Associate Professor in History of Religions

The Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies invites application
for a position as Associate Professor in History of Religions, starting
from Aug.1 2014. Associate Professor is the standard entry-level grade
within the Norwegian university system for scholars already holding a
doctorate, and this is a permanent position.

The Department of Archaeology and Religious studies is part of the
Faculty of Humanities at the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology (NTNU), which is located at the Dragvoll campus in Trondheim.
The department currently employs 12 permanent, full-time academic staff
and 3 Research Fellows. The faculty and the department are currently
restructuring its organization, and at the time the position starts the
staff will be part of the new Department for Philosophy and Religious
Studies.

The current department consists of two sections with three disciplines:
Archaeology, Christian Studies, and History of Religions. History of
Religions offers teaching up to PhD-level. More information about the
department may be found on http://www.ntnu.edu/iar. 

Applicants must hold competence for research, teaching, and
communicating to the public History of Religions with a focus on
religion in South Asia. Apart from the necessary administrative work,
the position consists of an equal workload of teaching and research.

The successful applicant will enjoy freedom of research. He or she will
be expected to fill research time with active development of research
projects, research and publication activities, both alone and in
interaction with national and international colleagues. Among its stated
goals the university includes high quality, interdisciplinary research
projects.

The part of the position devoted to teaching may include lectures,
seminars, supervision, and exam work at all levels from the basic level
to MA and PhD. The position will include teaching History of Religions
broadly at all levels, as well as specifically teaching Hinduism and
Buddhism at the basic level. The person appointed will be asked to
develop an intermediate level course within one of the latter areas. He
or she will be required to participate in teaching activities in
accordance with the relevant curricula, and to assist in further
developing the teaching program.

Applicants will have excellent academic qualifications, along with a
track-record and research program in South Asian religions that shows a
clear trajectory. Special weight will be put on the applicants
publication activities during the last 5- 10 years.

Applicants must document
* research competence within one or more of South Asian religions,
* general competence for teaching History of Religions at all levels,
including both religions (material), and the theories and methods of the
discipline, and an ability to develop the teaching of the discipline as
a whole.
* ability to and interest in initiating and participating in research
projects,
* the requisite language skills for conducting research in South Asia.

The research and teaching profile of History of Religions at NTNU
emphasizes contemporary religion. As part of this focus, the department
seeks a colleague with competence in the study of religious practice and
in anthropological methods.

Interest in, and experience from, popularization will also count
positively. Personal suitability for the position and good cooperative
skills are important.

The successful candidate should demonstrate enthusiasm for teaching.
Pedagogical skills will be an important part of the evaluation. This
evaluation will be based on documented pedagogical/didactic material,
including the writing skills in the scientific work that the candidate
includes, experience in teaching, from supervising PhD- and MA-students,
along with other pedagogical qualifications.

Applicants are asked to provide details of their pedagogical
qualifications in accordance with
the relevant guidelines ("Documentation of an applicant’s pedagogical
qualifications") which
can be downloaded from the following Internet address:
http://www.ntnu.no/administrasjon/avdelinger/personal/momentliste_ped_kval_e.html. 

Academic staff without a formal pedagogical qualification in
university-level teaching, and who are unable to document equivalent
qualifications, are required to successfully complete a recognized
course that provides a pedagogical qualification in university-level
teaching within two years of taking up the appointment. The university
offers such courses.

Newly employed staff in academic positions who are not already fluent in
a Scandinavian language must within three years obtain knowledge of
Norwegian or another Scandinavian language at an equivalent standard to
level three in the "Norwegian for Foreigners" courses provided by the
Department of Language and Communication Studies. The University will
make it possible for the person appointed to attend such a course.

Applicants who have been short-listed will be interviewed and will be
invited to demonstrate their pedagogical ability, usually by means of a
trial lecture.

The person appointed will be required to abide by policy changes within
the department, and to follow the requirements of all organizational
changes that decisions relating to the university's activities may involve.

It will be necessary for the person appointed to take up residence so
that (s)he can be present at- and available for the Department.

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations in force
concerning State Employees and Civil Servants.

It is policy within the state sector that employees should come from
backgrounds that reflect as fully as possible the diversity of the
population at large. The state has accordingly set the goal of a
workforce whose composition reflects that of the population at large
with regard to age and gender. It has also set itself the goal of
recruiting employees with an immigrant background, and such individuals
are encouraged to apply for this post.

You may request to have your name withheld from public access. If you
wish to do so, you must explain why your application should be treated
as confidential. If you request that your name be withheld from public
access, your request will be considered in relation to the Open File Act
§ 25. If your request to have your name kept from public access is
denied, you will be so informed and you will be given the opportunity to
withdraw your application.

The position as Associate Professor is placed in code 1011 in the State
salary regulations, and is remunerated according to the State salary
scale, range 24, salary levels from 57 to 77, with gross salary at
present from NOK 468 100 to NOK 688 900 per year. Two percent of gross
salary is deducted and paid into the State Pension scheme.

Further details about the position can be obtained from Head of
Department, Professor Asbjørn Dyrendal, e-mail:
asbjorn.dyrendal@ntnu.no, or Professor Istvan Keul, e-mail:
istvan.keul@ntnu.no.

The application must be sent electronically through this page
(http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=93483), and be marked with the
file number for the position (HF 13-008). The application must contain
information about education, exams and previous employment, certified
copies of certificates and any testimonials. Please note: Applications
that are not sent through Jobbnorge and/or sent past the application
deadline will not be taken into consideration.

In addition to the application sent through Jobbnorge, applicants should
send via regular post the following:
3 identical sets of up to 10 academic works (originals or copies),
published or unpublished, which are relevant to the evaluation of the
applicant's qualifications for the advertised position. If the applicant
is not the sole author of any work, s/he should state his/her
contribution to it.

A list of all publications with bibliographical references, and a
comment on which of the submitted publications the applicant finds most
important.

These should be sent, giving the reference number HF 13-008, to:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities
v/Hege Kissten, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway.

Please note that all application documents must be sent within
application deadline, including the academic work.

Applicants unfamiliar with the appointment system in Norway are advised
that the assessment of applicants is based upon submitted academic work,
published or unpublished, and that those who submit no such work will
not be found qualified for the position.

Deadline: June 3rd 2013
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