UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
Our primary purpose in making this appointment is to further develop the
Department’s programme of research and teaching in Social Anthropology. The
person appointed should be active in his or her field of anthropological
research, and would be expected to play a part in building up and extending
the Department’s research capacity, for example through the initiation of
new projects and the recruitment of research students. The post carries no
restrictions as regards areas of regional, ethnographic or theoretical
interest, and candidates are welcome to apply regardless of their topics of
specialisation. There will however be a preference towards candidates who
can place their interests within the broad context of the Department’s
research objectives, as set out above. Though applicants need not be
specialists in the Anthropology of the North, we would expect them to be
engaged with comparable issues, be they located geographically in the North
or in other parts of the world, and to be able to relate their work and
interests to those of current staff in the Department.
Further Particulars
For the Post of Professor/Reader/Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Anthropology
USS006A
1. ABERDEEN
With the population approaching 250,000, Aberdeen is big enough to provide
all the advantages of city life, yet compact enough to enjoy the more
intimate atmosphere usually associated with small towns.
It is a busy city with many architectural splendours – its distinctive
sparkling granite has earned it the sobriquet of the Silver City. In
Aberdeen the traditional industries – agriculture, shipping and fishing –
have been joined and, in some cases, overtaken by the newer industries which
earn a hard living from the North Sea; the oil-related industries have made
Aberdeen the oil capital of Europe.
Aberdeen supports a thriving cultural life – there are concert halls with
regular symphony and chamber concerts from local and touring national
orchestras and ensembles; there is an exceptional Museum and Art Gallery.
The city has one of Scotland’s finest Edwardian theatres – His Majesty’s
Theatre – which attracts international companies performing opera, ballet,
theatre, and light entertainment. Aberdeen has a great variety of
first-rate restaurants; all of the major high street retailers are
represented in the city; and its sporting facilities are equally good,
ranging from swimming pools to golf courses and from horse riding to
American football.
Aberdeen has excellent communication services with other British and
European cities (flying time from Amsterdam, Dublin, London and Paris is
just over one hour). Road links with Edinburgh and Glasgow are first class
and there are fast coach services linking Aberdeen with most Scottish towns
and cities, as well as with major English centres. Rail links southward are
equally good, with several trains each day direct to London and to other
English cities.
The city enjoys a pleasant climate – generally crisp and dry with average
rainfall and sunshine very similar to that of London and average temperature
in both winter and summer of only 2 or 3 degrees Celsius below London. The
environment is exceptionally good and free of the pollution that afflicts
many cities of equivalent size. Education and health facilities are both
outstanding, and a wide range of very high quality housing is available
within the city and its immediate environs.
2. THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
The University of Aberdeen is a fusion of two ancient universities: King’s
College, founded in 1495 and Marischal College in 1593. For over 500 years,
Aberdeen has been outstanding in scholarship. It maintains its tradition
with pride and supports a high level of teaching and learning underpinned by
a first class portfolio of research programmes.
The University currently has a turnover in excess of ?100 million
per annum. The University employs more than 2,700 staff. These comprise
approximately 1,400 academic and academic-related staff and 1,300
non-academic staff. The University currently has more than 11,000
matriculated students.
3. THE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
The College of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Aberdeen is one
of three Colleges which cover a wide range of disciplines from the
Humanities through Education and Pure and Applied Sciences to Medicine. The
modern Colleges are largely autonomous bodies in terms of resource planning
and, subject to the overall control of central resource committees, are free
to distribute funds and other resources as is judged most appropriate by the
Head of College and the College committees. Academic matters such as course
content and degree regulations are the responsibility of the Boards of
Studies.
The College comprises six Schools: the School of Business; the School of
Divinity, History and Philosophy; the School of Education; the School of
Language & Literature; the School of Law; and the School of Social Science.
The College provides a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
and has a firm commitment to the promotion of research. Research centres
within the College include the Research Institute for Irish & Scottish
Studies, Centre for Early Modern Studies, Centre for the Study of Scottish
Philosophy, Scottish Centre for International Security, Nordic Policy
Studies Centre, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Centre for the Study of the
Civil Law Tradition and Centre for Property Law, the Centre for European
Labour Market Research, and the Centre for the Study of Globalization and
the Elphinstone Institute (for the study and promotion of history, languages
and culture of the North East and North of Scotland).
The College is the major contributor to the undergraduate MA degree.
Students are admitted to study for the MA, not a particular subject and once
admitted are free to take a larger number of different courses in different
subject areas. The academic year is divided into two half sessions of 12
weeks and most courses last one half session. The curriculum is fully
modularised, each course is credit bearing, and each year students will
normally accumulate 120 credits from their courses. At the end of their
second year students apply for entry to an honours programme. The MA lasts
three years and the Honours MA four years. The great majority of students
study for the honours degree.
More information about the College can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/cass
4. THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
The School of Social Science comprises the Departments of Anthropology,
Sociology, and Politics & International Relations, and was established in
2002 as part of a reorganisation that grouped the majority of the University
’s departments within academic Schools.
Following significant growth over the last five years in all of its
constituent departments, the School is now at a critical point in its
evolution. The appointment of new chairs and promising junior staff in each
department is intended to usher in a new phase of development, leading to
further improvements in research quality beyond the high levels already
achieved.
The School of Social Science presently includes 37 lecturing staff, 8
full-time researchers and 7 support staff, divided between its three
departments. Administrative and support services are provided by a
full-time School Officer and 6 secretarial staff. The School’s research is
highly rated. All staff were submitted in the 2001 Research Assessment
Exercise. Sociology was rated 5a, Anthropology was rated 4a (with its
research grouping on the Anthropology of the North flagged as 5*), and
Politics & International Relations was rated 4a. The submissions can be
viewed at www.hero.ac.uk/rae/submissions. Staff research interests are
described in the departmental websites available at www.abdn.ac.uk/socsci.
In 2003, seven extremely promising new staff were appointed and the School
reasonably expects all three departments to be rated 5* or its equivalent in
the next research assessment exercise.
With around 900 (full-time equivalent) students, undergraduate numbers are
buoyant. In addition to teaching in its main degree subjects, the School
contributes to degrees in Cultural History, Women’s Studies, and Sports
Studies. In the last external review of teaching quality in Scotland, all
the School’s departments were very highly rated. Postgraduate numbers are
strong. The School has ‘1 + 3’ ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council)
recognition for its postgraduate training in all its disciplines. Taught
postgraduate courses in Politics & International Relations attract large
numbers of overseas students.
The School is a single budgetary unit, run by the head of School and an
executive committee consisting of the heads of the Departments of
Anthropology, Politics & International Relations, and Sociology, and a
senior member from International Relations. To save duplication, the School
manages as much routine business as possible while academic and
discipline-specific matters remain the preserve of departments.
5. ANTHROPOLOGY
5.1 Introduction
The programme of teaching and research in Social Anthropology at the
University of Aberdeen was launched in 1999. Initially placed within the
Department of Sociology (subsequently renamed Sociology and Anthropology),
the programme has grown rapidly in its first three years. In August 2002, a
separate Department of Anthropology was established within the newly formed
School of Social Science. The Department now includes no fewer than six
full-time staff, four post-doctoral research fellows and seventeen research
students.
5.2 Research
Aberdeen lies at the hub of a region that, besides Scotland itself, extends
eastwards to the Nordic and Baltic countries, and to northern Russia, and
westwards to Iceland, Greenland and Canada. The region includes a number of
institutions with distinguished traditions of anthropological scholarship,
and others where it looks set to develop. Much of this scholarship
concentrates on societies and communities within the region, though, like
all anthropological work, it also has an important comparative dimension.
Our objective is to establish the University of Aberdeen as the principal
focus, nationally and internationally, for anthropological research in the
region as a whole. We intend to do this in three ways:
· Through the pursuit of an integrated programme of research on the
Anthropology of Scotland and the North, focusing on: (1) relations between
indigenous peoples and nation states; (2) comparative anthropology in the
post-Soviet era; (3) perceptions and constructions of society, nature and
environment; (4) systems of knowledge, practice and enskilment; (5) culture
and traditions of North and North-East Scotland; (6) Scottish diaspora,
emigration and immigration.
· Through explorations of the interface between social anthropology,
ethnology and cultural history, in the following areas: (1) material
culture and the role of museums in the display of objects and texts, (2) the
visual representation of indigenous culture, (3) the connections between
anthropology, archaeology, art and architecture, (4) ethnographies of
speaking, language ideology and cultural revival, (5) the historical
anthropology of the body.
· Through the development of a network of inter-Departmental links
with institutions in North America, Greenland, the Nordic and Baltic
countries, and Russia, that would serve to promote the exchange of staff and
research students with interests in northern anthropology.
The research environment at Aberdeen is currently very conducive to the
establishment and growth of Social Anthropology. Besides those staff
working in the Department of Anthropology, there are already a number of
anthropologists working in other departments and units of the University,
including Dr Arnar Arnason in the Arkleton Centre for Rural Development
Research, Professor Seth Kunin, Dr Martin Mills and Dr Gabriele Marranci in
the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, and Dr Trevor Stack in the
School of Language & Literature. The University’s Marischal Museum has
substantial ethnological collections from many parts of the world, offering
unparalleled opportunities for the ‘hands-on’ study of artefacts and for the
development of research in various aspects of material culture. The
Department enjoys close research links with the Arkleton Centre, the
Elphinstone Institute, the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies,
and other Departments in and beyond the College of Arts and Social Sciences,
including Sociology, History, Geography and Environment, Property, Politics
& International Relations (which includes the Nordic Policy Studies Centre),
and Plant & Soil Science. Anthropology staff and research students in the
Department have also joined with colleagues in the Departments of Geography
and Environment, and Plant and Soil Science, to form the recently
established Aberdeen Northern Studies Centre.
Finally, the city of Aberdeen is itself surrounded by a hinterland that is
immensely rich in possibilities for social anthropological research. There
is considerable research expertise, both in the Department and more widely
in the University, focusing on the North and North-East of Scotland.
5.3 Undergraduate Teaching
The Department offers a full Honours programme in Social Anthropology, and a
joint Honours programme in Anthropology and Sociology. Anthropology can
also be taken as part of joint Honours programmes with a wide range of other
subjects. Following the conventions of the Scottish four-year MA, students
progress through two foundation years before entering the two-year Honours
programme. The basic structure of the Anthropology programme is outlined
below.
Currently, Level One students take introductory anthropology courses in both
autumn and spring half-sessions. Approximately 200 students are taking
these courses in 2002-03. At Level Two, there are anthropology courses in
both half-sessions (entitled, respectively, Perceiving Cultural Differences
and Culture, History and Anthropology). Completion of these Level One and
Two courses is normally a condition for entry into the Honours programme.
At Level Three, students take compulsory core courses in Anthropological
Theory and Society and Nature, as well as in anthropological research
methods, and also begin work on their research projects. At Level Four,
they complete these projects, and take a range of advanced course options,
which draw on, and reflect, the original research being carried out in the
Department.
5.4 Postgraduate Teaching
The Research and Graduate Programme in Social Anthropology, Ethnology and
Cultural History, established in autumn 2000, provides a framework for
delivery of the subject-specific component of research training in Social
Anthropology, including a research students’ seminar and a two-module course
on Philosophy and Methods of Research in Social Anthropology, Ethnology and
Cultural History. These elements may now be combined with courses providing
training in generic social science skills, offered by the School of Social
Science, to make up the one-year taught Masters of Research (MRes) in Social
Anthropology, Ethnology Cultural History. Additionally, we offer
supervision for candidates for the research degrees of MLitt, MPhil and PhD.
The Research and Graduate Programme organises a regular series of visitors’
seminars, as well as occasional conferences and guest lectures by
distinguished speakers. We have also established a series of residential
workshops (three per year) in conjunction with the Department of Social
Anthropology at the University of St Andrews, bringing together research
students from both St Andrews and Aberdeen around issues of common interest.
6. THE POST
Our primary purpose in making this appointment is to further develop the
Department’s programme of research and teaching in Social Anthropology. The
person appointed should be active in his or her field of anthropological
research, and would be expected to play a part in building up and extending
the Department’s research capacity, for example through the initiation of
new projects and the recruitment of research students. The post carries no
restrictions as regards areas of regional, ethnographic or theoretical
interest, and candidates are welcome to apply regardless of their topics of
specialisation. There will however be a preference towards candidates who
can place their interests within the broad context of the Department’s
research objectives, as set out above. Though applicants need not be
specialists in the Anthropology of the North, we would expect them to be
engaged with comparable issues, be they located geographically in the North
or in other parts of the world, and to be able to relate their work and
interests to those of current staff in the Department.
Alongside research, the appointee will be expected to teach courses, and to
provide tutorial teaching and supervision, at all undergraduate levels, as
well as to contribute to the training and supervision of postgraduate
students.
The appointment may be subject to a probationary period of up to 3 years,
depending on previous experience.
7. SALARY
Salary will be at an appropriate point on the Lecturer A/B scale (?22,191 -
?33,679 per annum) or the Senior Lecturer/Reader scale (?35,251 – ?39,958
per annum) with placement according to qualifications and experience. The
salary for Professorial appointments will be competitive and negotiable.
8. APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The appointment is made subject to the usual terms and conditions of
employment of the University.
Confidential and informal enquiries regarding the nature of the post can be
made in writing or by telephone to:
School of Social Science: Professor Steve Bruce, tel. (01224) 272761;
e-mail [log in to unmask]
For Anthropology: Professor Tim Ingold, tel. (01224) 274350; e-mail
[log in to unmask]
Application forms and further information are available at
www.abdn.ac.uk/jobs.
One copy of the application form, personal details form, curriculum vitae
and covering letter should be completed and returned to Human Resources,
University of Aberdeen, University Office, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 3FX
or alternatively e-mail to [log in to unmask] Please quote reference number
USS006A.
In addition to the completed application form, candidates are required to
submit a copy of a CV which should contain, inter alia, the following
information (where relevant):
· Details of teaching experience
· Information on supervision of research students and research staff
· Details (including dates and value) of research grants and
contracts which have been held and whether these have been obtained as
principal investigator
· The extent of involvement in raising funds to support research
· Details of research publications
· A brief outline of up to one side of A4 in length of future
research plans
· Membership of professional organisations.
Applicants should note that candidates who are selected for interview are
normally expected to give a brief presentation on a research topic of their
choice, as part of the selection procedure.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND APPLICATION FORMS OR CVs DIRECTLY TO THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL
SCIENCE.
The closing date for receipt of applications is 16 April 2004.
The University pursues a policy of equal opportunities in the appointment
and promotion of staff.
In the interest of maintaining a comfortable and safe environment for staff,
students and visitors, a “No Smoking” policy applies in all University
buildings
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