Overview

Permanent Whole Time Post

UCC wishes to appoint three experienced academics to 3 Full-time Permanent Lectureships (below the bar) in French. The successful appointees will join a flourishing Department of French and School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. UCC is ranked in the top 200 for Modern Languages in the 2023 QS World University Rankings.

Reporting to the Head of Department of French, the successful candidate will have a PhD or equivalent in French studies or relevant field, and native or near-native competence in French. We are looking for academic expertise and evidence of research and teaching in any area of French studies but applications in the following areas are particularly welcome: History of Ideas; French Political Thought; French Critical Theory; French Society and Institutions; History of Modern and Contemporary France and the French-Speaking World; Visual Cultures; Linguistics; Translation Studies; French and Francophone Literatures.

Successful applicants will be expected to contribute teaching to our wide range of programmes, including the BCL Law and French and the BSc International Business with French. Appointees will also contribute to our range of successful Masters programmes, including the MA in Translation Studies, the MA in Applied Linguistics and the new MA in Migration, Mobility and Culture.

Successful candidates would be expected to take up the roles no later than 1st August 2024.

For an information package including full details of the post, selection criteria and application process see https://ore.ucc.ie/. The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

Please note that Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance check may form part of the selection process.

Contact: Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Mary Noonan. Further information on the Department of French, visit the department website.

This position is being filled as part of UCC Futures - Future Humanities.

What is UCC Futures – Future Humanities

The Future Humanities Institute (FHI) is the new interdisciplinary research institute for the humanities in UCC and represents one of the constituent areas of the UCC Futures initiative. The FHI seeks to promote, build and sustain research excellence in the arts and humanities by forging interdisciplinary relationships across the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, the wider University and beyond. As the home of artistic research, critical methodologies and historical and cultural analysis, the Future Humanities Institute will drive research on the critical societal challenges that face Ireland, humanity and the planet in the 21st century.

The Institute brings together arts and humanities scholars from a broad range of disciplines to pursue transdisciplinary research. While involving researchers, schools and departments and centres from across all four Colleges, from a governance and resource perspective the FHI is aligned with the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences.

The Future Humanities Institute is the home of the Radical Humanities Laboratory (RHL), six College-wide research clusters, and will also serve as the umbrella institute for a number of affiliated research centres and institutes. Through the broad spectrum of activities pursued by the various components of the Institute, it will strengthen collaborative humanities research culture building on the dynamic and bottom-up research capacity of CACSSS in tandem with the strategic goals and expertise in the Radical Humanities Laboratory.

The FHI will also be the home of interdisciplinary humanities led projects funded through national and international sources.

Duties of the post

As a member of the Department of French, the successful candidate will contribute to teaching and curriculum development (language and specialist modules) across the range of programmes to which the Department contributes, such as the BA International, the BA in World Languages, the BCL Law and French and BSc International Business with French programmes. The successful candidate may be required to supervise projects in undergraduate and postgraduate coursework as well as the research of higher degree candidates. The successful applicant will be expected to undertake research in French Studies and to contribute to the expansion of research capacity in languages and cultures both within the Department of French and in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The role also includes relevant academic service and administration appropriate to the level of appointment.

In accordance with the University’s strategic objective as a research led institution, the duties of all academic staff will include research, research-led teaching and contributions to the university, the discipline and the community. The academic staff member shall teach and examine, undertake administrative duties and carry out other duties appropriate to the post under the general direction of the Head of the Departmment.

The roles and responsibilities outlined below are to be interpreted in the context of the relevant Statutes and where there is any difference arising from interpretation, that statutory provisions take precedent. For the sake of clarity, the relevant elements of the statutes not already incorporated in the numbered sections are appended in italics under each subheading.

Teaching and Examining | Research | Contributions

Teaching and Examining

1. Contribute to and assist in the delivery of research led teaching, assessment and examining on courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level and where appropriate adult and continuing education courses;
2. Supervise research projects for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes;
3. Undertake the development and regular evaluation of modules with reference to content, delivery and assessment;
4. Participate in the development of new curricular initiatives;
5. Demonstrate excellence in teaching and learning and apply innovative teaching and learning methodologies within the School and within other academic units in the University, as appropriate;
6. Contribute towards the maintenance of academic standards within their discipline.

• to give the students attending his/her ordinary lectures assistance in their studies, by advice, by informal instruction, by occasional and periodic examination, and otherwise, as s/he may judge to be expedient; also, to make such arrangements as s/he sees fit to make to meet students who have individual queries;
• to give instruction to his/her students and assist them in the pursuit of knowledge;
• to hold, or assist at, all University examinations in the subjects with which s/he is an examiner.

Research

7. Engage in productive research and scholarship and contribute to the advancement of knowledge, participate in research activities and publish the research in appropriate peer-reviewed publications, creative works or other forms of scholarship appropriate to the discipline;
8. Supervise postgraduate research students (particularly PhD students);
9. Undertake initiatives in generating research income as appropriate to the discipline;
10. Engage in other scholarly activities relevant to the research discipline.

Contributions

11. Participate in the administrative activities of the department/school and the academic life of the College and University;
12. Act as a member of such committees as may be required by the University;
13. Develop links with professional bodies and external agencies, where appropriate;
14. Promote the discipline both inside and outside the University and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University and society;
15. Carry out other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned by the head of discipline/department/school.

• to carry out administrative and other appropriate duties lawfully allocated to them within their department or other academic unit;
• if a member of the Academic Council, to attend its meetings;
• to serve upon all the committees to which s/he may be appointed by the Governing Body or the Academic Council, and to assist and co-operate with the Governing Body in such other reasonable ways as the Governing Body may prescribe, for the maintenance of discipline and good conduct among the students, or for the general business of the University.

The above listing is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake duties as can reasonably be expected. All staff are required to be flexible, co-operative and professional within the needs of the post and the Discipline/Department/School, College and University. The University is undertaking a major reform of its internal structures which may necessitate possible future changes in the organisation of its activities.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will be expected to meet the following essential criteria:

Qualifications | Teaching and Examining | Research | Contributions | Other

Qualifications

Essential Criteria

1. A PhD or equivalent in French Studies or relevant field;
2. Native or near-native competence in French and in English.

Teaching and Examining

Essential Criteria

3. Evidence of successful teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
4. An ability to contribute across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programmes both in and outside the area of research specialisation;
5. Evidence of a commitment to excellence in research-led teaching;
6. Evidence of an ability to teach, inspire and supervise students, communicate ideas and concepts in a teaching and learning environment.

Desirable Criteria

7. Evidence of an understanding of and willingness to use modern teaching technologies and potential for innovative teaching and curriculum development.

Research

Essential Criteria

8. Evidence of appropriate research achievement as indicated by published work and other research outputs appropriate to the discipline;
9. Potential to attract funding through competitive research grants or other sources as relevant;
10. Experience of or potential for research supervision (particularly PhD students);
11. Ability and willingness to collaborate with colleagues on research projects, as appropriate to the discipline.

Desirable Criteria

12. Evidence of other relevant scholarly activity;
13. Demonstrate a knowledge of the research funding landscape in Ireland and in the EU.

Contributions

Essential Criteria

14. Administrative experience or evidence of ability to contribute to academic administration;
15. The potential to participate in and contribute to the overall intellectual life of the University, the academic discipline and society at large.

Desirable Criteria

16. Experience in or potential to participate in relevant academic and professional associations/bodies as appropriate.
    
    

Other

Essential Criteria

17. Good communication and interpersonal skills;
18. Ability and willingness to work in a collaborative environment;
19. An understanding of, and empathy with, the concerns of students;
20. A commitment to the long term development of the discipline.

Desirable Criteria

21. Evidence of ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team.

The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

Salary Information

Appointment may be made on the Lecturer Below the Bar Salary Scale: €38,662 - €67,426 (Scale B) / €40,689 – €64,159 (Scale A)  

Applications for this post

How to apply

Applications for this post are received through UCC's online application portal by selecting 'Academic UCC Futures' in the search by vacancy type field.

Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to uccfuturesrecruitment@ucc.ie, quoting the job title.

What to include in your application

Applications should consist of your academic CV and a cover letter demonstrating your academic and research achievements. We would also like to hear about your research ambitions and how your academic and research profile aligns with the UCC Futures - Future Humanities initiative.

Details of the following should also be included, as appropriate:

• Publications
• Research Interests
• Grants and Funding
• Teaching Interests and Abilities
• Teaching Objectives and Methods

Who to contact

We encourage all applicants to contact us prior to making an application for the position. 

• Contact: Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Dr Mary Noonan. Further information on the Department of French, visit the department website.

Deadline for applications

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12pm (Irish Local Time) on Tuesday, 13 February 2024. No late applications will be accepted.

Equality statement

University College Cork is committed to being a fully inclusive global university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are core values under our UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028. UCC holds a Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advancing equality in higher education. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of age, care-giving status, disability, ethnicity, gender and/or gender identity or expression status, nationality, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/creed, and/or sexual orientation. We are committed to supporting all staff through flexible working schemes, family-friendly policies, training and development, and staff networks. We value the enrichment that comes from a diverse community and seek to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of each individual in line with equality legislation. We encourage applicants to consult our Dignity and Respect Policy and learn more about our EDI related initiatives.