PhD Candidate in Political Philosophy

Two vacant positions as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Philosophy

Postdoctoral Fellows at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, Department of Philosophy.

Application deadline: 03.01.2013
Applications shall be marked: Ref. 2012/5388

The University of Tromsø, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, has two Postdoctoral Fellow positions vacant. The positions are attached to the Department of Philosophy, one to the Research Group in Political Philosophy, the other to the Ethics Research Group.

A position of Postdoctoral Fellow is a fixed term position for a period of three years.

The main objective of the appointment as a post-doctoral research fellow is to qualify for work in senior academic position. No one may be appointed to more than one fixed term period as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the same institution.

Further information about the positions is available by contacting the Head of Department, Jan Harald Alnes, 776 46485, jan.harald.alnes@uit.no

Or for the position in

• Political Philosophy: Associate Professor Kjersti Fjørtoft, 776 45915, kjersti.fjortoft@uit.no
• Ethics: Professor Beatrix Himmelmann, 776 23328, beatrix.himmelmann@uit.no

The positions are attached to the Department of Philosophy (IFF).

The Department offers obligatory introduction courses in philosophy for all the students at the University (“Examen Philosophicum” and “Examen Facultatum”) as well as bachelor, master, and PhD programs in philosophy. The Staff at the Department includes 13 researchers and lecturers, 1 professor emeritus, 1 adjunct professor, 4 PhD scholars, and 3 administration employees.

The research and teaching at the Department spread over the various fields of philosophy, such as history of philosophy, ethics, political philosophy, social philosophy, logic, and philosophy of science. The Department´s main field of activity concerns issues of practical philosophy. Consequently there are two research groups, one in Political Philosophy, the other in Ethics.

For the position attached to the Research Group in Political Philosophy(Pluralism, Democracy and Justice), the research project should incorporate and supplement the research taking place in the group.

Research group members are working on projects related to issues of

• fairness and citizenship
• deliberative democracy and participation
• pluralism, tolerance, and limits of public argumentation including religious and cultural reasons
• international politics, human security, human rights, and global justice.

Both historical, analytical, and problem-oriented approaches to political philosophy are relevant to the position.

For more information about the Research Group and its activities see www.uit.no/pdj

For the position attached to the Ethics Research Group, the project is expected to connect to one of the three areas in which the group conducts research: Moral Psychology, Normative Ethics, Theories of Practical Reason and Action Theory.

A project in Moral Psychology would investigate human attitudes, stances, and performances displayed in moral contexts.

A project in Normative Ethics would discuss norms or standards for conduct, and their foundation.

A project contributing to the Theory of Practical Reason and to Action Theory would inquire specifically practical deliberation or reflection and their intricate connection to human agency.

(For further information about the Ethics Research Group, and its activity, please visit the group´s website at: https://uit.no/erg)

 

Application documents (see below) shall be sent to:
The Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Department,
Department of Philosophy
N-9037 Tromsø.

In addition, the application must be submitted electronically via the application form available at this page.

Qualification requirements
For appointment as Postdoctoral Fellow, the applicant requires:

• Norwegian doctoral degree in philosophy or closely related areas, or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.

The applicant must have undertaken research at a high level in either political philosophy/political theory or ethics.

When applying for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, the applicant shall submit a project proposal for the qualifying work. This proposal shall include a progress plan and reasons as to why this project might be a factor in the further development of the research profile of the actual research group.

It is required that the applicant will be able to complete the project during the period of appointment.

Emphasis shall be attached to personal suitability.

 

Working conditions

The working hours shall be utilised for research and research-related activities.

The position may include research administration or equivalent duties for UiT of up to a 15 % position

The successful applicant must be willing to engage himself/herself in the ongoing development of his/her discipline and the university as a whole.

The remuneration for this position is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352.

A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

 

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee’s mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants’ qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description drawn up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things aim to clarify the applicant’s personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.

The University of Tromsø wishes to increase the proportion of females in research positions. In the event that two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority. 

 

Application

The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available at this page.

In addition, by the application deadline, four (4) copies of the following shall be sent directly to
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education
Department of Philosophy
The University of Tromsø
9037 Tromsø

• Letter of application
• CV (containing a complete overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work)
• Certified copies of diplomas and references
• list of works and description of these (see below)

The list of works shall contain the following information:

• author(s), the work’s title
• for articles: the journal’s name and volume, the first and last page of the article, year of publication
• for publications: publisher, printer, year of publication, number of pages

The applicant may submit up to 10 works that are central to his/her production. The applicant’s doctoral thesis is regarded in this context as one work. The works must be submitted in three (3) copies arranged as three (3) complete sets. In addition, applicants may submit one copy of the additional listed works.

In addition, the applicant shall provide a description of his/her scientific production stating which works he/she considers the most important and shall therefore be the main emphasis of the assessment. A brief description of the other listed works shall also be included to demonstrate depth of production. These descriptions shall be an attachment to the application.

The works shall be sent, by the closing date for applications, directly to:

Faculty of Humani

ties, Social Sciences and Education
Department of Philosophy
The University of Tromsø
9037 Tromsø

Applicants shall also refer to the Supplementary regulations for appointment to postdoktor (Postdoctoral Research Rellow), stipendiat (PhD) and vitens

kapelig assistent (Research Assistant) positions at the University of Tromsø and to the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for posts of postdoktor (Postdoctoral Research Fellow), stipendiat (PhD), vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) and spesialistkandidat (Resident).

Questions concerning the organisation of the working environment, such as the physical state of the place of employment, health service, possibility for flexible working hours, part time, etc. may be directed to the telephone reference in this announcement.

The University of Tromsø has HR policy objectives that emphasize diversity, and therefore encourages qualified applicants to apply regardless of their

age, gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background.

The University of Tromsø is an IW (Inclusive Workplace) enterprise, and will therefore emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

Personal data given in an application or CV will be processed in accordance with the Act relating to the processing of personal data (the Personal Data Act). In accordance with Section 25 subsection 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, the applicant may request not to be r

egistered on the public list of applicants. However, the University may nevertheless decide that the name of the applicant will be made public. The applicant will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.

UNIVERSITY OF TROMSØ
9037 Tromsø
Norway