Mandarin Instructor (12-024)

The Faculty of Humanities

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies

Mandarin Instructor (38 hours per week)
Vacancy number: 12-024

The Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University invites applications for a fulltime position as Mandarin Instructor (Docent). Appointment will be fixed-term from August 2012 through July 2015 (starting with a twelve-month probation period), with the possibility of extensions of up to three years, and of tenure thereafter.

Leiden University (founded 1575) has an internationally recognised record of excellence in teaching and research, and is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU). Currently, the University has about 17,000 students and 4,000 staff. The Faculty of Humanities consists of institutes for Area Studies, Creative & Performing Arts, Cultural Disciplines, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. It has approximately 4,500 students and 900 staff. The Faculty offers a wide range of BA and MA programs with internationally competitive language acquisition components, and has a substantial annual output of PhD dissertations. Staff contribute to several of the University’s key research areas: Asian Modernities and Traditions, Global Interactions, Language Diversity, Political Legitimacy, and Brain Function and Dysfunction.

The instructor will hold an appointment in the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS), which is committed to the integration of disciplinary and regional-historical perspectives, on a solid foundation of deep linguistic and cultural knowledge. S/he will teach in Chinese Studies, Asian Studies, International Studies, and other programs and courses as required.

Current Chinese studies staff have expertise in Anthropology, Art & Material Culture Studies, Buddhist Studies, Development Studies, Economics, Film Studies, History, International Relations, Language Pedagogy, Linguistics, Literary Studies, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Sociology. The local environment includes an excellent library with substantial holdings in Chinese language pedagogy, and opportunities for synergy with instructors specialized in other languages. Information on the teaching of Mandarin and Premodern Chinese is found in our language pedagogy surveys.

Duties:

  • Teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels, in lecture and seminar formats.

  • Co‑supervision of BA and MA theses.

  • Co-supervision of PhD research.

  • Active involvement in curriculum development.

  • Acquisition of external project funding.

  • Administration.

  • Representation of the field to external audiences and media.

Requirements:

Qualifications, as measured against career stage:

  • MA degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL). A PhD degree in TCFL or Chinese linguistics is an advantage. While the position has no research component, the Instructor will be expected to critically monitor and use developments in research on TCFL and language pedagogy at large.

  • Commitment to and expertise in high-quality, multi-media teaching practice. Work experience at institutions located outside the Chinese-speaking world is an advantage.

  • Native Mandarin. Proficiency in other Chinese languages and in Premodern Chinese is an advantage.

  • Full, active proficiency in full-form (fanti) and simplified (jianti) characters, and in the Pinyin transcription. Proficiency in other transcriptions is an advantage.

  • An excellent command of English. Most MA programs at Leiden University are taught in English, and staff members who have a better command of English than of Dutch may teach in English in BA programs as well. If the successful applicant is not Dutch-speaking, s/he is expected to acquire a good command of Dutch within two years from taking up duty, primarily for adminstrative purposes, and not necessarily for teaching. To this end, LIAS will fund her/his enrolment in the University’s Academic Language Center.

Depending on experience and formal qualifications to date, the successful applicant may be required to enter a nationally standardized tertiary teaching skills certification trajectory (BKO or Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs), successful completion of which is a condition for extensions and tenure.

We offer:

Salary range: from € 3195 to € 4374 per month, commensurate with qualifications, with additional holiday and end-of-year bonuses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Leiden University aims to employ more women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore especially invited to apply.

Information:

For inquiries, please contact Maghiel van Crevel (m.van.crevel@hum.leidenuniv.nl), with cc to Jeroen Wiedenhof (jeroen@wiedenhof.nl).

Applications:

Review of applications will commence by 19 March 2012 and continue until the position is filled or this call is closed. Interviews are scheduled for 25, 26, and 27 April 2012.

Applications should be in English, and be submitted to the Mandarin Search Committee at vacatureslias@hum.leidenuniv.nl, with the following items included in *one* PDF document named “Family name – Given name – 12-024” in the order listed below:

  • CV including education and employment history, publications, courses taught, grants and awards, languages with indication of proficiency

  • Letter of motivation including a personal vision of TCFL and its international, present-day development

  • Names, positions and email addresses of three referees (no reference letters)

  • A one-page statement of teaching philosophy

  • Course descriptions (taught and/or planning to teach)

 and, in a separate PDF document named “Family name – Given name – Evaluations”: 

  • Teaching evaluations, meaning formal assessment by students of the applicant’s teaching performance, as administered by her/his employer(s).

Publication date: February 13th, 2012

Acquisitie naar aanleiding van deze advertentie wordt niet op prijs gesteld.

Redactie
Laatst Gewijzigd: 21-02-2012