Chair of Hispanic Language and Culture

Function

The Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication at Utrecht University invites applications for a Full Professor of Hispanic Language and Culture, starting September 2015. Applicants must show native or near-native fluency in Spanish and are required to learn Dutch.

The profile of the chair fits in with the mission of the Faculty of Humanities, which focuses on Western European languages and cultures. The successful candidate will focus on the culture of the Iberian Peninsula, considered in relation to other cultures in Western Europe. The candidate has a core interest in Hispanic literatures. This includes the literatures of Spain, South and Middle America, as well as Spanish-language literature in North America.

The Chair will be responsible for the BA programme Hispanic Language and Culture. At the BA level, s/he will also participate in the faculty-wide programme Language and Culture studies. At the MA level the successful candidate is expected to contribute to the following programmes: Literature and Cultural Criticism, Translation studies, and to the Research MA programmes Comparative Literary Studies and Literary Translation. Should the candidate’s expertise allow him or her to contribute to the interdisciplinary programme Intercultural Communication, this will reflect favourably on the application.

The Chair is expected to play a leading and coordinating role in the section Hispanic Language and Culture within the Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication. Furthermore, depending on his/her own expertise, the candidate will closely collaborate with colleagues from the other language sections and the section Comparative Literary Studies. S/he will actively participate in the Department’s research groups in Early Modern and Modern Literature. The candidate’s research will be embedded in the programme Textual Culture of the Institute for Cultural Inquiry (ICON). The chair will be responsible for PhD candidates in the field of Hispanic Language and Culture.
The Chair of Hispanic Language and Culture takes a central position in the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication (TLC) of the Faculty of Humanities.

Profile
The successful candidate

• is an excellent senior researcher with a background and a PhD in the field of Hispanic Literature and Culture;
• has proven the capacity to design innovative research programmes, to obtain grants for such research and to stimulate and supervise young researchers, especially PhD students;
• actively collaborates in international and interdisciplinary contexts, as is manifest in various forms of networking and publications in the area of Hispanic literatures; this work shows a keen interest in the cultural-historical and theoretical embedding of Hispanic literatures as well as an interest in interculturality;
• is a motivating and motivated teacher who makes use of modern teaching methods and is capable of translating his/her own research projects into a dynamic educational environment;
• is able to engage in, develop and maintain both formal and informal networks in the academic world as well as in the social areas and valorisation domains of Hispanic Literature and Culture; the candidate has a wide array of contacts with universities in the Hispanic world, as well as with similar programmes in other countries;
• has the communication and organisation skills required for this responsible job and is a team player with leadership and social qualities;
• is fluent in English. Non-native candidates are expected to master the Dutch language and the Dutch context in a very short period of time (two years).

Offer
Utrecht University offers a full-time appointment for five years with possible tenure after positive evaluation. The salary is € 5,003 – €7,285 gross per month for a full-time appointment.

About the organisation
Utrecht University strives for excellence in teaching and study performance. This also holds for the clearly defined research profiles with respect to four core themes: Sustainability, Life Sciences, Dynamics of Youth, and Institutions. Utrecht University has a strong commitment to community outreach and contributes to answering the social questions of today and tomorrow.

The Faculty of Humanities includes 900 staff members and 7000 students. The Faculty is divided into four domains of knowledge:
1. Philosophy and Religious Studies;
2. History and History of Arts;
3. Media and Culture Studies;
4. Languages, Literature and Communication.

These four knowledge domains orient the teaching and research at the Faculty in order to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context.

The Chair will be placed in the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication as coordinator of the programme of Hispanic Language and Literature. S/he will work in close collaboration with the presiding chairs in Dutch, English, French, Italian, German, and Celtic, as well as with those in Literary Studies.

Enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city centre of Utrecht, where the Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring work environment. In addition, Utrecht University offers a set of attractive employment conditions.

Additional information

Are you interested in this position? The profile report for this position can be obtained from the HR department of the Faculty of Humanities (030) 2536244 or hr.gw@uu.nl
For other information Prof. Dr. T.J.M. Sanders (Head of Department) can be contacted at (030) 253 6080 or through email: t.j.m.sanders@uu.nl

Apply
Applications, including a cover letter (with motivation) for this position, a curriculum vitae and a list of publications must be submitted by way of the link given below, before January 15, 2015.
The selection of candidates for the interviews will take place in January 2015. Presenting a trial lecture, submitting a research plan, as well as an assessment may be part of the application procedure.

If you wish to apply, follow this link: http://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?PortalID=4124&VacatureID=706393

Beitrag von: Reindert Dhondt

Redaktion: Lars Schneider