Post Ref:009521
Maynooth University
Ollscoil Mhá Nuad
School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Assistant Professor / Lecturer in French Studies
Permanent
The Role
Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued.
We are seeking an excellent academic to join our staff as an Assistant Professor / Lecturer in French Studies with a specialism in one of the two following areas:
• Francophone Studies;
• French literature and culture of the long nineteenth century.
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The person appointed will have a proven record of teaching, research, and publication, appropriate to career stage. He/she/they will be expected to make a strong contribution to the teaching programme of the School and French Studies section and undertake teaching duties on the School’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes as well as the supervision of Master’s and PhD students.
The appointee will be expected to build a strong research profile, that supports the University’s research strategy including affiliating to the Research Institutes, where appropriate, and working with colleagues on national and international research. The appointee will be expected to sustain and conduct research, engage in scholarship of quality and substance, and generate publications of international standard.
Principal Duties
Teaching:
Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching duties are assigned by the Head of the School. The duties will include:
• Teaching and assessing students at undergraduate level in both language and content modules. This may include lecturing, tutoring, leading practical learning activities, project supervision, and setting, supervising and grading assessments;
• Teaching, supervising and assessing postgraduate students in both language and content modules, including lecturing, leading seminars and other learning activities, supervision of student research activities, and setting, supervising and grading assessments;
• Enhancing and innovating teaching and assessment practice;
• Contributing, as required, to the assurance and enhancement of the quality of teaching;
• Outreach and promotional activities and the recruitment and selection of undergraduate and post-graduate students;
• Developing and enhancing the curriculum;
• Designing and delivering new courses.
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Research & Scholarship:
Building a research and scholarly profile is an essential part of an academic career. This will include:
• Conducting research and engaging in scholarship of quality and substance in the discipline;
• Generating external income or securing resources to support scholarly activity as necessary;
• Disseminating research and scholarly outcomes through: peer reviewed publication; presentation at national and international conferences; preparation of professional reports; commercialisation; or other appropriate means;
• Affiliating with a University Research Institute, where appropriate;
• Building research capacity;
• Fostering links with other institutions which will benefit both research and teaching at Maynooth University;
• Integrating research into the teaching curriculum;
• Supervising research students and post-doctoral fellows.
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Service:
The academic staff members of the University are critical to achieving the strategic objectives of the University, and as such are required to engage in work that serves the collective strategic needs of the University. This may include:
• Administrative and service duties;
• Leading or contributing to strategic projects and initiatives;
• Contributing to the internationalisation of the university;
• Outreach and engagement activities;
• Collaborative work with external partners;
• Activities to promote the University locally, nationally, and internationally;
• Carrying out any other duties within the scope, spirit, and purpose of a Maynooth University academic post.
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Administrative and other duties:
This will include:
• Undertaking administrative tasks within the French Studies section, School, Faculty and University as required and as assigned by the Head of School, the Dean, or the President;
• Attending and serving on School, Faculty, Institute and University committees as appropriate;
• Attending courses and engaging in other activities associated with professional development as appropriate;
• Complying with all University policies.
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The ideal candidate will have:
• A PhD in a relevant discipline;
• Native or near-native language competence (CEFR C2 level) in French and English;
• A strong academic record in teaching and research;
• A record of scholarly work and publication of international quality, demonstrating potential to become a significant contributor in her/his/their field;
• Experience of and a demonstrated commitment to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, programme development and academic innovation;
• Experience of supervising or potential to supervise graduate research students;
• Experience of, and commitment to, working in an interdisciplinary setting;
• Good administrative, organisational, teamwork and communication skills.
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The University
Maynooth University is one of the four constituent universities of the National University of Ireland and in 2020 was placed in the global top 50 universities under 50 years old in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Formally established as an autonomous university in 1997 but tracing its origins to the foundation of the Royal College of St. Patrick in 1795, Maynooth University draws on a heritage of over 200 years’ commitment to education and scholarship. It is located in the University town of Maynooth, 25km from the centre of Dublin, Ireland’s capital city.
The University is a modern institution - dynamic, research-led, engaged, and grounded in the traditions of liberal education. With almost 16,000 students, Maynooth is Ireland’s fastest-growing university, yet we retain a collegial campus culture that is central to our ability to bring significant interdisciplinary expertise to bear in tackling some of the most fundamental challenges facing society today. MU has a distinctive disciplinary profile compared to other universities in Ireland, with research and teaching strengths in humanities and social sciences, science, electronic engineering, business, law, and teacher education. The University has major research institutes and centres in the areas of: humanities; social sciences; mathematics, computation, and communication; human health; business and service innovation; climate change; and Geocomputation.
The University has, under the University Strategic Plan 2012-17, further enhanced its capacity and reputation for research, transformed its undergraduate curriculum, grown postgraduate enrolments and become even more international, diverse, and engaged. MU makes, and is seen to make, an important and distinctive contribution to our national system of higher education.
Maynooth University is now embarking upon a new and exciting phase with the development of the University Strategic Plan 2018-22, with a vision to consolidate the international reputation of Maynooth University “as a university known for outstanding teaching, excellent research, a global outlook, effective engagement with the society we serve, and our distinctive approach to the challenges facing modern higher education.”
The University Strategic Plan 2018-22 builds on the institution’s strengths and accomplishments, concentrating energy and resources on further development in research and postgraduate education. The strategy focuses on:
• targeted investment in research capacity in a number of priority areas;
• extending the postgraduate portfolio and growing the postgraduate community;
• realising the full benefits of our innovative undergraduate curriculum;
• enhancing the student experience;
• comprehensive and ethical internationalisation;
• equality diversity inclusion and interculturalism as enablers of academic excellence
These strategic goals are underpinned by a commitment to invest, first and foremost in people and opportunities for their development and success, and also in the systems and infrastructure required to achieve scholarly and educational objectives.
Faculty and Research Institutes
The Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies and Philosophy comprises the Departments of Ancient Classics, English, History, Media Studies, Music, Philosophy, and the following Schools: the School of Celtic Studies (Early Irish and Nua Ghaeilge) and the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The role of the Faculty is to co-ordinate the academic activities of individual departments/schools, to oversee the strategic development of departments/schools and to support interdepartmental programmes. The University has also developed a number of interdisciplinary institutes to support excellent research and to build research capacity across disciplines. The Arts and Humanities Institute is closely associated with Faculty research activity. The role of the Faculty is to co-ordinate the academic activities of individual departments, schools, and institutes, to oversee the strategic development of these units and to support interdepartmental and interdisciplinary activities and programmes.
School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures
The School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures comprises Chinese Studies, French Studies, German Studies, and Spanish and Latin American Studies. It has currently 5 PhD students. The School has research strengths in literary and cultural studies (from early medieval through to the second decade of the twenty-first century) and applied linguistics and intercultural studies. The School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures has 18 members of academic staff, 10 full-time tutors/lecteurs/lectrices, and 14 part-time tutors and occasional staff members. The School offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to approximately 770 students.
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Selection and Appointment
• Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend for interview;
• Candidates invited for interview will be required to make a brief presentation;
• Appointments will be approved by the President based on the report of the selection board;
• It is anticipated that interviews will be held in mid to late June 2021;
• The appointment is expected to be effective from 1 September 2021.
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Equality and Diversity
Maynooth University values the enrichment that comes from a diverse community and seeks to promote equality, prevent discrimination, and protect the human rights of each individual. To learn more about our commitment to Equality and Diversity, please read the Maynooth University Equality and Diversity Policy. Additionally, as an Athena SWAN Bronze Award Institute, we are committed to advancing gender equality across the University.
We aim to reflect the diversity of the community we serve and welcome applications from all individuals. Post Ref:009521
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Terms and Conditions
The appointment will be made at Assistant Professor / Lecturer level, of which there are two grades: Assistant Professor / Lecturer and Assistant Lecturer. To be appointed at the Assistant Professor / Lecturer level, the successful candidate will have a strong record of research, publications, teaching, and academic leadership.
The University will make a permanent appointment where the preferred candidate has an established track record in research and teaching; where it is in the best interests of the university, the post may be filled on a fixed-term contract basis.
Data Protection Law
Maynooth University will process any personal data provided by you in connection with an application for this role in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Acts 2018.
If your application is successful and you accept an offer of employment at Maynooth University, then your personal data will continue to be processed in accordance with Maynooth University’s Staff Data Privacy Notice.
Both the privacy notices and further information relating to data protection, including Maynooth University’s other data protection policies and processes, can be viewed at https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/data-protection
Salary
Assistant Professor / Lecturer (2020*): €54,849 – €86,235 p.a. (7 points)
Assistant Lecturer (2020*): €34,746 – €60,985 p.a. (14 points)
Appointment will be made in accordance with the Department of Finance pay guidelines.
*New entrants to the public sector will be appointed on the first point of the Assistant Lecturer (2020) payscale or the Lecturer (2020) payscale.
Application Procedure
Closing Date: 23:30hrs (local Irish time) on Sunday, 16 May 2021.
Please note all applications must be made via our Online Recruitment Portal at the following link:
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/human-resources/vacancies
Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified above. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system.
Late applications will not be accepted.
Maynooth University is an equal opportunities employer.
The position is subject to the Statutes of the University.