Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature

The School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University invites applications for the position of assistant professor of comparative literature, based at the Department of Comparative Literature and Rhetoric.

The assistant professorship is a full-time, three-year appointment. Subject to the availability of funding, there may be an opportunity to apply for a subsequent associate professorship. The position will begin on 1 January 2027 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 the comparative and historical dimensions of literary studies. The successful applicant must have a significant research profile that a) engages with the connections between literature in 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 of outreach and knowledge exchange, commensurate with the position.

Research

The successful applicant will be expected to publish original peer-reviewed research internationally on the analytical, comparative and historical dimensions of literary studies. The successful applicant will also be expected to contribute to research initiatives within both the field of comparative literature and the department’s research community through new collaborative research projects with internal and external partners and applications for 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 analytical, historical and theoretical courses on the comparative literature BA and MA programmes and to contribute to the integration of research and teaching as well as to the development and application of innovative teaching methods. Applicants are asked to refer to the programme descriptions and indicate in their application which courses they would be able to teach. Moreover, the successful applicant will be expected to take part in supervision activities at the BA and MA levels. 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 assistant professor must complete Aarhus University’s University Pedagogical Programme for assistant professors.

Knowledge exchange

The successful applicant is expected to engage in knowledge exchange, for instance through research collaboration with NGOs, libraries or private companies (such as publishers), government consultancy, teaching at Danish folk high schools or upper-secondary schools.

Qualifications

Applicants for the position of assistant professor must hold a PhD degree or 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.

Read the full text and apply online via the ‘Apply’ button above.

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