Professor of Comparative Literature, Aarhus University

The School of Communication and Culture invites applications for the position of professor of comparative literature.

The position is tenured and begins on 1 October 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position is based at the Department of Comparative Literature and Rhetoric, which is part of the School of Communication and Culture.

The position

We are seeking an innovative and dedicated candidate who will be expected to strengthen the international profile of comparative literature at Aarhus University. We are looking for a candidate who will participate in consolidating and expanding the field in terms of both teaching and research, and who has a well-articulated vision for future developments in the field. The successful applicant must provide academic leadership relating to tasks and responsibilities in all of Aarhus University’s core activities in the areas of research, teaching and supervision, talent development and knowledge exchange.

Research

The comparative literature programme at Aarhus University has a pronounced international profile and a strong international research network. The programme places a significant emphasis on the comparative, historical and historiographical dimensions of literary studies. The successful applicant must have a significant record of research accomplishments within these areas as well as in literature and literary history in at least two languages. The successful applicant is expected to take a leading role in further developing one or more of the strengths of the comparative literature programme, including European literary history and historiography, literary culture and world literature. Finally, we are looking for a candidate who is able to strengthen the collaboration with other comparative literature departments in Denmark, the Nordic countries and internationally, as well as with other departments with relevant disciplines.

Teaching and supervision

We are seeking a candidate with a vision for how to develop the programme’s curriculum and teaching strategies. The successful applicant must be prepared to teach a broad range of courses in the comparative literature programme at both the BA and MA level, and to contribute to the integration of research and teaching as well as the development and application of innovative teaching methods. Besides teaching and assessment, the position includes individual and group supervision at all levels. The successful applicant can expect to teach courses in both English and Danish.

Talent development

The successful applicant will be expected to recruit and supervise PhD students and participate in the development and implementation of PhD courses within the field of comparative literature.

Knowledge exchange

The successful applicant is expected to engage in extensive knowledge exchange involving the public dissemination of knowledge or collaboration with literary institutions such as libraries or publishers.

Qualifications 

Applicants must have a PhD degree or equivalent qualifications in a relevant field related to com-parative literature. Furthermore, applicants must be able to document:

• a record of academic, peer-reviewed research publications at the highest international level addressing the historical, historiographical and comparative dimensions of comparative literature as well as literature in at least two languages
• a successful record of accomplishment in research management and in attracting external research funding
• active and current participation in both national and international research networks
• experience of interdisciplinary collaboration
• excellent teaching and supervision competences and extensive experience at all levels
• excellent competences in and commitment to supervision and the career development of junior researchers (PhD students, postdoc students and assistant professors)
• significant accomplishments with regard to knowledge exchange
• proficiency in languages relevant to the area of research and teaching

In the teaching portfolio enclosed with the application, applicants must state their vision for the future development of the programme’s curriculum and strategies of teaching. Applicants are furthermore asked to state their research plans for the next three to five years as well as their vision for future developments in comparative literature. Finally, applicants should explain how they will meet the expectations of the professorship with regard to strengthening and developing research and teaching.

If the successful applicant does not speak Danish, he or she will be required to acquire sufficient Danish within two years of commencing the appointment to participate fully in the activities of the School of Communication and Culture. In order to maintain and develop the department’s excellent research environment, the person appointed is expected to be present at the department on a daily basis. Participation in the daily life of the department is a high priority, and we emphasise the importance of good working relationships, both among colleagues and with our students.

The Comparative Literature Programme at the Department of Comparative Literature and Rhetoric

The comparative literature programme works with literature from all over the world and from all time periods. The programme links literature as an independent art form to literature as a central part of cultural life. Research topics span a broad spectrum, and currently the programme hosts research projects on literature and new media, transatlantic slavery, literature and inheritance, medievalism, and the global circulation of literature. In addition to the programme’s core research interests of literary history and theory, world literature and literary culture, several of the programme’s literary theorists are involved in a variety of interdisciplinary projects on topics such as digital media, the history of technology and film, and human rights and memory, in relation to both literature and culture. The programme’s academic staff are widely engaged in interdisciplinary teaching and collaboration with colleagues from other fields. In teaching as well as research, the programme’s academic staff make use of a range of different approaches to literary history, including genre theory, media theory, poetics and narratology. Academic staff at the department are highly engaged in communicating their work to a broader audience outside the university through continuing education courses for upper-secondary school teachers and the general public, activities at Danish folk high schools and upper-secondary schools, and literary criticism in newspapers and journals.

For further information about the position, please contact Head of Department Tore Rye Andersen by e-mail: torerye@cc.au.dk

School of Communication and Culture

The school belongs to the Faculty of Arts. You will find relevant information about the school and its many activities here on our website.

The School of Communication and Culture offers a broad range of research and degree programmes across a variety of fields: literature(s), information and media studies, linguistics, Scandinavian Studies, Western European languages and cultures as well as the arts and aesthetics. Read more about the school’s academics.