Associate Professor in Visual and Multimodal Anthropology

The Department of Social Science (ISV) at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, UiT, are looking to fill 1-2 permanent positions as Associate Professors in Visual and Multimodal Anthropology.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within 6 months after receiving the offer.

About the Faculty/Department:

The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education has approximately 630 full-time equivalents and approximately 3 400 students spread over several departments and centres. The faculty conducts research, teaching and external activities in a number of humanities and social science subjects/disciplines. In several subject areas, the faculty has the heaviest research environments in Norway and the region, and large parts of the teaching offer are also unique in Northern Norway context. The faculty runs social work professional education and has primary responsibility for the university’s overall portfolio within teacher training.

The Department of Social Sciences (ISV) has approximately 65 employees in permanent and temporary scientific positions. Teaching is offered at all levels; from bachelor’s degree level to PhD level (doctorate level). The institute conducts research, teaching and dissemination within sociology, political science, social anthropology and community planning. The department also offers subjects in lecturer training and has extensive activities within postgraduate and further education. Organization of the department’s research takes place through established research groups where most of the employees are largely members.

The position’s field of work:

We are looking for someone who is highly motivated to strengthen our teaching capacity in anthropology at all levels and who will focus on research related to ongoing research at the department.

The position includes teaching at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels.

At the Bachelor’s level, you will teach in anthropological theory, the history of anthropology and field methods, and regional ethnography.

At the Master’s level, you will join a team of colleagues teaching students to use audio-visual and multimodal methods in doing ethnographic research as part of our new two-year full-time Master’s program in Visual and Multimodal Anthropology.

Here, you will  teach anthropological filmmaking and, ideally, multimodal outputs including, but not limited to, photographic essays, ethnographic multimedia websites, exhibitions, and others. You will supervise students in editing both ethnographic film and multimodal outputs, in addition to text supervision.

More broadly, you will teach and inspire students how to conduct ethnographic research and produce ethnographic knowledge about people’s lives and the cultures in which they live across local and global scales.

We expect that you:

• Will be motivated in your research, and also join the EA:RTH research group
• Will actively seek external funding and engage in the development of the department, through participation in collaborative projects and other activities that will strengthen the research at the department
• Are actively engaged in innovation and dissemination of research and teaching
• Will participate in research group collaborations and professional networks nationally and internationally, as well as in the dissemination of research to a broader public

Requirements for the position:

• The applicant must have a PhD degree in anthropology or a related field
• Documented pedagogical competence (see details below)
• As administration and teaching at the Bachelor’s level are in Norwegian and the Master’s program is in English, we require very good language skills in Norwegian (level B2) or another Scandinavian language, and English. If you are not a Scandinavian speaker, you must learn Norwegian to level B2 within 3 years.
• When hiring for two positions, at least one of the candidates must have experience with visual and multimodal anthropology. If hiring for only one position, this experience will be considered an advantage.

Advantages for the Position:

• An established research profile based on long-term and ongoing ethnographic fieldwork in one or several locations, and with a publication record appropiate for the position of Associate Professor in Visual and Multimodal Anthropology.
• A research profile that complements the expertise areas of our Anthropology Research Group (EA:RTH)
• Your research complements our existing ethnographic focus, which includes the Circumpolar North (especially Scandinavia, Sapmi, Siberia); West and Southern Africa (especially Mali, Cameroon, Niger, Namibia, and Botswana); and Asia (especially China and Mongolia). However, regional specialization is open.
• Experience in writing applications for external funding
• Broad teaching experience at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels in anthropology
• Experience in communicating the results of your own research (film, text, other) with the community/field where you work
• Experience in creating other multimodal outputs based on ongoing research
• Research competence suitable for developing a methodology for “ethnographic action” using fieldwork-based methods, audiovisual tools

We will emphasize the applicants motivation for the position and personal suitability.

We are looking for candidates who:

• Is open to the recent shift towards engagement and collaboration within anthropology and can impart this through teaching and publications
• Have good collaboration skills
• Have abilities for good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Have abilities and desires to contribute to a good working environment

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Pedagogical basic competence:

All applicants for teaching and research positions shall document their pedagogical competence.

You must have acquired basic competence for teaching and supervision at higher education level. This includes basic skills in planning, conducting, evaluating and developing teaching and guidance.

Documentation requirement:

1. a) Applicants who have completed education or courses designed to provide teaching competence for teaching at universities and colleges, equivalent to a minimum of 200 hours, must attach diploma and curriculum for the completed course.
2. b) Other applicants shall describe, assess and document their competence as a teacher and supervisor. The skills must be documented in the form of a teaching portfolio.

If the pedagogical competence can be acquired within two years of appointment, applicants shall not be ranked based on pedagogical competence.

Those who do not satisfy the requirements may be appointed on a permanent basis on the condition that they satisfy the requirements within two years of appointment.

For information about basic pedagogical competence and teaching portfolio, see: https://result.uit.no/om-pedagogisk-mappe/  (Only in Norwegian)

We offer:

• R&D sabbatical conditions which are considered some of the best in the country
• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

Work- and salary conditions:

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

The allocation of working hours is flexible and allocated on a case-by-case basis. In general, Associate Professors will spend an equal amount of time on teaching and research and development work, after time spent on other duties has been deducted. As a norm, the time resources spent on administrative duties constitutes 5 % for academic staff.

The remuneration for Associate Professor is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1011. 

As a state employee, you have one of the best pension schemes available. For more information see: spk.no.

Inclusion and diversity:

UiT The Arctic University in Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment.

We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application.

If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it.

Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

Application:

The application must include:

• Cover letter including a short description of interests and reasons for applying for the position
• CV containing a complete overview of education, experience and professional work
• Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts (all degrees, in original language and translated)
• Letter(s) of recommendation if applicable
• Two references with contact details
• Documented pedagogical competence
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Description of your ethnographic film production to be given special emphasis in the evaluation. You must specify your role in the film production. Links to your film work must be included and remain active for at least 6 months from the application deadline.
• Academic works, up to ten included film production. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work. 
• Documentation of English profiency. Proficiency in the English language can be documented in the following ways:
  • diploma from a Norwegian upper secondary school with both spoken and written English (140 hours)
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
  • IELTS (International English Testing Service)
  • Completed university degree in the field of English language or literature
  • One year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or USA, for which English was the language of instruction.
• Documentation of Norwegian profiency

Documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. The application and submitted documents must be sent electronically via www.jobbnorge.no

Assessment:

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee’s mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants’ qualifications on the basis of the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailde description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things, aim to clarify the applicants personal suitability for the position and motivations. A trial lecture may also be held.

General information:

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT: http://uit.no/mobility

​According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.

Eallju – Developing the High North:

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus comprehensive university at the international forefront. Our vision is to be a driving force for developing the High North. The Northern Sami notion eallju, which means eagerness to work, sets the tone for this motive power at UiT. Along with students, staff and the wider community, we aim to utilise our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio and interdisciplinary advantage to shape the future.

Our social mission is to provide research-based education of high quality, perform artistic development and carry out research of the highest international quality standards in the entire range from basic to applied. We will convey knowledge about disciplines and contribute to innovation. Our social mission unites UiT across various studies, research fields and large geographical distances. This demands good cooperation with trade and industry and civil society as well as with international partners. We will strengthen knowledge-based and sustainable development at a regional, national and international level.

Academic freedom and scientific and ethical principles form the basis for all UiT’s activities. Participation, co-determination, transparency and good processes will provide the decision-making basis we need to make wise and far-sighted priorities. Our students and staff will have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Founded on academic integrity, we will be courageous, committed and generous in close contact with disciplines, people and contemporary developments.

We will demonstrate adaptability and seek good and purposeful utilisation of resources, so we are ready to meet the expectations and opportunities of the future. We will strengthen the quality and impact of our disciplines and core tasks through the following three strategic priority areas.