Professorship in American Literature and Culture

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The University of Zurich invites applications for a

Professorship in American Literature and Culture

starting on 1 February 2025.

Applicants are expected to have an excellent, international track record in research as well as broad teaching experience in the relevant field. The future professor will cover the entire range of North American literature and culture from its colonial beginnings to the present. We are searching for a colleague with expertise in cultural theory who will make innovative contributions to recent critical approaches and debates.

The successful candidate is expected to participate in academic administration, supervise and support young researchers, and develop future strategies for the department. The new colleague will develop joint research projects and collaborate with other members of the English Department and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, as well as with national and international institutions of higher education. This involves the participation in interdisciplinary collaborations at UZH (such as the Center for Arts and Cultural Theory or the Center for the Literary Present) as well as in interdisciplinary study programs (for instance, the Mono-Master in Literary Studies, Gender Studies, Cultural Analysis).

Candidates must have completed a PhD and habilitation or equivalent (e.g. a second book) in the relevant field and published additional excellent research and achieved international visibility in at least one of the research areas. While all teaching is conducted in English, the university’s administrative language is German; thus, non-German speaking candidates are expected to acquire a working knowledge of the language within the first three years of appointment.

The English Department, the University of Zurich and Zurich as a center of higher education offer an excellent research and teaching environment with multiple opportunities for professional exchange and cooperation. There are numerous funding opportunities for research projects at the Swiss National Science Foundation. The city of Zurich is a lively environment and offers an excellent quality of life.

The University of Zurich aims to increase the percentage of women in leading positions and therefore encourages applications from qualified female researchers. The administrative procedures involved in moving to Switzerland are supported from the university side.

For further information

Please contact the Head of Department Prof. Dr. Michael C. Frank (michael.frank@es.uzh.ch).

The closing date for applications is 18 October 2023. Details on the application procedure are available, by clicking the 'Apply' button

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