The Institute for the History of Ancient Civilizations (IHAC) at Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin Province, P. R. China, invites applications for a full-time Visiting Professorship in Assyriology. The appointment will be fixed term from 1st September 2014 through July 2015, with the possibility of an extension for the following year.
Every year IHAC employs three visiting professors in the fields of Egyptology, Assyriology, and Classics. The department has been established for the past 17 years and is the largest in China for the study of the ancient Near East. IHAC has its own library and its own journal, The Journal of Ancient Civilizations. The visiting professor will be expected to teach between 8 and 12 hours per week, all in English, and contribute to the research output of the department. Term dates are roughly 1st September to 10th January and then 1st March to 10th July, but these are subject to change depending on the lunar calendar; the major national holidays of the appointee’s country will be observed. Salary will be around 5000RMB to 6500RMB per month depending on experience, but the University will also pay for and provide accommodation for the appointee and to a certain extent cover municipal expenses, such as electricity. Funding is also available for travel around China and the University will pay for one round-trip flight from home country to Changchun. Health care will be provided by the University, but this does not cover the cost of prescriptions.
Northeast Normal University is located in the city of Changchun in Jilin Province. The city consists of about 4 million people and is home to a large number of universities (http://en.nenu.edu.cn/). A ‘normal’ university in China refers to a university for future teachers, and there are over one hundred normal universities in China, of which NENU is ranked no. 4. Living expenses are very low in Changchun and a single person will generally not spend more than 1000RMB per month on food. The climate is normally dry, but has very extreme winters (-20c) and summers (+20c).
Duties and responsibilities:
The appointee will be responsible for designing and teaching courses to MA and PhD level students on the following subjects: Akkadian,Sumerian, Near Eastern History and Culture. There is also the possibility for designing other courses upon agreement from IHAC. It is also possible that the appointee may be asked to supervise students if so required. All teaching is done in English. The appointee will also be co-editor of the department journal, The Journal of Ancient Civilisations, which is accredited by the Chinese Social Science Citation Index and Thomson Reuters-web of science.
Requirements:
· A PhD in Assyriology or related field.
· Research experience and a publication record that are reflective of career stage.
· Demonstrable commitment to high-quality teaching practice, and wide teaching scope in terms of content.
· Excellent command of the English language.
· Editing experience desirable.
· Proficiency in Akkadian and Sumerian (it is not currently possible to teach other Near Eastern languages).
· Chinese scholars are not permitted to apply for this post and a preference will be given to experienced candidates.
Application:
· No set deadline: the position will remain open until filled, with priority given to early applications.
· All applications must be sent to Professor Zhang Qiang (xiaoheizhang@hotmail.com)
· Applications should be in English and contain the following: a cover letter, a CV, details of 3 referees with email addresses, and a publication sample (a chapter from a PhD thesis is also acceptable).
· This is a re-advertising and appointment of the post will be granted to the first suitable candidate.