The Leiden University Faculty of Humanities invites applications for a full professorship in Political philosophy and its history from the Early Modern Period onwards. The chair is part of the Institute for Philosophy. The institute brings together research in theoretical and practical philosophy. Within practical philosophy the institute focuses on ethics and political philosophy. The professor will be responsible for research and undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and supervision in ethics and political philosophy. The professor will actively seek cooperation with i.a. other institutes, faculties and Campus The Hague.
Leiden University
Founded in 1575, Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. Leiden University aims for an internationally recognized position as a top-ranking research-intensive university within the European Higher Education and Research Areas. Leiden University is a member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), together with Amsterdam, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Geneva, Heidelberg, Helsinki, Karolinska Institutet, Leuven, Lund, Milan, Munich, Oxford, Strasbourg, University College London, University Paris-Sud 11, Utrecht and Zürich. Currently, Leiden University has around 19,000 students and 4,000 staff.
Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities consists of the Institutes for Area Studies, Creative & Performing Arts, Cultural Disciplines, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. It has about 4,500 students and 800 staff. Staff and students come from all over the world. The faculty offers numerous BA and MA programmes. The majority of the MA programmes are taught in English. The faculty has a Graduate School with an annual output of about 50 PhDs. Faculty researchers are involved in several of the Univerity’s key research areas: Asian Modernities and Traditions; Global Interaction of People, Culture and Power through the Ages; Language Diversity in the World; Political Legitimacy: Institutions and Identities; and Brain Function and Dysfunction over the Lifespan.
Institute for Philosophy
The members of the Institute of Philosophy study philosophy in all its aspects and in relation to all sciences and humanities that are taught in the university. Characteristic for the institute is the weight placed on both systematic and historical approaches to philosophy, and the importance placed on national and international collaboration by staff members. The institute has chosen for two main research-profiles: History and Philosophy of the Sciences and Humanities, and Practical Philosophy and its History. Research and teaching on Masters and Post-graduate levels form part of the Graduate School of Humanities.
Tasks:
Original research in political philosophy and its history from the early modern period;
Leadership and support for the members of the cluster of Practical Philosophy;
Teaching and curriculum development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in lecture and seminar formats, primarily in ethics and political philosophy, also for the PPE programme and Campus The Hague;
Initiation and supervision of postgraduate research;
Acquisition of project funding; leadership of externally funded research;
Development of activities which aim at cooperation within the institutional environment of the institute.
Contribution to administration on various levels of academic leadership;
Representation of the field to external audiences and media.
Contribution to the university’s broader social mission.
Requirements:
Excellent research qualities, visible in a PhD degree and a high-quality, internationally accessible research and publication record; Ample experience and proven excellence in teaching in various forms of university education, as well as thesis supervision; candidates who will be invited for an interview with the committee, will be asked to document their teaching qualities by means of evaluation reports, as well as syllabi and course outlines. Candidates should meet the requirements of the ‘BasisKwalificatie Onderwijs’ (BKO) (for detailed information, please see http://www.leidenuniv.nl/en/bko/content_docs/bko-final-attainment-objectives.pdf). Disciplinary expertise in ethics and political philosophy; openness to interdisciplinary cooperation; Proven ability to acquire funding for and manage international research projects; Demonstrated administrative, management and leadership abilities and readiness to participate actively in the administrative and management duties within the institute and the Faculty of Humanities, as well as in research programmes and networks.
An excellent command of English (at the C1 level of the CEFR).
We offer:
The successful candidate is eligible for a permanent appointment provided his or her suitability is determined on the basis of previous experience as a full professor, and provided he or she has successfully completed a tenure track, or can demonstrate other broadly recognized achievements in teaching and research over a period of at least five years as a senior university lecturer (or comparable position). In other cases an appointment is initially for a period of five years.
Gross salary range: from € 4904 to € 7142 per month, depending on qualifications. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.
If the successful candidate is not Dutch-speaking, he/she is expected to acquire a good command of Dutch within two years from taking up duty (to the level of Staatsexamen NT2, Programma 2). Language acquisition facilities are available.
Leiden University requires staff to obtain the Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO). In case the successful applicant does not possess this qualification or its equivalent, the Institute will offer support in obtaining it.
Information and applications:
Applications should comprise a letter, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and courses taught, an outline of planned research (individual and/or team projects, 2 to 3 pages), and the names and contact details of three referees. They should be addressed to the Dean of Humanities, and cite reference no 11-262, on both letter and envelope (for regular mail) / subject line (for email):
Prof.dr. H.W. van den Doel, Dean of the faculty of Humanities, P.O. Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands, tel. +31 71 527 1628, leerstoelen@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
The Dean may also be contacted for inquiries and for recommending potential candidates.
The candidate will be asked to give a seminar as part of the application procedure, and may be required to participate in a management assessment.
Leiden University aims to employ more women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore especially invited to apply.
Deadline for applications: 22 January 2012.
Publication date: 5 December 2011
