Postdoctoral Researcher Television Studies and Literature Education

1. Introduction

Are you fascinated by the way reading characters are portrayed in popular series for secondary school students? Do you have experience with semiotic analysis and are you ready to use your research to improve literature teaching in secondary schools? Then join REACH-Lit as a Postdoctoral researcher!

2. Job description

The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures is seeking a postdoctoral researcher (0.7 FTE, 9 months) to work on the project ’Streaming Readers: Educational Potentials of Reader Representations in High School Dramas’. 

The Streaming Readers project is funded by an XS grant within the NWO Open Competition. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will be responsible for the execution of this project, working in collaboration with the project leader and a student assistant. The project focuses on the representation of reading characters in popular high school series such as Heartstopper, Ginny & Georgia, Sex Education, and Euphoria. You will conduct a semiotic analysis of how reading is portrayed in these series. This analysis will then form the basis for focus group discussions with teachers and students in secondary education, where you will investigate the extent to which images of reading characters can be effectively utilised in contemporary literature education. Your findings will be documented in a scholarly article in literacy studies, co-authored with the project leader.

3. Profile

• You have (or are close to obtaining) a PhD degree in Cultural Studies, Literary Studies, Media Studies, Communication Studies, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience with qualitative empirical research is an asset.
• Proficiency in spoken and written Dutch is an advantage.
• You possess excellent writing skills in English.
• You have an interest in research related to education and literacy.
• You are a team player with excellent communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with adolescents. 

4. We are

You will be appointed within the Dutch Literature expertise group and will work closely with the project leader, Dr Jeroen Dera, and a student assistant. The research is situated within a vibrant research group called REACH-Lit (Research on Education in Arts, Culture, History and Literature), led by Dr Jeroen Dera and Prof. Edwin van Meerkerk

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of 9 months.
• Your salary within salary scale 10 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You  can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Jeroen Dera.  In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on 23 September. Any second interview will take place on 27 September. You will preferably start your employment on 1 December 2024.

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