Associate Senior Lecturer in Japanese

Reference number PAR 2023/1295

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 Department of Languages and Literatures is the largest department in the Faculty of Humanities, with 16 different languages, approximately 100 staff members and an annual turnover of around 110 million. The department’s research primarily focuses on global languages and literatures and is set against a rich cultural background, while being rooted in a wide range of theoretical foundations and applications. All educational activities are conducted within the Faculty of Humanities, in modern facilities near Götaplatsen.

To find out more about the department, please visit the following website: www.gu.se/sprak.

Job title

Associate Senior Lecturer

Subject

Japanese

Subject Description

Japanese studies primarily focus on linguistics and have degree-awarding powers at all academic levels, including third-cycle level education. In addition to freestanding courses, the subject is part of the Master’s Programme in Language and Intercultural Communication. The subject may be taught through classes on campus as well as through online courses. Within the field of Japanese studies, linguistic research primarily focuses on areas such as translation, role language, modality, writing systems, discourse analysis, pragmatics, gender and semantics. Research conducted within the field of study also contributes to the department’s interdisciplinary research initiatives.

Duties

An Associate Senior Lecturer shall be given the opportunity to develop autonomy as both a researcher and teacher, and to acquire the academic and pedagogical qualifications required to fulfil the eligibility requirements for a Senior Lecturer position. The duties include conducting research for at least 50% of the time, following an established research plan within the field of Japanese studies, while also engaging in teaching and administrative responsibilities for a maximum of 50% of the workload.

Teaching responsibilities may cover all levels of education, both on-campus and online, and may include both daytime and evening classes. Courses may cover a wide range of subjects: language proficiency (such as grammar and translation), literature and linguistics, and culture and society. They may be available both as freestanding courses or as part of interdisciplinary courses and programs. Teaching responsibilities also include supervision, seminars, course design, course administration and course development, among other tasks. The subject offers contrastive courses that are taught in Swedish. Teaching within the department’s other interdisciplinary courses and programs may also take place, both in Swedish and in English. The position may also involve additional duties such as administrative tasks and development work.

Assistant Senior Lecturers are expected to stay updated on developments in their field of study, actively seek external research funding, and contribute to the department’s pedagogical and scientific development efforts. Applicants shall therefore explain how their research aligns with and may contribute to the department’s existing research areas in their application.

Most of the work is conducted on-site at the University of Gothenburg, and the successful applicant is expected to actively engage in the daily operations of the department. Work within the subject is conducted within a teaching team, and the successful applicant is expected to contribute constructively, in a collegial spirit, to both the field of study and the department as a whole.

The successful applicant is expected to actively participate in the department’s development initiatives and contribute to fostering a positive work environment, including attending workplace meetings, internal meetings and conferences.

Eligibility Requirements

The eligibility requirements for employment as a teacher are outlined in Chapter 4, Sections 3-4 of the Higher Education Ordinance (this does not apply to lecturers) and the University of Gothenburg’s specific employment regulations.

Priority should be given to applicants who have obtained a PhD or an equivalent qualification within five years prior to the application deadline for the position of Assistant Senior Lecturer. However, individuals with a PhD or equivalent qualifications obtained earlier may also be considered based on specific circumstances. Specific circumstances may include circumstances such as military service, parental leave, or other similar situations.

Proficiency in Swedish is a mandatory prerequisite for employment.

Assessment Criteria

When evaluating the qualifications of the applicants, equal emphasis shall be placed on assessing teaching skills and scientific abilities. In evaluating scientific expertise, particular attention will be given to the applicant’s doctoral thesis, research experience and research proposal.

In the selection process, specific emphasis will be placed on demonstrated achievements in the following areas:

Scientific expertise in the subject;
Pedagogical skills, demonstrated, for instance, through experience in planning and delivering on-campus and/or online teaching;
Supervision and assessment across various types of courses within the field of study;
Good teaching skills in Swedish;
Active engagement in the national and international research community, demonstrated, for instance, through participation in conferences and collaborative initiatives.

Possessing a higher education teaching degree is an advantage, as is a proven ability to teach in English. Having the ability to interact with society at large is also considered advantageous.

The applicants will be assessed based on their ability to deliver a sample lecture in Swedish on a specified topic, conduct an interview in Swedish with elements of Japanese and English, and discuss their research and teaching experience orally.

Furthermore, significant attention will be given to the motivational letter, which should outline the applicant’s career development to date, future aspirations, and how these align with the institution’s research areas.

Priority will be given to applicants who, after a comprehensive evaluation of their skills and potential for development, are deemed most capable of fulfilling and developing the responsibilities of the position. Demonstrated qualities such as flexibility, strong teamwork skills and accountability are also highly valued.

Promotion to the position of Senior Lecturer

The Assistant Senior Lecturer has the opportunity to apply for promotion to Senior Lecturer (non-tenured position) before the end of the employment period. The assessment for promotion will be based on the applicant’s proven progression in scientific and pedagogical expertise, which the applicant must be able to demonstrate through:

Scientific merits that significantly surpass the requirements for a PhD in both quantity and quality;
Scientific papers of high quality, published in reputable national and international journals and/or publishing houses;
Ability to actively and independently seek external funding;
Proven ability to teach a diverse range of courses within the field of Japanese studies;
Documented teaching skills in English;
Documented ability to supervise or assist in the supervision of students at various academic levels;
Completion of a Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programme (PIL101, PIL102, and PIL103) with satisfactory results.
Completion of the Supervision in Postgraduate Programmes course (PIL 201) with satisfactory results.

When assessing applicants, particular emphasis will be placed on the work conducted during their employment as Assistant Senior Lecturers. Furthermore, the applicant must have fulfilled all work duties in a satisfactory manner. A written application for consideration for promotion to Senior Lecturer must be submitted no later than six months before the end of the employment period as Associate Senior Lecturer. If the requirements are met and the applicant is deemed suitable, promotion shall be granted. The application may only be submitted once.

Employment

Number: One

Form of employment: Fixed-term contract, 4 years

Scope: 100%

Location: The Department of Languages and Literatures, Gothenburg

First day of employment: Immediate or as mutually agreed upon

Other matters relating to the vacancy

If a higher education teaching qualification according to the University of Gothenburg’s requirements (PIL101, PIL102 and PIL103) is not provided with the application, the applicant must provide proof of such qualification or complete the specified program within one year from the first day of employment. (https://pil.gu.se/resurser/meriter).

To apply for the position, please visit the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal and click on the “Apply” button. For information on teaching positions, applicants are encouraged to refer to the instructions on the homepage of the Faculty of Humanities.

https://www.gu.se/en/humanities/about-us/application-for-position

For any scientific publications, papers or similar documents that cannot be attached electronically to the application, please contact personalhandlaggare@sprak.gu.se

The application must include:

Motivational letter
Research proposal (max. 3,000 words excluding references)
List of degrees and positions held (CV)
Description of scientific and pedagogical work, including a reflective analysis on its scientific and pedagogical significance
Qualifications Portfolio I: Scientific qualifications
Qualifications Portfolio II: Teaching qualifications
Qualifications Portfolio III: Managerial and administrative qualifications
Qualifications Portfolio IV: Qualifications in the context of societal interaction
Requested documents (max. 5) and a separate list of the documents
Doctoral degree
Doctoral thesis
References; names and telephone numbers of at least two references.

In addition to peer review, the assessment will also involve interviews, sample lectures and reference checks. The sample lecture is to be held in Swedish, followed by an interview conducted in Swedish with elements of Japanese and English.

We kindly request that you submit your application in English, as it may be evaluated by international experts who primarily work in English.

The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete by the specified deadline. An incomplete application will be assessed based on the documents that have been submitted.

The application must be submitted no later than: 2024-06-10

Contact Details for the Position

For information about the position, please reach out to the Head of Department at (prefektSPL@sprak.gu.se) or the Director of Studies, Mikael Johansson, at (mikael.johansson@sprak.gu.se).

For questions about the recruitment procedure, please contact personalhandlaggare@sprak.gu.se

Unions

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

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.