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W2 Professorship in Theoretical and Methodological Principles in the Social Sciences


Institution: Faculty of Social Sciences
Date of Announcement: 30.10.2024
Application Deadline: 30.11.2024


The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Göttingen invites applications for a temporary professorship with civil servant status (grade W2 NBesO) at the earliest possible date:

W2 Professorship in Theoretical and Methodological Principles in the Social Sciences (f/m/d)

If the personal requirements are met, the professorship will be awarded with civil servant status for a period of five years.

The professorship represents interdisciplinary theoretical as well as methodological principles in the Social Sciences in research and teaching. We expect teaching experience and research contributions with relevant theoretical and methodological foci in a transdisciplinary perspective that deals with similarities and differences between the discipline-specific theoretical languages and approaches to Social Science issues and objects and relates them to each other in a productive way. With regard to teaching, the candidates should for example be able to discuss in a lecture general Social Science topics with reference to difference disciplines and to profile and synthesise content-related, theoretical linguistic and methodological similarities and differences.

We are looking for applicants, who have distinguished themselves by relevant work in the Social Sciences and have relevant research experience, as well as initial experience in the acquisition of third-party funding. We expect publication activity in relevant peer-reviewed scientific journals, edited volumes, and/or monographies. We furthermore expect international visibility (proven by relevant publications), openness to various disciplinary approaches to objects of research, as well as willingness for cooperation with colleagues from the subjects represented at the faculty. Active engagement in the research foci of the faculty that are organised under the main topic of “Dynamics of social transformation” and the compatibility with at least two of the disciplines that are represented at the faculty, proven by publications and further research activities, are a prerequisite.

The teaching tasks of the professorship mainly include classes in the obligatory German-language Social Sciences Bachelor’s degree programme. Teaching requires special didactic expertise, as well as proven expertise in fundamental teaching courses for first-year students. In addition, the holder of the professorship will give classes for subject-specific modules that belong to the Bachelor’s degree programme of the Social Sciences and contribute to the further development of the study programme. The University of Göttingen attaches importance to research-oriented teaching.

Application requirements are the German “Habilitation” or equivalent qualifications in one of the Social Sciences that are represented at the faculty.

Appointment requirements are stipulated by Article 25 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act in the most current version of that law. As a rule, junior professors and other members of the University of Göttingen can only be considered for a professorial appointment if after the completion of the doctoral thesis they have transferred to another university or worked for a minimum of two years in research elsewhere. The University of Göttingen is a Public Law Foundation and thereby entitled to award professorships. Details will be provided upon request.

Applications from abroad are explicitly welcome. The University of Göttingen strives to increase the proportion of women in areas where women are underrepresented and therefore explicitly invites qualified female scholars to apply. The University has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports its employees in balancing work and family life. The University is particularly committed to the professional participation of disabled employees and therefore welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. In the case of equivalent qualifications, applications from disabled persons will be given preference. In order for the University to be able to protect the interests of the applicant, information about a disability or equal status should be included in the application.

Please address your application in German or English including the usual documents (applicant profile, a research and a teaching concept related to the professorship, curriculum vitae, certificates, list of publications, list of the conducted teaching courses including the respective target groups) to the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Andrea D. Bührmann, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 3, 37073 Göttingen, and send in one PDF file to bewerbungen@sowi.uni-goettingen.de by November 30, 2024.

For further information please contact the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (dekanat@sowi.uni-goettingen.de).

The submission of the application constitutes consent under the data protection law and allows us to process your application data. For more details on the legal basis and data use, please refer to the information sheet on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Please note that only the German version of this job announcement is legally binding.