Opportunities Digest (27 April) – New Books, Conferences, Jobs, Scholarships…

We have moved opportunities digests until Fridays, largely to promote more discussion related to the response essays and podcasts, and also to give readers the chance to think about the opportunities over the weekend. We are not responsible for any content contained herein, but have simply copied and pasted from a variety of sources. If you have any content for future digests, please contact us via the various options on our ‘contact’ page.

In this issue:

  • New books
  • Journals – advance notice
  • Calls for Papers
  • Calls for Participants
  • Jobs
  • Scholarships

 


NEW BOOKS


If there is a new publication that we should share, please email us.

Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production

Edited by Carole M. Cusack and Alex Norman.

Brill 2012. Hb, 790pp.

The cultural products of new religions and spiritualities are frequently ignored or dismissed within academia, often stemming from a hesitation to acknowledge these movements as genuine. This volume explores the impact of new religions upon cultural production, exemplifying the theological and spiritual principles of particular movements and demonstrating their substantial impact on wider society. Contributions explore the realms of music, architecture, food, art, books, films, video games, and more. This scholarship will be of interest to those who wish to explore the gamut of modern religious expression, and those who wish to broaden their knowledge of the spiritual origins of human culture.

http://www.brill.nl/handbook-new-religions-and-cultural-production

 


The Embodied Eye: Religious Visual Culture and the Social Life of Feeling

David Morgan

University of California Press

Feb 2012

Description from Amazon:

David Morgan builds on his previous groundbreaking work to offer this new, systematically integrated theory of the study of religion as visual culture. Providing key tools for scholars across disciplines studying the materiality of religions, Morgan gives an accessibly written theoretical overview including case studies of the ways seeing is related to touching, hearing, feeling, and such ephemeral experiences as dreams, imagination, and visions. The case studies explore both the high and low of religious visual culture: Catholic traditions of the erotic Sacred Heart of Jesus, the unrecognizability of the Virgin in the Fatima apparitions, the prehistory of Warner Sallman’s face of Jesus, and more. Basing the study of religious images and visual practices in the relationship between seeing and the senses, Morgan argues against reductionist models of “the gaze”, demonstrating that vision is not something that occurs in abstraction, but is a fundamental way of embodying the human self.

 


 

Dixie Dharma: Inside a Buddhist Temple in the American South –  Jeff Wilson

University of North Carolina Press

296pp. April 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8078-3545-6

Description: http://uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=2788

The Headscarf Controversy

Secularism and Freedom of Religion – Hilal Elver

Hilal Elver offers an in-depth study of the escalating controversy over the right of Muslim women to wear headscarves. Examining legal and political debates in Turkey, several European countries including France and Germany, and the United States, Elver shows the troubling exclusion of pious Muslim women from the public sphere in the name of secularism, democracy, liberalism, and women’s rights.

Hardback | 304 pages

£35.00 | 22 March 2012 | 978-0-19-976929-2

Description: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199769292.do


JOURNALS – ADVANCE NOTICE

 


Paranthropology Vol. 3 No. 2, featuring articles from David Luke, Bob Trubshaw, John Sabol,

Serena-Roney Dougal, Mark A. Schroll & John E. Mack, with book reviews by Margaret Gouin and Robert M. Schoch.

The journal can be downloaded for free from the following links:

http://www.box.com/s/44c500725b74b03508d0

http://paranthropologyjournal.weebly.com/free-pdf.html

Or purchased in print form from:

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/372607

 


Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol 27, no. 2 (May 2012)

http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjcr20/27/2


 

Calls for Papers

 


 

CALL FOR PAPERS, Deadline May 1, 2012

INDIA: A VENERATION NATION?

Department of Anthropology, University College London

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

www.venerationnation.co.uk

This one-day conference critically examines India through the lens of a “Veneration Nation”—a country with thriving and recursive cultures of adulatory practices and aesthetics. By looking at contemporary ethnographies on India that invoke ideas of ritual, spectacle, prayer, and affectivity we hope to interrogate and extend the application of analytic categories of ‘religion’, ‘politics’ and ‘embodiment’. The conference will be accompanied by an ethnographic exhibition from private collections, a film screening and a web publication. In the interests of highlighting new and emerging work on this subject, the speakers will include post-fieldwork PhD students and postdoctoral researchers as well as established academics such as the renowned Sumathi Ramaswamy, Professor of History and Director of the Duke Center for South Asian Studies, who will provide the Keynote Address.

ABSTRACTS: We seek innovative proposals from post-fieldwork PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and other early career PhDs from a range of disciplines including, but not limited to, material and visual culture, religion, history, architecture, politics, archaeology, digital technologies, and performance studies. These will accompany presentations by established academics already scheduled to take part. Abstracts of no more than 300 words in length must be sent to jill.reese.09@ucl.ac.uk by Tuesday, 1st May 2012. Applicants will be notified by Sunday, 6th May 2012.

Please contact the organisers or visit www.venerationnation.co.uk for additional information, updates and conference registration. This event is free and open to the public.


 

Conference Notice – 1st call for papers

South-East Asia as a Crossroads for Buddhist Exchange: pioneer European Buddhists and Asian Buddhist networks 1860-1960

Study of Religions Department, University College Cork, Ireland

13-15 September 2012

The recent discovery of the extraordinary life of ‘The Irish Buddhist’ U Dhammaloka (documented in the special issue of Contemporary Buddhism 11:2, December 2010) has stimulated new avenues of research into numerous significant but neglected East-West and global Buddhist encounters. This conference focuses on forgotten or under-represented Buddhist pioneers, their connections and collaborations, and the contribution of these individuals and networks to the construction of Buddhist modernities.

Casting South-East Asia as a ‘cross roads’ invites contributions on pioneer exchanges and connections not only between ‘the West’ and ‘Asia’ but also within Asia, from China, Korea and Japan through Southeast Asia to India and Ceylon. The period to be covered, broadly 1860-1960, is intended to include the earliest documented pioneer European [and e.g. Japanese] Buddhist practitioners of the colonial period whilst stopping short of the mass interest in Buddhism of the late 20th century. We are interested in any figures, groups or networks whose commitment to Asian Buddhist praxis in the colonial period contributed in some way to the emergence of modern global Buddhism and whose role was pioneering, rather than following a traditionally established path. We are equally interested in networks of exchange and communication such as trade routes, monastic interrelationships, military ventures, cultural exchanges, missionary enterprises and imperialist and socialist (etc.) institutions and ideas which enabled Buddhists to interact in pioneering ways during this period.

Forgotten figures such as U Dhammaloka, despite their historical significance for these exchanges in colonial Asia, have long been obscured in conventional scholarly narratives which have presented a very small selection of ‘pioneer’ figures found respectable within today’s Western Buddhist lineages or canonised in Asian accounts. Recent discoveries overturning these entrenched narratives have been made possible in part by the new digitisation and indexing of colonial-era newspapers, travel books, directories, missionary reports and other obscure and disparate sources which can provide – often fragmentary – pointers to lost lives and events which may in the end be documented only through traditional archival research. This conference aims to further this new and exciting field of research by bringing together scholars with a shared interest in global Buddhism and expertise in different periods and regions of Asia and the West.

There are many contested issues and theoretical perspectives to be explored in this context, and we welcome papers of a theoretical nature so long as they are to some extent grounded in empirical examples.

We intend to produce a journal special issue or edited volume based on papers presented at the conference.

The conference will take place from Thursday afternoon 13th September to Saturday morning 15th September 2012 and is hosted by the Study of Religions Department, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. There is no conference fee but delegates will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation; there is plenty of moderately priced accommodation close by the University. Cork Airport is a short distance from the University and about 1hr by air from London and other major European hubs. Some limited financial support for postgraduates may be available.

The conference is co-organised by Prof Brian Bocking and Dr Phibul Choompolpaisal (UCC Study of Religions Department) with an advisory committee comprising Dr Laurence Cox (NUIM, Ireland), Prof Alicia Turner (York University, Toronto), Dr Andrew Skilton (KCL, London) and Dr Kate Crosby (SOAS, London), in association with the 12-month postdoctoral research fellowship project ‘Continuities and Transitions in Early Modern Thai Buddhism’ at UCC supported by the Dhammakaya International Society of the United Kingdom. The Conference itself has a far wider remit than Thailand, and papers in all regions are warmly welcomed.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is Monday 9 July 2012, but abstracts will be considered as they are submitted from now on to facilitate your travel planning.

If you hope to attend the conference we would appreciate an email indicating this a.s.a.p.

A conference website will be established in the near future. In the meantime enquiries, expressions of interest and abstracts should be emailed to Prof Brian Bocking in Cork, email: b.bocking [at] ucc.ie or to Dr Phibul Choompolpaisal in Thailand, email: phibulart [at] yahoo.com


CFP: Religion and Globalization

The following Special Issue will be published in Religions (ISSN 2077- 1444, http://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/) and is now open to receive submissions of full research papers and comprehensive review articles for peer-review and possible publication:

Special Issue: Religion & Globalization

Website: http://www.mdpi.com/si/religions/religion_globalization/

Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Lionel Obadia

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2012

Submitted papers should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. We also encourage authors to send us their tentative title and short abstract by e-mail for approval to the Editorial Office at religions@mdpi.com.

Please visit the website of Instructions for Authors before submitting a paper at

http://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/instructions/. Manuscripts should be submitted through the online manuscript submission and editorial system at http://www.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload/.

In case of questions, please contact the Editorial Office at: religions@mdpi.com


CALL FOR PAPERS

Ninth Triennial Meeting

Conference on the History of Women Religious

St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota

June 23-26, 2013

Theme: Women Religious Through the Ages: Managing Individual and Institutional Realities

The Conference on the History of Women Religious returns in June, 2013 to St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, site of the Conference’s first academic meeting held in 1989.

The Conference planning committee invites proposals for papers or panels that address questions, themes or issues that have shaped, and/or continue to influence, the evolution of congregations of women religious.

Proposals that focus on community governance, ethnic, linguistic or racial tensions, demographic composition, inter-congregational cooperation, changing ministries, relations with clergy, hierarchy and secular institutions, spiritual traditions or emerging models of religious life are welcome.

Disciplinary approaches may include history, sociology, anthropology, theology, religious studies, literature, communication, cultural studies, art, architecture and material culture.

Proposals for papers in the form of a one-page abstract accompanied by a one-page C.V. are requested by August 15, 2012. Panel proposals are encouraged but individual proposals are also welcome. Volunteers to chair and comment on sessions are also invited. The language of the conference is English but proposals may be submitted in English or French.

Send all proposals to: Elizabeth McGahan, Chair, Planning Committee

Department of History and Politics

University of New Brunswick – Saint John Campus

P.O. Box 5050

Saint John, New Brunswick

CANADA E2L 4L5

Email: emcgahan@nbnet.nb.ca


Submission of abstracts and online registration has started:

Transformations of the Sacred in Europe and Beyond

ESA Mid-term Conference: Research Network 34 – Sociology of Religion

University of Potsdam, Germany, 3-5 September 2012

in cooperation with the German Section for the Sociology of Religon in the DGS

You will find the registration form on:

http://www.uni-potsdam.de/esa-religion/abstractsandregistration.html

Plenary Speakers:

Schirin Amir-Moazami, Institute for Islamic Studies, Free University of Berlin

Hubert Knoblauch, Institute for Sociology, Technical University of Berlin

Gordon Lynch, Religious Studies School of European Culture and Languages, University of Kent

Eva-Maria Schrage, Graduate School “Religion and Politics in the Cultures of Pre-modernity and Modernity”, University of Münster

Panel: Religions on the Move/Changes in Religious Cultures

Inger Furseth, Director of the Nordic Research Program NOREL, Oslo

Dorota Hall, Ass. Professor at the Dep. of Religious Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw

Volkhard Krech, Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics in the History of Religions and speaker of the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at the University of Bochum

Siniša Zrinšcak, Department of Social Work, University of Zagreb


 

New Forms of Public Religion

AHRC/ESRC RELIGION AND SOCIETY PROGRAMME

5th to 7th September 2012

The Divinity School, St John’s College, Cambridge, CB2 1TW

Call for Papers

The fact that religion has not privatised, but remains an important aspect of public life, is now well recognised.  But talk of ‘public religion’ can be vague and unfocused. The aim of this conference is to explore – with new findings – the forms which public religion is taking today, not only in the West, but elsewhere in an increasingly connected world.

The conference streams indicate the main arenas in relation to which public religion will be discussed, and on which papers are invited. Additional suggestions are also welcome:

  • The Market and Religion
  • Politics and Religion
  • Law and Religion
  • Religion, Media and Civil Society

·         Violence (State and Non-state) and Religion

  • Religion in Public Places and Spaces
  • Religion, Health and Welfare
  • Religion and Education
  • Religion and Migration

Speakers include:

Lori Beaman

José Casanova

The Rt Hon Charles Clarke

Grace Davie

Pamela Dickey-Young

Stewart Hoover

The Rt Revd Graham James

Meredith McGuire

Nancy Nason-Clark

Jim Spickard

Linda Woodhead

The conference will showcase thirty or so projects funded by the Religion and Society Programme which have new findings in this area. These will be supplemented by the papers received through this open call.

Individual paper proposals (max. 200 words) should be submitted to:  Peta Ainsworth:  p.ainsworth@lancaster.ac.uk by 30th April 2012.

The conference is subsidised by the sponsors and costs £100 per delegate, £50 for postgraduates/unwaged (for the entire conference) or £50 per day, £25 for postgraduates/unwaged.  The conference fee excludes accommodation and evening meals.  For further details and registration go to: http://www.religionandsociety.org.uk/events/programme_events/show/new_forms_of_public_religion

A limited number of bursaries are available for postgraduates in the UK who need to travel some distance to Cambridge.  Please send an email with your registration form to Peta Ainsworth stating in one paragraph why you require assistance and how much your travel costs will be.


Calls for Participants


You are invited to a one-day symposium organised by the Society, Religion & Belief Research Group at the University of Derby, UK:

RELIGION & BELIEF IN HIGHER EDUCATION

How are students and staff negotiating religion and belief in universities today? This symposium will bring together researchers examining the role of religion and belief in higher education and showcase a range of recent research projects. We will examine evidence from large-scale surveys and local case studies, and from projects spanning a range of faith and belief groups. Topics include multi-faith spaces on campus, non-religious students, Muslim chaplaincy and student Christianity. The symposium will bring together scholars from a range of disciplines, including sociology, religious studies, social policy, architecture, Islamic studies and theology.

SPEAKERS:

Professor Paul Weller & Nicki Moore (Derby) ‘Religion and Belief in Higher Education: Findings, Questions and Reflections from a Research Project for the Equality Challenge Unit’

Jacqueline Stevenson (Leeds Metropolitan) ‘Struggling, Striving, Strategising, Surviving: Religious students in UK higher education’

Dr Ataullah Siddiqui (Markfield Institute) ‘Bridging the Gap between the “Islamic Studies” and “Islamic Sciences”: Some Challenges’

Dr Mike Higton (Cambridge) ‘A Theology of Higher Education’

Dr Adam Dinham (Goldsmith’s) ‘An Ambiguous Role for Religion in the Universities: A Case Study in Practice’

Dr Andrew Crompton (Liverpool) ‘The Architecture of the Multifaith Space: Designing for Inclusion’

Dr Rebecca Catto & Dr Janet Eccles (Lancaster) ‘Forming and Expressing Non-Religious Beliefs in Higher Education’

Maulana Dr M. Mansur Ali (Cambridge Muslim College) ‘Muslim Chaplaincy in UK and US Higher Education: A Comparative Study’

Dr Kristin Aune (Derby) ‘Student Christianity in English Universities’

DATE: Friday 15th June 10am-4.45pm

VENUE: The Enterprise Centre, University of Derby, Bridge Street, DE1 3LA

REGISTRATION: No charge but places are limited so please register soon. Vegetarian lunch and refreshments provided.

Register by email to Frauke Uhlenbruch (f.uhlenbruch@derby.ac.uk) by Friday 18th May


The next Religious Archives Group Conference will be held at The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester on Tuesday, 26 June 2012. The theme will be access to religious archives. Conference programme and booking form are available at:

http://religiousarchivesgroup.org.uk/conferences/


 

Theology and Religious Studies looking outwards: knowledge transfer as a strategy for learning and assessment in the T&RS curriculum

 

Theology and Religious Studies Discipline Workshop

University of Manchester

22nd May 2012

A workshop to share experience and discuss potential for the development of ‘outward looking’ learning and assessment strategies in Theology and Religious Studies.

The aim of this workshop is to share experience and discuss potential for the development of ‘outward looking’ learning and assessment strategies on taught programmes in Theology and Religious Studies.  By this we mean focusing learning and assessment on the production of resources designed for use beyond the university, in contexts where knowledge and critical understanding of religion and theology may contribute to the development of community identities, equality and diversity agendas, and various educational objectives.  Engagement with such themes may provide ongoing benefits for a range of community stakeholders, as well as providing students with opportunities to develop social responsibility and reflect on the value of their degree in relation to citizenship agendas and the formation of public attitudes, values and understanding.

Feedback on course units which include enquiry-based learning tasks and elements of assessment focused on the creation of ‘virtual’ resources and/or simulating practical situations indicate that students are engaged by such tasks, but frustrated by their virtual/simulated nature.  We would like to explore the possibilities for developing learning/assessment strategies which enable students to engage in practices which have an impact ‘beyond’ the lecture and seminar space, drawing together colleagues from R&T departments and cognate disciplines across the country to share experience and explore ways forward.

Key questions:

  • How do existing learning and assessment practices allow for the possibility for knowledge transfer beyond the university?
  • How can teaching and learning be creatively related to the output of funded research in Theology and Religious Studies, such as that of the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society programme?
  • What kind of ‘outward looking’ resources/practices may be developed to enhance the quality of the student learning experience?
  • How can non-HE institutions be actively engaged as partners in the production of ‘outward looking’ resources/practices?

Programme:

10.00: Introduction to themes of the session

10.30: Roundtable discussion of four case-studies of existing ‘looking outward’ practices (case-studies to be pre-circulated/advertised on workshop website)

11.30: break

12.00: New technologies in teaching and learning and their applicability in this context (presentation and discussion led by University of Manchester Humanities e-learning team)

12.30: lunch (e-learning ‘hands on’)

1.30: Discussion on new technologies and looking outwards

2.00: Roundtable discussion of case studies of existing funded research projects with potential for use in teaching and learning contexts (case-studies to be pre-circulated/advertised on workshop website)

3.00: Ways forward: small group work/plenary

4.00 close.

Case studies: please click on the links at the foot of this page to access files containing case studies; then read and be ready to discuss them at the workshop.

Registration: to register for the event click here and fill in a short form.

Blog: we have put together a blog – trslookingoutwards – to generate discussion and will be adding more materials and comments as the workshop gets nearer.


Jobs


The University of Tennessee, Department of Religious Studies, invites applications for a one-year full-time lecturer in the field of religion and science to begin August 2012. The position requires teaching a 4-4 course load. PhD and teaching experience are preferred, but ABDs in the final stages of completing their dissertations will be considered. Applicants may work on any religious tradition or topic within the field of religion and science, including environmental ethics, religion and nature, cultural studies of science, evolutionary biology, cognitive studies, and current debates about religion and science. Preferred applicants will be trained in religious studies and be able to teach introductory courses in the field. Please send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, and three letters of recommendation, to Dr. Rachelle Scott, Associate Head of the Department of Religious Studies, at rscott@utk.edu.

Electronic submissions are preferred, but applications may be sent to 501 McClung Tower, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996. Review of applications will begin April 30 and continue until the position is filled. The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment programs

and services. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.


MELLON POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP IN ISLAMIC FEMINIST STUDIES

WHEATON COLLEGE

NORTON, MA

The Womens Studies Program at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, will offer a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in Islamic Feminist Studies in 2012-2013.

The Womens Studies Program at Wheaton College is pleased to announce a one- year postdoctoral fellowship supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The fellow will pursue research and teach three courses in the Womens Studies    Program during the appointment, including Transnational Feminisms, Introduction to Womens Studies or Feminist Theory, and a course in his or her area of specialty.      Womens Studies is particularly interested in scholars of Islamic Feminism working on critical sexualities, but welcomes applications from all scholars in this field.

The salary is $45,000 with full benefits and a research allocation of $1,500 during the 2012 2013 academic year.

Wheaton is a private coeducational liberal arts college of 1550 students located within easy commuting distance of Boston and Providence.  Womens Studies has a rich history at Wheaton College which is a stimulating environment in which to pursue feminist research.  The broad interdisciplinary nature of Womens Studies will allow the selected fellow to become fully integrated into the life of the college.  The fellow also will participate in seminars and other activities organized by Womens Studies.  The fellow will be mentored by a senior scholar in the Womens Studies Program, and our faculty have significant mentoring experience with new teachers in postdoctoral and junior faculty appointments.  We seek candidates who are committed to strengthening their teaching in a liberal arts setting.

Candidates should submit a CV, cover letter, evidence of teaching effectiveness, sample syllabi including a brief description of the specialized course the candidate would like to offer, and 3 letters of recommendation to Kim Miller, Coordinator of Womens Studies at miller_kim@wheatoncollege.edu.  Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.  Applicants must have finished all requirements for the PhD by August 27, 2012.


The School of Arts and Sciences at the American University in Dubai invites qualified applicants for the position of Assistant/Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies beginning in August 2012.

THE PREFERRED CANDIDATE WILL HAVE:

  • Ph.D. in Islamic Studies or Middle Eastern Studies (or closely related field)
  • Academic qualifications to to teach courses in history, business and/or culture, and courses with a geographic regional focus
  • Active research and/or scholarly production
  • Excellent English written and oral communication skills
  • Strong team ethic
  • Experience teaching diverse student populations

This position will be at the rank of Assistant/Associate Professor, and teaching responsibilities will commence Fall 2012. Candidates must have an earned Doctorate from a Western accredited institution at the time of appointment.

Candidates will have evidence of successful teaching experience or must demonstrate significant potential and promise of teaching effectiveness and excellence at the undergraduate level. Additionally, candidates are expected to meet standards for personal professional scholarship and provide service to the department, school, and community.

The compensation package for this position is competitive and is based on the expatriate model. The package includes tax-exempt base salary, housing, annual two-way airfare, contributory health/life insurance, professional memberships, conference attendance expenses, assistance with children’s tuition, and other components.

The American University in Dubai is a premier institution of higher learning situated in the heart of the region’s commercial hub. Nestled between the world-renowned Knowledge Village, Dubai Media City, and Dubai Internet City, the American University in Dubai offers an array of opportunities for consulting and scholarly pursuits. Selected candidates will join a group of culturally-diverse and forward-looking scholars making significant contributions to one of the fastest growing and diversified economies in the world today.

Applications will be accepted and evaluated until this position is filled.

Interested applicants must send a cover letter, including CV, a statement of teaching philosophy, and the contact information of three academic and/or professional references to the following address:

Faculty Recruitment,

The American University in Dubai,

P.O. Box 28282, Dubai, UAE.

Email: facultyrecruitment@aud.edu

No telephone calls please.

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those under consideration will be contacted for a follow-up interview.


Reed College seeks applications for a one-year visiting position in Religion and Humanities at the Assistant Professor level for the 2012-13 academic year, to commence August 2012.

We seek outstanding, critically self-reflective candidates from all areas of Religious Studies and would especially invite applications from candidates with a specialization in the history and practices of Islam. Experience teaching and advising student research projects on a wide range of topics in religious studies is highly desirable.

Reed College is a selective liberal arts institution with a commitment to high standards of scholarship and teaching excellence in a conference setting. The appointee will be expected to teach the equivalent of five one semester courses over the academic year, and this may include teaching the team-taught Humanities 110 course required of all first-year students. The position also involves supervising year-long senior thesis projects.

While a PhD is preferred, candidates who are ABD in Religion will also be considered for appointment.  The Religion Department is using Interfolio to collect faculty job applications electronically.  Through Interfolio, please submit a cover letter, CV, and three letters of recommendation. For more information and application instructions, see http://www.interfolio.com/apply/10142

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, but they should be received by May 11, 2012 to guarantee full consideration.  For further information about this position, please contact Michael Foat (mfoat@reed.edu).  An Equal Opportunity Employer, Reed values diversity and encourages applications from underrepresented groups.


Scholarships


The School of European Culture and Languages at the University of Kent is delighted to be able to offer up to four Graduate Teaching Assistantships across its subject areas, which include Religious Studies. This is a second round of additional awards to those advertised earlier in the spring, in which one successful award has already been made to an applicant in Religious Studies.

Applications are welcome across all areas of research expertise covered by the Department of Religious Studies which are focused around contemporary religion and theory and method in the study of religion. Applications from students wishing to undertake doctoral projects in relation to Hinduism (in either Western or South-Asian contexts), or South Asian religion more generally are particularly welcome. For more information on doctoral study within the Department, please go to http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/thrs/postgraduate/researchdegrees/index.html

Any queries or expressions of interest for doctoral study in the Department can be emailed to Professor Gordon Lynch (g.lynch@kent.ac.uk)

SECL Graduate Teaching Assistantships will be awarded to outstanding applicants able to demonstrate a high level of academic achievement, excellent communication skills suited to undergraduate teaching, and the potential to make a strong contribution to their chosen field of research.

Three fully funded PhD scholarship in the form of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) which will cover tuition fees at the Home/EU rate plus a maintenance grant and a salary element. The maintenance grant together with the salary will be equivalent to that offered by the Research Councils for 2012 (the rate is currently set at £13,590 for 2011).

One PhD scholarship in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). This scholarship represents a fee waiver that will cover tuition fees at the Home/EU rate plus a maintenance grant and a salary element totalling £7,800 per year.

Criteria

Graduate Teaching Assistantships in the School of European Culture and Languages are open to applicants who have been offered a place to commence their studies in September 2012 on any one of the School’s Doctoral programmes, or who are already registered on one of the School’s doctoral programmes. In order to qualify for the above scholarships candidates must:

Hold a First-Class Bachelor’s degree and/or a Distinction at Master’s level (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.

Hold an offer of a place on a full-time doctoral research degree in the School of European Culture and Languages for the academic year commencing September 2012, or already be undertaking studies on one of the School’s doctoral programmes.

Have a high-quality research proposal.

Have excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

The Assistantships will be offered for one year in the first instance, renewable for a maximum of three years, subject to satisfactory academic performance. Recipients will be expected to undertake four hours of teaching per week over the three years of the award. The SECL GTA competition is open to UK, EU and overseas fee-paying students.

How to apply

Candidates must have made a formal application to study on a SECL doctoral programme, and have received an unconditional offer of a place to commence their studies in September 2012, or already be undertaking their studies on one of the School’s doctoral programmes. Candidates must also send a supporting statement, not exceeding 1,000 words, outlining why they feel they are suitable to be awarded a SECL Graduate Teaching Assistantship. The supporting statement should be sent to the SECL Postgraduate Coordinator, Jacqui Martlew: Email: secl-pgadmin@kent.ac.uk

Deadline for applications: 5.00pm, 1 May 2012. (Interviews will take place in the week beginning 21 May 2012.)