PhD research fellowships: 4-5 positions

There is a vacancy for 4-5 PhD positions at the Department of Foreign Languages, by plan starting 1. January 2017. The positions are for a fixed-term period of 4 years.

The Department of Foreign Languages spans nine different languages, and teaching and research are conducted in the disciplines language/linguistics, literature, cultural studies and didactics (http://www.uib.no/en/fremmedsprak). The Department has around 50 permanent academic staff members, along with 2 post-docs, around twenty PhD candidates and twelve administrative members of staff.  

About the positions:

2-3 of the positions are open to applicants in the fields of language/linguistics, literature, cultural studies and didactics in the following languages: Arabic, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Spanish Language Studies and Latin America Studies, and German. Projects in didactics must be connected to or be relevant for Norwegian schools.

2 of the positions are reserved for special areas of focus at the Department, and the applicant’s project must therefore be connected to one of these fields:

1. Humanistic Migration Studies with special emphasis on language, literature and/or culture.

Prospective projects must be embedded in one of the disciplines at the Department. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

• Exile and migration literature
• Migrant narratives and the rhetoric of migration
• Multicultural societies and cultural innovation
• Identity, self-understanding and social integration
• Transnational, transcultural and/or trans-modern perspectives on migration and globalization

2. Research in language acquisition and foreign language didactics

Prospective projects must be embedded in one of the disciplines at the Department. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

• Interdisciplinary perspectives on language acquisition
• The transition from upper secondary school to university
• Practical training in teacher’s education
• Literacy      

Qualifications and personal qualities:

The applicants must hold a Norwegian master's degree or the equivalent in a discipline that is relevant for the PhD project. It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded. Applicants who do not have a Norwegian master’s degree will be evaluated according to the regulations of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT). The Department can send documentation of foreign education to NOKUT to evaluate if this degree is equivalent to a Norwegian master’s degree. Applicants who have already held a PhD position at the University of Bergen, are not eligible for employment.

In assessing the applications, both the academic quality of the project and the applicant’s qualification will be considered. In cases where ranked applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, strategic considerations, motivation and the applicant’s personal eligibility will also weigh in.

Applicants must have contacted a supervisor employed at the Department of Foreign Languages, and the applications must include a confirmation from this supervisor. Contact the Coordinator of Research at the Department, Randi Koppen (see below).

About the PhD positions:

The main purpose of the PhD position is to complete a doctoral thesis, which qualifies for independent research and for other forms of employment that demand specific competency.

The duration of the PhD position is 4 years, of which 25 per cent of the time each year comprises obligatory duties associated with research, teaching and dissemination of results. The plan for this part of the position is developed with the Department when starting the position. The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a recruitment position.

The PhD position demands that the applicant has his or her regular workplace at the University of Bergen, Department of Foreign Languages and comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

About the research training:

The PhD Candidates must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. It is a condition that applicants satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.

We can offer:

• A good and professionally challenging working environment.
• Salary at pay grade 50 (Code 1017/Pay range 20, alternative 8) in the state salary scale, currently approx. NOK 432.700 gross p.a. following ordinary meriting regulations. .
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• A position in an inclusive workplace (IA enterprise).
• Good welfare benefits.

 

How to apply

Your applications must be sent electronically via a link on this site: “APPLY FOR THIS JOB”. The applicant must use the electronic CV-form.

The application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis.
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor's and master's degrees.
• A short summary of the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis (up to 3 pages).
• Relevant certificates/references.
• A summary of the proposed project (up to 5 pages, excluding the bibliography).
• A progress plan for the PhD project
• Bibliography for the proposed project
• A list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list).
• Any publications in your name.

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge. Attachments can be either in Word of pdf-format.

For more details, please click here