campus premises of the department in Uppsala.

Application
All qualifications must be documented so that both quality and scope can be assessed. Qualifications obtained after the application deadline will not be considered. Applications must be written in Swedish or English and submitted to Uppsala University through the electronic recruitment system Varbi and include the following:

• CV (a brief overview of scientific, pedagogical, and other relevant activities)
• An account of scientific merits
• An account of pedagogical merits
• An account of administrative, managerial, and collaboration-related qualifications
• An account of other merits
• List of publications
• A maximum of ten scientific and pedagogical works the applicant wishes to reference
• A research plan of at most 5 pages describing the research that the applicant intends to carry out during the period of employment
• A reflective statement of at most 3 pages describing how the applicant wishes to develop his/her pedagogical skills within the framework of the appointment
• Degree certificates, transcripts, certificates and other documents substantiating the stated qualifications

The Recruitment Committee may make use of interviews, trial lectures and references taking. Applicants must therefore be prepared to submit a list of references (no more than three) who can provide information about the applicant's professional competence and personal qualities that are relevant to the position, such as leadership and interpersonal skills.

Publications which the applicant wishes to have taken into account and which are not available digitally should be sent in two copies to Uppsala University, Faculty of Languages, Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala. Mark the submission with the reference number UFV-PA 2024/3571.

For further information about the position, please contact: The Head of Department, Dimitrios Iordanoglou, prefekt@lingfil.uu.se.

Please submit your application by November the 19th 2024, UFV-PA 2024/3571.