Department of English Studies

Grade 7: - £33,797 to £40,322 pro rata
Fixed Term - Part Time
Contract Duration: 12 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 17.5
Closing Date: 24-Sep-2020, 6:59:00 AM

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world’s top universities, boasting a welcoming and vibrant international community. Durham is an exceptional place in which to base your career. Our strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences see us listed as a top 5 UK and top 100 global university with our students and our world leading academics sitting at the heart of delivering our ground-breaking work. As part of our ambitious strategy we are growing and we look forward to welcoming your application.

The Department

The Department of English Studies at Durham is one of the leading English departments in the UK, with an outstanding research culture and excellent students. It is consistently ranked in the top five English departments in a range of university guides and consistently records excellent scores in the National Student Survey. In REF 2014, English as Durham was ranked 4th in the UK. It has particular clusters of expertise in the following areas: world literatures and theory; twentieth- and twenty-first-century literature; eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature; medieval and early modern literature and culture; creative writing; medical humanities.

The Department’s undergraduate curriculum is notable for its historical and cultural breadth, combining compulsory modules in Theory, Shakespeare and an independent Dissertation, with a range of period-based modules taught by lectures and tutorials, and research-led special topic seminars. There is a thriving MA in English Literature and a lively community of PhD students. The Department is a partner in the AHRC BGP2 Northern Bridge partnership for postgraduate training, in collaboration with the University of Newcastle and Queen’s University, Belfast.

The Role

The Department is recruiting a number of 0.5fte Teaching Fellows, as the posts are part time the salary will be pro rata to the salary shown.

The successful Teaching Fellows will:

• develop her/his expertise in Anglophone literature
• teach undergraduate tutorials across one or more period-based modules, from Medieval Literature to Post-War Literature, and/or American Fiction and American Poetry, and/or Literary Theory
• supervise Level 3 undergraduate dissertations
• supervise MA theses
• contribute lively and stimulating lessons via online teaching and/or face-to-face teaching, as required
• undertake assessment and examination of UG and MA student work
• participate in the meetings of the Department as appropriate
• pursue opportunities for professional development

The post-holder will report to the Head of Department. Career development opportunities will be offered.

Teaching Fellowships offer the opportunity of valuable experience to those early in their academic careers and the University is keen to maximise the benefit to as many people as possible. The post of Teaching Fellow will involve a significant teaching load, which may extend into the summer period, and there may be related scholarship and the opportunity for administrative duties which relate to education and pedagogy.

The post is for a fixed term only (12 months) and it is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term.

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by 12th October 2020.

The University provides a working and teaching environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key responsibilities

• Teach modules in appropriate learning environments at undergraduate/postgraduate levels, demonstrating an increasing awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning;
• Demonstrate the ability to manage own teaching and designing, planning and writing teaching materials;
• Lead some aspects of modules and contribute to modules led by others by collaborating with colleagues on course development;
• Develop and deliver an inclusive curriculum and make an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated;
• Seek and take on board feedback on teaching and engage with others in CPD;
• Supervise undergraduate student(s), and where appropriate act as part of a PhD supervisory team;
• Contribute to educational skill of colleagues, e.g. giving a seminar to colleagues or engaging in constructive discussion about a seminar;
• Build internal contacts and participate in networks to exchange information;
• Start to engage in scholarship (the creation, development and maintenance of the intellectual infrastructure of subjects and disciplines) e.g. develop online teaching resources;
• In addition to Board of Studies, membership of some departmental committees and professional body memberships;
• Student support, assessment of academic performance and provision of feedback, dealing with student disciplinary matters and complaints;
• Undertake effectively and efficiently any administrative role allocated by your Head of Department.

Person Specification

Candidates applying for a grade 7 post will have recently completed or be concluding their PhD and, while they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the essential criteria:

• A good first degree in English, or a related subject.
• A PhD in English or a related subject, or equivalent demonstrable practitioner experience which may include appropriate certification and/or membership of a relevant professional body.
• Experience of teaching and examining at University level with positive student feedback gained.
• Experience of contributing to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching and/or assessment of learning, including the design and creation of successful learning environments and curricula.
• Demonstrable ability to participate in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.
• l and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of fora.• Excellent ora

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high quality teaching,
• Experience of successful online teaching.
• Experience of successfully working in an administrative role within an organisation or department.
• Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
• Evidence of work undertaken (or which would be undertaken) in preparation for teaching and keeping up to date with developments in the subject area, such as
  1. active membership and engagement with a professional body;
  2. demonstrable innovation in educational practice;
  3. publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication;
  4. Attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or
  5. Materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department.
• Candidates may have, or should have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of HEA.

How to Apply

For informal enquiries please contact the Head of Department at john.nash@durham.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/ 

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University.

What to Submit

All applicants are asked to submit:

• a CV and covering letter which details your experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out above.

Referees

You should provide details of 3 referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference (if they are not listed as an academic referee). Please note:

• We shall seek references during the application process. Unless in the case of very early career candidates, referees should not (if possible) include your PhD supervisor(s) and include references from a University other than your own.
• We would ask that you alert your referees to this application as soon as possible so that we can quickly obtain references. If you do not wish (some or all) of your referees to be approached during the recruitment process; you must clearly indicate this to us at the time of your application.
• References sought for candidates may be made available to the panel during the shortlisting process.
• We will seek a reference from your current line-manager if we make you an offer of employment (albeit you may have also nominated your line manager as an academic referee). Please clearly indicate on the application form which referee is your current line-manager and indicate if we should only approach them once an offer has been made.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Next Steps

The assessment for the post will include an interview (thirty-minutes) and a presentation at which candidates will be asked to present an outline tutorial plan for a tutorial in a module of their choice (ten minutes).

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview on 5th October.

About Durham University

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high quality work/life balance. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. If you’d like to find out more about the University, please visit https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/recruitment/

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.