The School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University invites applications for the position of tenure-track assistant professor or tenured associate professor of comparative literature based at the Department of Comparative Literature and Rhetoric.

The tenure-track assistant professorship begins with a full-time appointment as assistant professor with a view to permanent employment as tenured associate professor within three to five years. See ‘Tenure review and the tenure-track assistant professorship’ below for information about attaining tenure.

The associate professorship is full time and tenured.

Applicants must apply for either a tenure-track assistant professorship or a tenured associate professorship.

The appointment begins on 1 December 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The School of Communication and Culture is committed to diversity and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their personal background.

The position

We are seeking an innovative and dedicated applicant who will be expected to strengthen the international profile of comparative literature at Aarhus University and contribute to the university’s core activities – research, teaching and supervision, talent development and knowledge exchange. The degree programme in comparative literature emphasises literary studies’ comparative and historical dimensions. The successful applicant must have a significant record of research that a) engages with the interrelationship between different languages and/or cultural areas and b) reflects on the construction of literary history, including literature’s relationship to cultural contexts and/or societal challenges. Moreover, we particularly welcome applicants with a strong interest in and/or experience (commensurate with the position) with outreach and knowledge exchange.
 

Research

The successful applicant will be expected to publish original peer-reviewed research internationally on the comparative and historical dimensions of literary studies as well as on the cultural and social contexts of literature. Applicants must submit a 3–5-year research plan within these areas and reflect on how the proposed research can contribute to integrating the historical, cultural and social dimensions in literary courses at both the BA and MA level. The successful applicant will also be expected to contribute to research initiatives in relation to both the field of comparative literature and the department’s research community in terms of new collaborative research projects with internal and external partners and in connection with external research funding.

Teaching and supervision

We are looking for an applicant with teaching and supervision experience in comparative literature at university level and with a vision for how to develop the programme’s curriculum and teaching strategies. In this connection, experience developing degree programmes and curricula at universities or similar institutions will be an advantage.

The successful applicant must be prepared to teach a broad range of historical, theoretical and analytical courses in the comparative literature BA and MA programmes, and to contribute to the integration of research and teaching as well as the development and application of innovative teaching methods. Please refer to our programme descriptions and indicate in your application which courses you could teach. Moreover, the successful applicant will be expected to take part in the supervision activities at the BA and MA level. The successful applicant can expect to teach courses in both English and Danish (see below for the Faculty of Arts’ language policy).

Persons appointed to the position of tenure-track assistant professor must complete Aarhus University’s University Pedagogical Programme for assistant professors.

Persons appointed to the position of associate professor will be expected to supervise and help develop the careers of early-career researchers as well as recruiting and supervising PhD students and participating in the development and implementation of PhD courses within the field.

Knowledge exchange

It is expected that the successful applicant will engage in knowledge exchange, for instance in terms of research collaboration with NGOs, libraries or private companies (for example publishers), government consultancy, teaching at Danish folk high schools or upper-secondary schools, and the public dissemination of knowledge at, for instance, literary festivals. Original ideas and prior experience within this area will be considered an advantage.

The successful applicant will have excellent opportunities to engage in relevant collaborative initiatives with partners inside and outside Aarhus University.

Qualifications

Tenure-track assistant professor

Applicants for the position of assistant professor must have a PhD degree or must document equivalent qualifications in a relevant field related to comparative literature as well as teaching and research experience equivalent to that attained through a PhD degree. Applicants for the position of assistant professor must be able to document, relevant to the position:

• an internationally oriented research profile as documented by a PhD dissertation and/or peer-reviewed research publications addressing the comparative and historical dimensions of literary studies as well as the relationship of literature to broader cultural contexts and/or societal challenges (for example fake news, forced migration, gender inequality, climate change and artificial intelligence)
• teaching experience at university level in areas relevant to comparative literature, including innovative teaching methods documented through a teaching portfolio.

Furthermore, it will be considered an advantage if applicants can document:

• experience of participation in national and international research networks
• time spent abroad working at one or more internationally recognised research institutions
• experience of knowledge exchange and knowledge dissemination to the public
• research in literature and literary history from at least two language areas.

Tenured associate professor

Applicants for the position of tenured associate professor must have a PhD degree or must document equivalent qualifications in a relevant field related to comparative literature as well as teaching and research experience commensurate with that attained through an assistant professorship. Applicants must be able to document, relevant to the position:

• an international research profile as documented by a solid peer-reviewed publication record addressing the comparative and historical dimensions of literary studies as well as the relationship of literature to broader cultural contexts and/or societal challenges (for example fake news, forced migration, gender inequality, climate change and artificial intelligence)
• experience of participation in international research projects as well as national and international research networks

• teaching and supervision competences and experience at BA and MA level, including curriculum development
• experience of knowledge exchange and knowledge dissemination to the public

• completion of a teacher-training programme designed for university teaching or an equivalent qualification.

Furthermore, it will be considered an advantage if applicants can document:

• time spent abroad working at one or more internationally recognised research institutions
• experience of applying for external research funding
• research in literature and literary history from at least two language areas.

Finally, all applicants are asked to provide a research plan for the next three to five years in which they reflect on how the proposed research can contribute to integrating the historical, cultural and social dimensions in literary courses at both the BA and MA level.

Please note that although the application process can be completed in the Aarhus University system without uploading publications or a teaching portfolio, applications that do not include uploaded publications (maximum five for the tenure-track assistant professorship and maximum eight for the associate professorship) as well as a teaching portfolio (or equivalent documentation of teaching experience and qualifications) will not be considered.

Although the Aarhus University application system includes an option to upload letters of recommendation, please do not include letters of recommendation or references with the application. Applicants who are invited to an interview may be asked to provide references.

Tenure review and the tenure-track assistant professorship

To become tenured the tenure-track assistant professor must be assessed as qualified as associate professor during the last six months of the final year of employment at the latest or, if the tenure-track assistant professor requests it, at an earlier time within the first four years of employment. The assessment is based on the tenure-track assistant professor’s fulfilment of the qualification requirements that apply to associate professorships and the criteria stated in the original advertisement. If the assessment is positive, the tenure-track assistant professor will be offered a tenured position as an associate professor at Aarhus University.

At the time of tenure review for the position of associate professor, the tenure-track assistant professor is expected to have developed a strong research profile at a high international level and published the equivalent of at least two peer-reviewed scholarly articles per year. The tenure-track assistant professor is further expected to have contributed actively to collaborative research and research initiatives with other local, national and/or international researchers in the field. This includes having participated in attracting research funding from external funding bodies and having spent a period of research at one or more recognised research institutions.

At the time of tenure review for the position of associate professor, the tenure-track assistant professor must document the ability to undertake teaching tasks independently at all levels within their own core subject area and document the breadth of their teaching competences at all levels including supervision: they must have taught three to four courses a year, depending on the nature of the specific courses; they must have engaged in supervision activities such as thesis supervision at Bachelor’s and/or Master’s level; and they must have conducted exams. The tenure-track assistant professor is also expected to have participated in curriculum development and to have contributed actively to the academic and research environment of the department. Lastly, the tenure-track assistant professor must have completed the university’s teacher training programme for assistant professors prior to tenure review.

Work environment

Active 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. To maintain and develop the department’s excellent teaching and research environment, the successful applicant is expected to be present at the department daily.

We respect the balance between work and private life and strive to create a work environment in which that balance can be maintained. You can read more about family and work-life balance in Denmark.

International applicants

International applicants are encouraged to read about the attractive working conditions and other benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a wide variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and an AU Expat Partner Programme. You can also find information about the taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU.

An appointee to the position of associate professor who does not speak Danish will be required to acquire proficiency in Danish equivalent to level B2 (CEFR) in order to handle tasks, including administrative and managerial responsibilities, and to participate fully in the activities of the School of Communication and Culture within approximately three years of commencing the appointment, while the tenure-track assistant professor must demonstrate proficiency in Danish equivalent to level B2 (CEFR) at the time of tenure review for the position of associate professor. The tenure-track assistant professor must have achieved a level of Danish proficiency to teach and examine students, read work-related texts, and participate in meetings and collegial gatherings in Danish.

The department

The place of employment is the Department of Comparative Literature and Rhetoric, Langelandsgade 139, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

The comparative literature programme works with literature from all over the world and from all time periods. Research topics span a broad spectrum, and currently the programme hosts research projects on literature and new media, literary representations of slavery, environmental humanities, medievalism, digital humanities, 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, narratology, and a number of new digital methods. 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. Prospective applicants are invited to view the department’s website.

School of Communication and Culture

The school is a part of the Faculty of Arts. You will find information about the school and its research programmes, departments and diverse activities on its website.

Contact

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

If you need help uploading your application or have questions about the recruitment process, please contact Arts HR support by e-mail: hsi@au.dk.

If you want to apply for the position as Tenure-track Assistant Professor, please apply online HERE.

If you want to apply for the position as Tenured Associate Professor, please apply online HERE.