Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, one or more

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 56 000 students and 6 600 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

The School of Global Studies (IGS) is a creative and innovative university environment for research and education that provides the ability to understand and analyze social phenomena in our global world. We are looking for people who are stimulated by working in a dynamic, international and interdisciplinary environment. The School's educational and research activities cover global studies, global development studies, global gender studies, human ecology, social science environmental studies, peace and development studies, international relations, social anthropology and human rights.  

For further information about the department, please visit https://www.gu.se/globalstudies   

Subject matter  

Human rights  

Description of the subject  

Human rights is an interdisciplinary field encompassing social sciences, humanities and law, and includes theory, ethics, policy and practice. Today, IGS offers both an interdisciplinary Master program in Human Rights in Swedish and elective courses at the Bachelor level in Swedish and English. Furthermore, the department coordinates an Erasmus Mundus program called Human Rights Policy and Practice, offered together with universities in Spain, the UK and Norway. IGS contributes with human rights expertise to an international Master program in global health coordinated by the Sahlgrenska Academy. Human rights expertise is also contributed to the Department of Social Work. 

Duties and responsibilities  

The position mainly involves teaching and research.  

A Senior Lecturer is expected to teach, take course responsibility, supervise and examine students at Bachelor, Master and PhD level. In addition to human rights courses, the candidate will also be expected to teach in the Global Studies programs and, where relevant, to contribute to other courses and programs offered at IGS. Duties also include course and program development assignments and participation in the department's pedagogical development work.   

The position includes conducting research and actively seeking external research funding, including for PhD students when this is considered appropriate. It includes active participation in the department's research environments and seminar activities. Active participation in the international research community is also expected through participation in conferences and publication in international peer-reviewed journals.  

The School of Global Studies values collaboration with the surrounding society. The applicant is expected to initiate collaboration and actively engage with actors outside of academia. This can take place, for example, in research collaborations or other activities where research results can be used and contribute to problem solving.  

It is a requirement that all permanent teachers learn Swedish within two years of starting employment. The IGS has a language policy and, if necessary, offers language support to achieve a certain level of Swedish. In addition, the position requires a very good command of spoken and written English. 

Management assignments, pedagogical assignments and other assignments within the school's and the faculty's and/or the university's collegial forums may eventually be included in the duties. 

Eligibility  

Eligibility for employment as a Senior Lecturer is regulated in Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance and in the University of Gothenburg's employment regulations.   

A person is eligible for employment as a Senior Lecturer if they have demonstrated teaching skills and have completed a doctoral degree or has the corresponding research competence or other professional expertise that is valuable for the post’s subject matter and duties. 

The degree of such competence that qualifies for employment is specified in the assessment criterion below. 

Basis of assessment  

Equal weight will be given to pedagogical and scientific excellence in the appointment.  

Teaching skills are demonstrated by: 

• Documented experience of successfully planning and implementing teaching at Bachelor and Master level in the field of human rights.
• Regarding the assessment of teaching, special emphasis will be placed on the breadth of teaching in the field of human rights and on the quality of reflection on completed and documented work with regard to educational or teaching quality and development.
• It is a requirement to be able to teach and supervise in social sciences and/or relevant humanities subject areas. 
• Experience of course and/or program development, authorship of teaching materials and documented pedagogical development projects in scientific articles and/or textbooks is an advantage. 
• It is a requirement to have a higher education teaching qualification or equivalent competence that can be proven by a certificate or validation.  

Scientific excellence is demonstrated through:

• Scientific publications in the interdisciplinary field of human rights, ongoing participation in research collaborations and a proven ability to obtain external research funding.  
• In the assessment of scientific excellence, particular emphasis is placed on international publications over the last seven years. Particular attention is paid to the quality of publications, such as originality, amount of empirical research, analytical insights and theoretical contributions, which are valued more highly than the total number of publications.  
• When assessing scientific excellence, particular emphasis is placed on publication in international journals and with international publishers. 

The following are merited:

• Applied theory in MR and/or its history of ideas;    
• Practical experience in the implementation of human rights in a Swedish or Nordic context (e.g. government agencies and civil society organizations);   
• Knowledge of quantitative methods  
• Ability to teach in Swedish and English  

After an overall assessment of skills and development potential (based on the applicant's documented experience, current work and future plans for research and teaching), the applicant who is judged to have the best prerequisites for carrying out the tasks included in the position, collaborating and cooperating with other staff and contributing to the positive development of the organization will be selected for the position of Senior Lecturer. 

Other requirements   

If the applicant has not completed a course in higher education pedagogy, they are required to complete the courses PIL101, PIL102 and PIL103 at the University of Gothenburg after starting employment. Teachers and research supervisors who have not completed the University of Gothenburg's higher education pedagogical training can have their own qualifications assessed by the Faculty of Social Sciences to see if they correspond to the university's training.    

Information on the recruitment process  

Recruitment of Senior Lecturers is subject to an expert procedure, interviews, reference checks and possibly a test lecture. 

Employment  

The position is a permanent position with 100% coverage and placement at the School of Global Studies in Gothenburg. Start date 2025-08-01 or according to agreement.   

Contact details for the position  

Information about the position is provided by Annelie Sjölander Lindqvist, Vice Head of Department: annelie.sjolander-lindqvist@gu.se

Information about the recruitment process is provided by Elvedina Sikiric Lidström, Human Resources Officer 

elvedina.sikiric.lidstrom@gu.se  

Trade union organizations  

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande  

How to apply  

Apply for the position via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal by clicking on the “Apply” button. As an applicant you are responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and that it is received by the university no later than the application deadline.   

We ask you to write your application in English, as it will be reviewed by international experts.  

The application must include:  

• Curriculum vitae/CV, including a full list of publications and a statement of external funding received (with amounts).  
• A short reflection on why this position is of interest to you and how you would contribute to the development of human rights at IGS (max 700 words) 
• A statement of your teaching qualifications including:  
• A pedagogical self-reflection on your teaching philosophy and practice (max 3 pages) 
• A list of the courses and training programs you have developed and taught, at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level. 
• A description of your teaching credentials and qualifications with information on their scope and quality  
• A description of your teaching materials production (textbooks and other teaching materials)  
• A certificate of your higher education pedagogical training  
• A certificate of your teaching experience from a head of department/director of studies or equivalent at at least one university/department 
• A description of your scientific qualifications, including:  
• A statement of your scientific credentials, research profile and research plan describing ongoing and planned research (maximum 5 pages) 
• A list of your ten best scientific publications. Please note that the experts will give particular weight to publications written in the last seven years.  Indicate your role and the extent of your contribution for the selected co-authored publications.  
• Certificates of co-authored publications must be attached. They should contain information on the contribution of each author (quantitative and substantial). The certificates should be signed by each co-author. If an article or book has been accepted for publication but not yet published, the certificate of accepted publication must be attached.  
• Full electronic copies of your 10 chosen scientific publications  
• A brief description of your experience in collaboration outside of academia (maximum 500 words)  
• A brief account of your administrative experience and qualifications (such as inter-university/faculty, departmental, and/or a research project, administration and administrative leadership)  
• Other certificates and documents you wish to refer to  

Scientific publications, writings, CVs and similar that are not available in electronic form should be sent to  

University of Gothenburg   

Elvedina Sikiric Lidström  

Department of Global Studies   

Box 700   

405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden   

Applications must be received no later than: 2024-09-01 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.