The American University of Beirut (AUB) invites applications for two Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Arts and Humanities for the academic year 2016-17. The application deadline is March 31, 2016.

The Center for Arts and Humanities

The Center for Arts and Humanities aims to foster innovative initiatives that strengthen the environment for humanistic inquiry and the arts at the University and in the region. An intellectual base for interdisciplinary scholarly and creative production, innovative curricular development and teaching, and public events, the Center will host postdoctoral fellows and internal faculty fellows as well as writers and artists in residence, high-profile public arts events, regional collaboration with scholars and universities, and other focused workshops and exchanges. The Center will highlight the relevance and importance of the arts and humanities across the University and to the broader local, regional, and international community. In addition to providing support for the arts and humanities the Center will serve as an alternative, Middle Eastern site for the study and production of humanistic knowledge.



An overview of the Center’s program and activities can be found on the Center’s website: http://www.aub.edu.lb/cah/Pages/index.aspx. The Center is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and builds upon AUB’s successful Arts and Humanities Initiative.



Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships

Post-doctoral fellowships are designed to support new PhDs as they transition into the professoriate and establish their own paths as educators and researchers. The dynamic integration of the fellowships with the Center’s programmatic activities will sustain a transformational and independent forum for collaborative and interdisciplinary curricular experimentation, research, intellectual dialogue, and production.

Responsibilities

During the academic year, each fellow will pursue his or her pre-defined research agendas as well as design and teach one course each semester which experiments with innovative approaches in course delivery or explores new lines of inquiry.



Fellows will be active as organizers and participants in the Center’s regular programmatic activities which give equal emphasis to research, teaching, and curricular renewal (including structured discussions, “crash courses”, workshops, annual conference, etc.).

Appointees will be based in the Center for the Arts and Humanities, which will provide office space, and also be affiliated with a relevant academic department. Fellows will be expected to remain in residence for the duration of the academic year on campus in order to participate fully in the Center’s programmatic activities and teach two courses during the academic year. Each fellow will submit a written report on their fellowship and feedback on the effectiveness of the program at the conclusion of the academic year.

Professional Development

AUB recognizes that young PhDs are transitioning from roles as highly specialized doctoral students to the professoriate, and that good mentoring and professional interactions with a community of scholars help to orient them as they establish their own paths as educators and researchers. Each new postdoctoral fellow will be matched with an established faculty member in the same department who will serve as a mentor throughout the fellowship. Additional input and support for teaching and research will be provided by the program of activities established by and for the core group of fellows; and by interactions with AUB Faculty Fellows. Postdoctoral fellows will also gain valuable international experience through possible participation in CAH’s collaborative and exchange projects with other universities in the region.



An important part of the core group program will involve familiarizing fellows with new research and teaching methodologies, such as the digital humanities, high-impact educational practices, and scholarship on student learning. Other forms of professional development ranging from the pedagogical to the technological will be provided by specialized University units, such as the Center for Teaching and Learning (student learning assessment; faculty portfolios); the Office of Grants and Contracts (grant proposals); the University Writing Center (developing writing-intensive courses); and Academic Core Processes and Systems (scholarly technologies).

Compensation

Stipend and benefits of the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Arts and Humanities include:

Stipend of $45,000 for the academic year;
Co-pay health coverage under the University’s Health Insurance Plan;
Rental housing subsidy as outlined by the AUB Housing Department;
Round-trip economy fare flight for the appointee;


Eligibility Requirements:

Applicants’ research and teaching interests must involve one or more of the following disciplines: Anthropology, Arabic Language, Arabic Literature, Archaeology, Art History; English Language, Fine Arts (visual arts, theatre, and music), History, Islamic Studies, Literature, Philosophy, Sociology, and other closely related disciplines.
Applicants must have received their doctoral degrees within five years prior to the appointment start date.
Individuals who have held other postdoctoral fellowships are not barred from applying.
Application Procedure:

Interested candidates must submit the following:

A cover letter (one page, single spaced) describing research and teaching interests and experience.
Curriculum vitae.
Proposal for research to be undertaken during the course of the fellowship including proposed research product (2-3 pages).
Proposal for curricular development/teaching to be undertaken during the fellowship
(2-3 pages).

Dissertation abstract (up to three pages, single spaced).
A sample of written work (preferably published, article length).
Three confidential letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the Center.
Copy of official transcript and evidence that all requirements of the PhD will be completed by the appointment start date.
Submissions

The completed application should be submitted electronically to the Center for Arts and Humanities at cah@aub.edu.lb.

Deadline

Completed proposals should be submitted by March 31, 2016. We will begin to evaluate the files by March 31st and the search will continue till the position is filled.
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