PhD Scholarship in Environmental Humanities
Job description
Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD scholarship in the Department of Literary Studies at Ghent University, Belgium, tenable for a period of up to four years. The successful candidate will participate in the research project “Literature, Nature, and Ecology: An Ecopoetic Approach to Contemporary Narrative Prose in English, French, German, and Italian,” supported by a GOA grant from Ghent University’s research council and directed by Professors Benjamin Biebuyck, Stef Craps, Pierre Schoentjes, and Sabine Verhulst.
The project, which will employ four PhD students and one postdoctoral research fellow, will explore the role of the literary imagination, with a special focus on textual complexity and the tension between the global nature of ecological problems and culturally specific issues. Adopting a cross-cultural and cross-linguistic comparative perspective, it aims to examine the ways in which the literary imagination is deployed to forge new cultural connections with nature and the environment in a world in which ecological awareness occupies an increasingly prominent place.
Working under the primary supervision of Prof. Stef Craps, the PhD student to be hired will mainly research contemporary environmental fiction in English within the remit of the project, which will address topics such as questions of literary form, representations of the other-than-human, conceptualizations of housing, perambulatory environmental experiences, ecological disruption, and the narrativization of scientific knowledge. Candidates are welcome to propose a project of their own that falls within this broad scope.
Profile of the candidate
Candidates should have:
• a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant field, such as English, Comparative Literature, or Environmental Humanities (candidates near to completion may also submit applications, indicating the expected date of the degree);
• an outstanding academic record;
• excellent writing and speaking skills in English;
• a reading knowledge of at least one of the other three project languages;
• an aptitude for original, independent, and creative work as well as for working in a team.
Conditions of employment:
• The position begins 1 October 2018.
• The scholarship is initially offered for a period of two years and can be renewed for another two-year period upon positive evaluation.
• The net amount of the scholarship will be approximately €1900 per month, gradually rising to approximately €2100 per month in the fourth year. The PhD student will also receive a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus, and enjoy full social security coverage. Additional financial support is available for conference and workshop attendance.
• The PhD student will be based at Ghent University.
• The PhD student will complete the doctoral training programme offered by the Doctoral School of Arts, Humanities, and Law.
How to apply
Applications should include:
• a cover letter, in which you specify why you are interested in this position and why you consider yourself a suitable candidate;
• an overview of how you would approach the project (max. 1000 words);
• a current CV;
• transcripts of your qualifications to date (degrees and grade lists);
• a writing sample (Master’s thesis, article, etc.);
• names and full contact details of two referees.
urther information about the position can be obtained from Prof. Stef Craps (stef.craps@ugent.be).
Applications should be submitted as a single PDF file via email to stef.craps@ugent.be.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.ugent.be/en/work/vacancies/scientific/phd-scholarship-in-environmental-humanities-bx826?utm_source=ARMACAD.info&utm_medium=ARMACAD.info