L'Agenda des Médiévistes

The Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) invites applications for a

PhD Position in the ERC Starting Grant project Pages of Prayer: The Ecosystem of Vernacular Prayer Books in the Late Medieval Low Countries, c. 1380-1550 (PRAYER)

Vacancy number 22-688 12767

The PhD candidate will be working within the ERC Starting Grant research project PRAYER, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) for 2023-2028, and directed by dr. A. (Anna) Dlabačová (University lecturer in Book History at Leiden University).

Vernacular prayer books were by far the most commonly read books in the late medieval Low Countries. The mainstay of this vast corpus is the Book of Hours in the translation by Geert Grote, founder of one of the period’s most powerful religious reform movements.

PRAYER sets out to conduct the first large-scale investigation of this unique corpus by introducing a new approach – network philology – that studies all aspects of vernacular prayer books in their mutual interdependence. The project aims to chart the entire ecosystem of Dutch-language prayer books over a long period of time by combining quantitative network analysis with advanced qualitative analysis.

The nature of the material requires this research to be tackled within a multidisciplinary project. All members contribute to the digital network analysis. Sections of the ecosystem are further analyzed in work-packages that focus on the production and reception of manuscripts, the poetics of prayer, the function of images, and changes and continuities in relation to religious movements and the advent of print.

PRAYER will yield an integrative understanding of the role of prayer books in the late medieval Low Countries on the threshold of the medieval and early modern era.

The PhD candidate will contribute to the set-up of a database and the acquisition of data on Middle Dutch prayer books. The PhD-candidate will work on the subproject Mapping the manuscript prayer book: Production centres and readers and use the dataset to explore questions that focus on manuscript production: the location of centres of production, changes within their production, as well as any possible specialisations of certain production centres or regions, and the dissemination and reception of the manuscripts. Based on the exploration the PhD-candidate will select at leastfour production centres of manuscript prayer booksfor a close analysis of their history and their production of prayer books, the reception of these books by buyers/owners as well as the relations to other production centres in the ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Completing a PhD thesis (in English) based on published peer-reviewed articles (see below) within four years;
• Individually authoring and publishing at least three articles in a peer-reviewed journal; and at least one co-authored article;
• Contributing to the set-up of the PRAYER database and the subsequent network analysis, in collaboration with the PI and a data specialist;
• Conducting research on Middle Dutch manuscript prayer books;
• Presenting papers at conferences, both in the Netherlands and internationally;
• Participating in the training programme of the LUCAS Institute, the Leiden Graduate School of Humanities, the Dutch Research School for Medieval Studies, and other relevant masterclasses, discussion groups, seminars, workshops, and events;
• Participating in the PhD community and the intellectual life of the Institute, in particular within the Medieval and Early Modern Studies cluster (https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities/centre-for-the-arts-in-society/medieval-early-modern-studies/research);
• Contributing to the organization of the events and activities within the project, including the project’s sessions at an international conference at the start of year 3 and an international conference at the end of year 4.

Selection criteria

• A ResMA/MRes or MA in Medieval Studies, (Book) History, Middle Dutch Literature, Digital Humanities or Religious Studies, with a thesis on a medieval manuscript related topic, preferably focusing on the late medieval period, awarded by time of appointment, and a grade of at least 8.0 on a ten-point scale (or equivalent);
• Well-developed research skills, including the ability to formulate creative research questions, descriptive and analytical skills, and a clear and persuasive style of writing;
• Willingness to travel to libraries in the Netherlands and abroad;
• Excellent competence in English, as well as reading competence in Middle Dutch and Dutch
• Experience with manuscript research and palaeography;
• A strong interest in digital approaches, knowledge of digital humanities and/or the willingness to acquire digital skills;
• Knowledge of late medieval religious culture and/or religious literature will be considered a plus;
• Team player and independent thinker;
• Ability to finish the proposed PhD research in 4 years.

International candidates are encouraged to apply but must be willing to relocate to the Netherlands for the duration of the project.

The organization
The Faculty of Humanities is a unique international centre for the advanced study of languages, cultures, arts, and societies worldwide, in their historical contexts from prehistory to the present. Our faculty is home to more than 6,000 students and 800 staff members. For more information see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities.
The Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS) is one of the seven Research Institutes of the Faculty of Humanities. LUCAS is dedicated to ground-breaking research that explores the multifaceted relationships between the arts and society. For more information see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities/centre-for-the-arts-in-society. 

Terms and conditions
PhD project, 4 years (1.0 FTE, 38 hrs per week), starting date 1 March 2023. Initially the employee will receive a 14 month contract, with extension for the following 34 months on condition of a positive evaluation. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. Salary range from € 2,541 to € 3,247 gross per month for a fulltime appointment (pay scale for PhDs, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information: https://www.workingat.leiden.edu/. 

Diversity

Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information
Enquiries about the project, the position and the procedure can be addressed to Mariska de Groot, e-mail: im-lucas@hum.leidenunviv.nl. Information about LUCAS and links to staff expertise can be found at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/geesteswetenschappen/centre-for-the-arts-in-society. 

Applications
Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents in a single PDF, quoting the vacancy number

Please submit your application online (in English) via the blue button in our application system, no later than 30 November 2022, 23:59 CEST.

• Letter of application with a motivation statement of 1000 words max., in which you formulate your special interest in the PhD project and some first ideas about how you would frame/approach it
• Your CV, listing education and possibly employment history, and any other academic achievements (conference presentations, publications, organization of events, etc.);
• Names, positions and contact information for two referees (no reference letters). Please only list these in the PDF and not in the dedicated fields in the online application system;
• A copy of your MA-thesis;
• Copies of relevant course assessments;
• Your MA degree certificate.

Interviews will take place medio December.

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated

Source : Universiteit Leiden

A full-time tenure-track position in the field of the cultural history of the Middle Ages is vacant in the Department of History of the Faculty of Arts on KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk. The teaching activities mainly take place at the KU Leuven Campus Kulak in Kortrijk and require an active presence at this campus. We seek applications from internationally oriented candidates with an excellent track record in research and outstanding didactic skills. The appointment starts on 1 September 2023. The Faculty of Arts of KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk is strongly committed to interdisciplinary and period-transcending research. The campus has a solid tradition of historical research, also in interaction with literary and political sciences and across time periods. At Campus Kulak Kortrijk, the Faculty of Arts provides education in the first two phases of the Bachelor’s programmes in History and Language and Literature, with an option in Political Science and Applied Linguistics. The Faculty of Arts at KU Leuven is internationally highly regarded for the quality of its teaching and research, and has a broad international academic network at its disposal. The Department of History carries out high-quality and in-depth research in various historical periods and domains of the study of history, with a wide range of research methods and themes. It has a strong focus on international and interdisciplinary collaboration. The department consists of five research groups, more than twenty professors and eighty researchers and staff members. It is active in both research and education at Campus Leuven and Campus Kulak Kortrijk.

Duties

Research

Your research profile concerns the cultural history of the Central and/or Late Middle Ages, preferably regarding the Low Countries and in a comparative European or Global perspective. You are interested in interdisciplinary research and adopt a cross-period approach. It is recommended that your research relates in terms of content or methodology to current research into historical, cultural and literary (trans)regional connections in the Low Countries in the modern period on campus Kulak Kortrijk.

Your research fits the profile of the Research Group Middle Ages, which is based on the continuity of the Western Middle Ages with Late Antiquity and the Early Modern Period. Geographically, the research field currently covers the Low Countries with a strong focus on international comparison. The main research and teaching topics are urban and gender history, the interaction between church and society, and ecological and rural history, with special attention to the social dimension of the phenomena studied. The research group attaches great importance to the knowledge and practical application of paleography, historical methodology and heuristics.

It can be considered an added value if your research also connects with one of the other disciplines practiced within the faculty.

You will strive for excellence in scholarly research: you publish at the highest academic level, you promote and support national and international collaborations and help to develop them further. You also work to stimulate cooperation from the region of Kortrijk with the local and regional heritage sector and national research institutions, among others, to valorise your own research and that of the research group, in collaboration with colleagues from Leuven and Kortrijk. Moreover, it is part of your task to obtain competitive research funding, attract doctoral students and supervise them adequately.

Education

You will provide high-quality teaching in the Bachelor’s programme of History at Campus Kulak Kortrijk and at Campus Leuven, as well as in the Master’s programme of History at Campus Leuven. You also supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s theses.

You endorse the focus on innovative and interactive education of Campus Kulak Kortrijk and you will develop your teaching in accordance with the KU Leuven vision on pro-active, research-based instruction. You will make use of the opportunities offered by the faculty, the campus and the university to further professionalise your teaching.

At the outset your teaching duties, which will amount to a load of approximately 20 to 25 ECTS, will include the following or similar courses. You will teach some of these courses in close collaboration with your colleagues and with teaching assistants. The teaching load may still be subject to change in consultation with the programme director. In any case, you will teach the cultural history of the Middle Ages and introduce students to the heuristic skills of the historical métier.

In the Bachelor’s programme History on Campus Kulak Kortrijk:

• Geschiedenis van de middeleeuwen (6 ects – ba1, V0LA3A)

• Initiatie in de historische praktijk: oefeningen (4 ects – ba1 – in co-teaching, V0LC1A)

• Historisch onderzoek van de middeleeuwen (4 ects – ba2, V0LG7B)

• Paleografie (4 ects, V0LD0A)

In the Master’s programme History on Campus Leuven:

• A master’s course (possibly in English) that matches your research expertise

• The partim ‘Schriftgeschiedenis’ in Boekarcheologie en schriftgeschiedenis (3 ects – in co-teaching, F0VF4A)

Service

You are willing to take on scientific, social and internal academic services. You actively work on forms of regional and international collaboration with actors in your field. Within the institution, you are actively present on the Kulak campus. In addition to teaching and research duties, you participate in information and recruitment events and extra-muros activities. In time, you will also be prepared to take on policy-making tasks at the campus and in the faculty.

You are responsible for the further development of the history component at KU Leuven Campus Kulak Kortrijk, in interaction with the wider region. You represent us in the region and function as a contact person between the university and local authorities.

Profile

You hold a doctorate in History with specialisation in the history of the Middle Ages.

You hold a strong track record in research in the field of the cultural history of the Middle Ages.

You have demonstrable teaching skills at an academic level in the fields of history of the Middle Ages and the auxiliary sciences necessary for the study of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. Teaching experience is essential.

You possess organisational skills, you have a collegial mindset and are a team player. You also exhibit leadership skills in a university context.

You attach importance to science communication and valorisation of scientific research for a wider audience.

The official language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in meetings. Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch, respectively English, to the required standard.

Offer

We offer full-time employment in an intellectually challenging, but small scale environment. KU Leuven campus Kulak Kortrijk is part of a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that conducts both fundamental and applied academic research. It has a strong interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary focus and strives for international excellence. To this end, it collaborates actively with its research partners at home and abroad. It offers its students an academic education based on high-level scholarly research.

You will be appointed to the position of tenure track assistant professor for a period of 5 years; afterwards, subject to a positive evaluation, you will be appointed to the tenured position of associate professor.

KU Leuven is well-equipped to welcome foreign professors and their families and provides practical support with regard to immigration & administration, housing, childcare, learning Dutch, partner career coaching, etc.

To facilitate academic onboarding and accelerate research in the first phase, a starting grant of 100,000 euro is offered to new professors who cannot rely on substantial other funding and who are appointed for at least 50%.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Dagmar Vandebosch, tel.: +32 56 24 60 46, mail: dagmar.vandebosch@kuleuven.be or Prof. dr. Martin Kohlrausch, tel.: +32 16 32 49 76, mail: martin.kohlrausch@kuleuven.be.For problems with online applying, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.

Your motivation letter should be accompanied by a biosketch in which you demonstrate your added value as an academic for the core tasks of research, education and service in your past career and for your future activities (max. 2 pages) and an extensive CV including a complete list of publications. In addition, you draw up a research plan with attention to the development of a research line and team, specifying relevant collaborations with other researchers at Kortrijk Campus and providing a framework for the integration of these collaborations in the Department of History (max. 2 pages), as well as a teaching plan with your vision on academic education and educational organisation (max. 2 pages). Finally, you explain an initiative for science communication (max. 2 pages).

You can apply for this job no later than January 09, 2023 via the online application tool

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.

Source : KU Leuven