Head of the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds

The School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds is seeking to appoint a new Head. Applications are welcomed from colleagues in any of the areas of scholarly activity covered by the School, including Comparative Literature.  This is an exciting role in a university which values the study of languages and cultures in the broadest sense.  We are looking for someone with a real vision for the future of our discipline (again in a very broad sense), with leadership experience, and with an interest in developing people, programmes and research activity.

More information about the School is below and on our website.  

For an informal conversation about the role, colleagues are welcome to contact Deputy Head of School, Stuart Green (S.N.S.J.Green@leeds.ac.uk)   or the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, Professor Frank Finlay (f.j.finlay@leeds.ac.uk).

The closing date for applications is Friday 8th March.  For more details, please see the full candidate brief and instructions on how to apply, available here.

The School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds is one of the largest and most diverse Schools of Languages in the United Kingdom, with approx. 200 members of academic staff and 2,500 students enrolled on undergraduate or postgraduate programmes, including: Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies; Classics; Comparative Literature; East Asian Studies; Film Studies; French; German; Intercultural Studies; Italian; Linguistics and Phonetics; Russian; Spanish, Portuguese and and Latin American Studies; and Translation Studies. The School also houses the Language Centre, which provides in-sessional and pre-sessional language tuition for international students across the University, and Languages for All, which offers institution-wide foreign language provision. Innovations made by the School to enhance students’ experience in recent years include undergraduate programme reform, the growth of modules in intercultural studies and comparative literature, the introduction of cross-disciplinary teaching at all levels, and the cultivation of world-leading expertise in the teaching of languages.

The School has a vibrant research culture, with over 90 research-active staff, a strong track record of securing external funding, and around 200 postgraduate researchers. It hosts a number of key research centres, including the Centre for World Literatures, the Centre for New Chinese Writing, the Centre for World Cinemas and Digital Cultures, as well as Language@Leeds (an interdisciplinary, cross-faculty centre supporting language research) and the Centre for Excellence in Language Teaching (with its sector leading approach to scholarship). Recent externally-funded research projects include work on building inclusive civil societies in post-conflict countries (AHRC/GCRF), on young children’s understanding and use of adjectives across the socioeconomic spectrum (ESRC), on Petrarch commentary and exegesis in Renaissance Italy (AHRC), and on the use of community arts to fight antibiotic resistance in Nepal (AHRC/MRC/GCRF).