Main Job Objectives
All academics are responsible for the dissemination of knowledge (teaching and learning), creation of knowledge (research) and community engagement, recognising that there are differences in the execution of these responsibilities within the various departments and Faculties. Academics are also expected to assume some administrative, management and/or leadership duties at the departmental, Faculty and/or University level.
In addition, a Professor and Associate Professor are to provide academic leadership in the following areas: teaching and learning; research and community engagement as well as to contribute towards the governance of the institution. This leadership contribution of the Professor should be evidenced at the departmental, Faculty and institutional levels.
Description of Key Roles and Responsibilities and Standards Expected
Teaching and Learning including
- Engaging in curriculum development
- Facilitation of learning
- Assessment of learning
- Evaluation of teaching
- Support of students in their studies
- Supervision of post-graduate students (where the person has the appropriate qualification to do this)
- Assume leadership responsibilities as they relate to teaching and learning
Research including
- Undertaking independent research and publishing research
- Participating in national and/or international fora to share research results
- Identifying and accessing funding sources to support own and where feasible, student research
- Assumes leadership responsibilities as they relate to research
Community Engagement including
- This may be associated with teaching and learning through credit bearing service learning (SL) courses or non-credit bearing community engaged learning (CEL) activities or associated with research through engaged research
Administrative and/or Leadership Responsibilities may include
- Assuming administrative and/or leadership duties in the department such as course coordinator; coordination of particular programmes e.g., PhD, Masters programmes; coordination of particular research projects; tutor selection and co-ordination
- Serving on departmental, faculty and/or University committees
For Associate Professor and Professors
Intellectual and Academic Leadership including
- Contributing to the positioning of the department in the national and international milieu with particular reference to the strategic imperatives of the Faculty and University
- Ensuring awareness of the changes, challenges and opportunities within the HE sector, strategic imperatives of the institution and exploring what this means for one’s own academic department and supporting the HoD in the implementation of necessary changes at the departmental level
- Providing intellectual academic leadership in terms of the department’s teaching and learning, research and/or community engagement activities
- Assisting in the conceptualisation, interrogation, implementation and review of academic standards, processes and systems at the level of the department
- Assisting the HoD with the support, guidance and development of those new to academia and/or to the University
As a member of the senior leadership of the Faculty and institution, the Professor is responsible for:
- Championing the academic endeavour and ensuring that this remains the focus of the institution and that decisions are made that support (and do not undermine) these endeavours
- Participating in the key debates related to the current and future functioning of the institution
Professional Involvement
In addition, it is understood that the academic will contribute to the discipline and profession through:
- Being of service to other universities e.g., external examining, assisting with curriculum reviews, organising of conferences, collaborations on inter-university projects
- Being of service to professional bodies e.g., servicing on national bodies, journal servicing (being editor or referee)
- Being of service to other stakeholders such as government or NGOs e.g., servicing on advisory bodies, contributing to policy formulation and review
Job Requirements
Educational Qualifications
Senior Lecturer
- A PhD in formal, theoretical, or descriptive Linguistics
- Teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels required
Associate Professor
- A PhD in formal, theoretical, or descriptive Linguistics
- Considerable teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels required including Masters and PhD levels
Professor
- A PhD in formal, theoretical, or descriptive Linguistics
- Extensive teaching experience at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels required including at Masters and PhD levels
Requirements
- Experience and skills must be commensurate with the respective promotion/selection criteria for the P/AP/SL levels
- Experience and a track record of research publication, successful supervision and effective teaching in at least one of – but preferably more of --the following disciplinary areas of Linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, or formal approaches to semantics
- The candidate’s discipline-specific skills and strengths ought to expand on and complement the Department’s current linguistic curriculum and research profile
- Proven ability to supervise, research and teach linguistic topics on languages other than English
- The candidate must be willing to contribute to the undergraduate programme by teaching a variety of modules in Linguistics; they must be able to teach and supervise postgraduates in their area of specialization and adjacent areas
- For professorial level, the candidate must be able to articulate an informed and coherent vision for the Department’s curricula, particularly around areas of curricular transformation/decolonisation
Advantages
- Proven ability to attract funding or demonstrate willingness to apply for funding
- Candidates must be able to offer a unique contribution that strengthens and complements our teaching programme. We are particularly interested in skills that expand our profile in languages beyond English as well as growth areas in linguistics including but not limited to quantitative, experimental, corpus linguistics, digital humanities (as it relates to Linguistics), etc
- A research or teaching speciality in the linguistics of the following language groups would be advantageous: South African indigenous languages, Bantu languages, Khoisan languages or Sign Languages. An added advantage would be the ability to articulate a clear plan for incorporating reciprocal and sustained community engagement (that is not voluntarism) and/or service learning into their research and teaching
Senior Lecturer
- Research supervision of at least Masters’ degrees to completion required
- Emerging national profile in the discipline and credible record of publication in peer-reviewed publications
- Track record of administration, management and/or leadership roles (leadership roles may be informal)
Associate Professor
- Supervision of Masters degrees to completion is required. Supervision of PhD degrees to completion is an advantage
- National and emerging international profile in the discipline and substantial record of publication in peer-reviewed publications
- Proven track record of and an active interest in administration, management and leadership
Professor
- Supervision of Masters and PhD degrees to completion is required
- International profile in the discipline and at least very good record of publication in peer-reviewed publications
- Proven track record of and an active interest in administration, management and leadership
Competencies
- Management of large classes
- Teaching of university students
- An ability to translate practical experience into curricula
- Ability to relate theory to practice
- Integration of own research into teaching
- Ability to develop a positive rapport and promote an affirming relationship with students and other staff members
- Proven collegial strengths including excellent interpersonal skills, being a team player, and working toward a common departmental set of goals
- Evidence of modern computer/data literacy skills appropriate to the current academic environment and agility in developing online content (e.g., online learning management systems, online learning platforms, shared document resources, development of video lectures, use of online forums, interactive online learning, etc.)
Personal Attributes
- Commitment to collegiality and a team player
- Commitment to transformation and a valuing of diversity in the South African context
- Respect for others and behaving in a way that respects the dignity of others
- Honest and ethical
- Evidence of being a reflexive practitioner with openness to change
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to work independently
- Appreciation of the role of support staff
