Teaching

Posted on by katieaston Calls for Papers, Events Listings, Teaching

CFP: Religion and Citizenship: Re-Thinking the Boundaries of Religion and the Secular.

Socrel / HEA Teaching and Studying Religion, 2nd Annual Symposium

The 2012 Socrel / HEA Teaching and Studying Religion symposium will explore the theme: Religion and Citizenship: Re-Thinking the Boundaries of Religion and the Secular.

The symposium is organised by Socrel, the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group, with funding from the Higher Education Academy, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Subject Centre. Last year’s inaugural symposium was over-subscribed and therefore early submissions are encouraged.

Keynote speaker: Dr Nasar Meer, Northumbria University

Venue: BSA Meeting Room, Imperial Wharf, London
Date: 13 December 2012
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Religions today are implicated in a wide variety of publics. From contests over the environment and democracy to protests against capitalism, religions remain important factors in political and public life across diverse, and interconnected, global contexts. A variety of diverse responses have been articulated to the so-called ‘return of religion’ in the public sphere, drawing into question relations between the religious, the non-religious and the secular. As scholars have developed new theoretical understandings of the terms of these debates and questioned how these are bound up with cultural conceptualizations of citizenship, education – in schools, universities and less formal educational contexts – has often been a site where contestations of the religious and the secular have been acutely felt.

The aim of this symposium is to consider the interrelation between conceptions of the religious, the secular, citizenship and education, and to explore how these issues affect the study of religion in higher education. We hope to attract presentations of sufficient quality to lead to an edited publication.

The day will be highly participative and engaged. The symposium will be organised as a single stream so that the day is as much about discussion as it is about presentation, and therefore the number of formal papers will be limited.

Papers are invited from students, teachers, and researchers in the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, geography, theology, history, psychology, political science, religious studies and others where religion is taught and studied. Empirical, methodological, and theoretical papers are welcomed.

Presenters will circulate a five-page summary of their paper before the day so that all participants can come prepared for discussion. Presentations will last 10 minutes and will be structured into three sessions, each followed by a discussant drawing out key points. The day will conclude with a discussant-led, focused panel discussion.

Key questions to be addressed may include, but are not limited to:

  • What are the relationships between the religious, the secular and the public sphere, and how do these affect the study of religion, in both universities and schools?
  • How do different historical constructions of religion and secularity shape understandings of the civil sphere and citizenship, and what are the implications of this for the study of religion?
  • Does the increased public visibility of religion in national and global contexts affect how we study it?
  • What is the role of religious education (school and/or university) in forming citizens and shaping understandings of citizenship?
  • Are there distinct regional, national or international conceptions of the secular?
  • Are there distinct regional, national or international conceptions of citizenship?
  • How do different disciplines approach and study these conceptions, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches?

Abstracts of 200 words are invited by September 15 2012. Please send these to: Dr Paul-François Tremlett p.f.tremlett@open.ac.uk

Costs: £36.00 for BSA/SocRel members; £45.00 for non-members; £20.00 for SocRel/BSA Postgraduate members; £25.00 for Postgraduate non-members.

 

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Postgraduate Part-time Research Assistants: ‘Religious Diversity and Secular Models in Europe – Innovative Approaches to Law and Policy’

Advertisement for the post of Postgraduate Part-time Research Assistants

The Department of Law is seeking to employ two suitably qualified Postgraduate Research Assistants to work within the research project RELIGARE. These are EU grant funded positions. The project researches the area of: ‘Religious Diversity and Secular Models in Europe – Innovative Approaches to Law and Policy’.

Candidates will be required to undertake research in collaboration with and under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Dr Prakash Shah, in order to realise the objectives and development of the research programme. Duties will involve writing case notes, assisting in the organisation of project meetings, attending project meetings, coordinating volunteers’ activities, and writing and editing research papers and reports. Good academic and legal writing skills are necessary.

These are part-time, fixed term posts available for 6 months. The posts are to commence mid March 2012 or as soon as possible thereafter. Remuneration will be made on an hourly basis and will be in the range of £15.43 – £16.27 per hour depending on the tasks allocated and experience of the employee. Benefits include 30 days annual leave (pro-rata) and defined benefit pension scheme.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. Where required, this may include entry clearance or continued leave to remain under the Points Based Immigration Scheme.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to please contact Dr Prakash Shah (prakash.shah@qmul.ac.uk).

Details about the department and further particulars are available from: www.laws.qmul.ac.uk

Further details and an application form can be found at: http://webapps.qmul.ac.uk/hr/vacancies/jobs.php?id=2882

Completed application forms, quoting 12012/NL, should be returned to law-recruitment@qmul.ac.uk. Applications must be made on the official College application form and must include the applicant’s CV and the names of three referees.

The closing date for applications is 4th March 2012 at 17:00 hrs BST and interviews will be held shortly thereafter.

Posted on by katieaston Calls for Papers, Teaching

Aarhus University Research Foundation Call for grant applications: Deadline January 24 2012

Please see details below for grant opportunities for PhD’s with focus on the religion in the contemporary world or those wishing to work within a multidisciplinary setting, proposing to study religion, culture and cognition. Details should be presented to either Jørn Borup or Armin W. Geertz, details below.

For those interested in pursuing study or research with the following research groups at the Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University:

1. Center for Contemporary Religion (CCR)

2. Religion, Cognition and Culture Research Unit (RCC)

Grant applications

AUFF, the Aarhus University Research Foundation invites interested Master or PhD students to apply for grants to be awarded during the first half of 2012.

http://www.au.dk/en/facultiesdepartmentsetc/otherunits/tilknyt/auff/

The foundation’s objective is to support scientific and scholarly research at Aarhus University. The foundation awards grants on the basis of recommendations from Aarhus University. In the evaluation of applications and recommendations, emphasis is placed on academic excellence and on supporting initiatives with the potential to strengthen strategically important research efforts.

The eligible applicant for AUFF is the head of the graduate school. This call is directed to interested Master or PhD students to send forward an expression of interest to:

1. Center for Contemporary Religion (CCR). The CCR constitutes a base for general interest in contemporary issues regarding religion and society. CCR was founded as collaboration between researchers within the Study of Religion and researchers within Theology, but now being placed at the Department of Culture and Society, the center organises research focusing on religion and society in the contemporary world.

2. Religion, Cognition and Culture Research Unit (RCC). The RCC explores the dynamic interrelationships between religion, cognition and culture from both top-down and bottom-up disciplinary approaches. Its scientific methodology is explicitly interdisciplinary and draws on and practices laboratory methods as well as fieldwork, textual, iconological and archaeological methods in close cooperation with its partners in psychology, the neurosciences and the humanities.

The CCR and RCC will send selected candidates further to the head of the graduate school. If more than one candidate is recommended, the head of the graduate school is responsible for ranking the candidates. The head of the graduate school is also responsible for the qualitative evaluation of the potential doctoral student.

Application deadline

Applicants wanting to be associated with CCR should send an expression of interest to Jørn Borup (JB@teo.au.dk)

Applicants wanting to be associated with RCC should send an expression of interest to Armin W. Geertz (AWG@teo.au.dk)

The deadline for application is January 24, 2012.

Funds are distributed in May and December.

The next call for grant applications to the Aarhus University Research Foundation will take place in July 2012.

FUNDING TO FURTHER THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF PHD EDUCATION AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY

Projects and initiatives which are eligible for support:

A. Recruitment of talented foreign researchers to PhD programmes at Aarhus University

Purpose

To increase the number of highly qualified foreign PhD students at Aarhus University. Grants to enable a potential foreign applicant to visit Aarhus University for one to three months are available. The goal of the visit is to facilitate a thorough qualitative evaluation of the potential applicant to a PhD programme at Arhus University. Examples of relevant activities in which a foreign candidate might participate include courses, summer school, and workshops; laboratory work; or developing a PhD project in collaboration with his/her supervisor. The candidate is to be evaluated by his/her supervisor at the end of his/her stay. This evaluation may be included in the candidate’s application for admission to a PhD programme at Aarhus University. Danish citizens are not eligible for this grant. Students with qualifying examinations from Danish institutions are not eligible.

Funding available

Applications for funds to cover the following costs will be considered:

* An introductory grant for the foreign candidate (DKK 10,000 per month)

* Travel expenses (DKK 15,000 maximum)

* Expenses related to courses, workshops, laboratory work, etc. (DKK 20,000 maximum)

Maximum total funding available per candidate: DKK 65,000

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

* The foreign candidate’s qualifications in relation to the research field of the section to which he/she is considering applying

* The ability of the institutional research culture to host the candidate’s visit successfully

* Additional documentation of the foreign candidate’s qualifications (where applicable)

The following documentation must be submitted along with the application

* The foreign candidate’s CV

* Reasons from both principal supervisor and the head of the graduate school in question in support of the candidate’s stay, including any strategic considerations related to the recruitment of doctoral students from specific universities, countries or regions

* Documentation of PhD scholarships the foreign student would be able to apply for

B. Funding for a term of research at Aarhus University for doctoral students enrolled at a foreign university

Purpose

To increase the number of highly qualified foreign PhD students at Aarhus University, thereby contributing to the internationalisation of doctoral education at the university, by establishing three to six-month research collaborations with foreign doctoral students. During their term of study at AU, foreign PhD students may (for example) participate in research activities, PhD courses, summer schools and workshops: perform laboratory work and/or work on their PhD theses, in order to complete a limited portion of their doctoral work at AU. Doctoral students with Danish citizenship are not eligible.

Funding available

* Fellowships (DKK 5,000 – 10,000 per month)

* Travel expenses (DKK 15,000 maximum)

* Expenses related to courses, workshops, laboratory work, etc. (DKK 20,000 maximum)

Maximum total funding available per candidate: DKK 65,000

Evaluation criteria

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

* The foreign student’s individual qualifications

* The foreign candidate’s qualifications in relation to the research field of the section at which he/she would continue his/her studies

* The ability of the institutional research culture to host the candidate’s term of study successfully

* The extent to which the foreign student’s presence would strengthen the institutional collaboration between the foreign student’s home university and Aarhus University

The following documentation must be submitted along with the application

* The foreign student’s CV

* The head of the graduate school’s reasons in support of the candidate’s term of study at AU, including any strategic considerations related to the recruitment of doctoral students from specific universities, countries or regions

Posted on by katieaston Events Listings, Teaching

Call For Applications: Fellowship in Religious Studies – Closings Dates 16 JANUARY, 29 FEBRUARY AND 16 APRIL 2012

CHANCELLOR`S FELLOWSHIP in RELIGIOUS STUDIES (5-year, full-time, tenure-track)

SALARY SCALE: £36,862 – £44,016 GRADE: UE08

CLOSING DATES: 16 JANUARY, 29 FEBRUARY AND 16 APRIL 2012

VACANCY REFERENCE: 3015150

The School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh intends to appoint three Chancellor’s Fellows in the coming months, ONE of which will be in RELIGIOUS STUDIES, with the aim of having the positions start in SEPTEMBER 2012.

These prestigious awards are aimed at early career scholar-teachers of the highest potential who have begun to establish a reputation for research at the forefront of their discipline and who have a commitment to teaching at the university level. The Fellowship will be held for 5 years, subject to satisfactory review at the end of year 3, and the Fellow will then move to a standard University academic open-ended contract.

The first year of the Fellowship will focus on establishing the Fellow`s research programme, with a limited amount of teaching. Fellows will be expected to submit an appropriate number of high quality research submissions to REF2014. Teaching and administration will gradually increase over the 5-year period to that of a normal academic load in the School of Divinity.

Normally a Fellow appointed from or shortly after their PhD will be appointed on the Grade 7 scale, whereas those with postdoctoral experience would normally be appointed at grade 8. Current Salary Scales are: Grade 7: £29,972 – £35,788; Grade 8: £36,862 – £44,016.

The School of Divinity expects to appoint a Chancellor’s Fellow in each of three Subject Areas – Christian Ethics and Practical Theology, World Christianity and RELIGIOUS STUDIES:

 *RELIGIOUS STUDIES: any substantive field or tradition in the Study of Religions that can enhance and extend the existing subject area profile, including strong theoretical and methodological interests*

Candidates should apply online via the University of Edinburgh recruitment website http://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk and enclose a detailed CV and a one page outline of a proposed research programme. We encourage applications, if possible, for the first of the advertised closing dates: 16 JANUARY 2012.

The School of Divinity is located within the College of Humanities and Social Science, and you should indicate clearly in your application that you are applying through the College of Humanities and Social Science, by citing the reference number as below: College of Humanities and Social Science Reference: 3015150CHSS.

For Further Particulars, see: http://www.jobs.ed.ac.uk/vacancies/index.cfm?fuseaction=vacancies.furtherdetails&vacancy_ref=3015150

Further information on the post from Dr Steven Sutcliffe:s.sutcliffe@ed.ac.uk


Posted on by Chris News, Teaching

Teaching Atheism and Nonreligion

The British Higher Education Authority have just published an article on teaching atheism and nonreligion in its online journal Discourse. Our very own Stephen Bullivant discusses the module he has developed on the subject, as well as detailing some resources available for teachers and students. The article is open access and available here…

http://prs.heacademy.ac.uk/view.html/PrsDiscourseArticles/221

 The NSRN is developing a new web resource dealing with teaching and funding resources, and will point students in the direction of Bullivant’s module at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, a module that has been developed at Aberdeen University and and the Secularism major at Pitzer College. If anyone knows of other teaching resources or dedicated funding calls that they think it would be helpful for researchers to be aware of, please email Lois at ll317@cam.ac.uk.