UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
The School aims to make two appointments, both of which can be at any
academic level. One person will additionally be given the responsibility of
Head of Gender Studies. He or she will, with the Head of School, play a
major part in the re-design of the degree programme.
Further Particulars
For the Post of Professor/Reader/Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Gender Studies
(2 Posts) USS004A
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, POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, SOCIOLOGY
5.1 Anthropology
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 Politics and International Relations
The Department has 18 full-time lecturing staff. Politics staff currently
hold 3 ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) awards. The Department
has areas of established strength in parties and candidate selection,
Scandinavian politics; public policy and interest groups, international
security, Scottish and European regional politics, democracy and state
building. Recent appointments have seen diversification into Asian and
African international relations and strengthening of interests in
globalization. There is excellent research and conference support, which
reflects the priority these are given within the Department and School.
5.3 Sociology
The department has 14 permanent lecturing staff together with several
researchers, teaching fellows and temporary staff. We recently made two
lecturing appointments in key areas of our research (religion and the body)
and intend to add several posts over the next three years, in line with the
University’s recognition of the Department’s successes in research and in
attracting students
5.4 Teaching in Gender Studies
The University currently offers an inter-disciplinary minor programme in
Women’s Studies (WS) as part of the MA degree (which for honours is four
years in duration). There are WS courses in each of the two foundation
years and the minor programme takes up one-third of a student’s time in the
third and fourth year. From September 2004 the School of Social Science is
taking over the management of the degree. It will be re-designed as a joint
programme (ie half an MA) and re-named Gender Studies. The School of
Language & Literature and the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy
will continue to offer courses as part of the programme but there will be a
considerable increase in involvement from the three departments in the
School of Social Science.
The new staff we are currently seeking to appoint will play a major part in
the Gender Studies programme re-design. Our intention is that, while the
programme will have a thread of dedicated Gender Studies courses, most
courses will also be available to students of Anthropology, Politics and
International Relations and Sociology Degrees.
6. THE POST
The School aims to make two appointments, both of which can be at any
academic level. One person will additionally be given the responsibility of
Head of Gender Studies. He or she will, with the Head of School, play a
major part in the re-design of the degree programme.
We wish to appoint people who are primarily sociologists, anthropologists,
or political scientists and whose research would form a creditable part of
an RAE submission in one of those disciplines. Hence we will be interested
in how the research interests of the candidates might fit with research
strengths in our existing departments. We will also be interested in
potential to assist with the teaching of the surveys and statistics
component of our methods courses.
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]
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
USS004A.
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
