Associate Lecturer in Art History

The Role

The School of Art, an academic department at Aberystwyth University (AU) that sits within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, is looking to appoint an Associate Lecturer in Art History (Teaching and Scholarship) to provide research-leave cover for 12 months.

The School of Art offers single and joint honours undergraduate schemes in Fine Art, Photography, Creative Arts, and Art History, as well as taught Masters and research programmes in the practical, historical and curatorial study of art/photography. In fine art practice, our students specialise in painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, illustration, film, installation and site-specific performance. Students on all our degree schemes sign up for art history modules. As well as core art history modules spanning Renaissance to contemporary, and a wide-ranging portfolio of research-led modules, the School offers vocation-oriented modules that engage students with our collections of fine and decorative art.

The role holder will be responsible for the delivery and administration of the undergraduate modules:

Semester 1

• AH11320 – Pleasure, Power, and Profit: Art in the Long Eighteenth Century
• AH20520 – Modernisms: Art in the Early Twentieth Century
• AH23620 | AH33620 – Drawn to Order: British Illustration since 1800 (co-taught)

Semester 2

• AH11420 – Revolutions & Modernities: Art in the Nineteenth Century
• AH11720 – Representing the Body
• AH20720 | AH30720 – Rethinking Impressionism (co-taught)

 

The role holder will also undertake administrative duties that contribute toward the smooth running of the School of Art. The appointee will be sensitive to the School’s provision as a whole and engage with AU strategic priorities such as recruitment, retention and student experience.

The School of Art has been located in the Edward Davies Building since 1993. It is an elegant symbol of the School’s aim to bridge past and present by relating the tradition to contemporary practices. Set in its own grounds, the School houses painting studios, print workshops, darkrooms, and a MacSuite, as well as lecture theatre and seminar rooms. The Edward Davies Building also accommodates a museum, public galleries, and extensive teaching collections of original artworks. Aberystwyth is one of only two UK art schools with UK government Accredited Museum status.

To make an informal enquiry, please contact Dr Samuel Raybone at sar69@aber.ac.uk

Appointments are normally made within 4 – 8 weeks of the closing date.

What you’ll do

This job description is subject to review and amendment in the light of the changing needs of the University, to provide appropriate development opportunities and/or the addition of any other reasonable duties.

• prepare and deliver the teaching, administration, and assessment (including providing timely feedback in accordance with AU’s Assessment and Feedback Policy) of specified undergraduate modules (listed above) + dissertation supervision (usually 2-3 students);
• review and update, as appropriate, lecture and class content;
• engage proactively with AU IT teaching and learning systems such as Blackboard (e-learning environment), Talis Aspire (reading list management system), Turnitin (anonymous e-submission of assignments), SAMS (student attendance monitoring), and Aladdin (personal tutee record management);
• hold formal meetings with personal tutees to discuss, among other things, progress and attainment with a view to ensuring on-going learner development;
• contribute to Open Days and Visit Days;
• engage with AU IT systems such as ASTRA (student records and admissions), WAMM (workload allocation model), ECS (performance management), and AberPeople (recording leave and absences);
• engage with External Examiners with regard to teaching and learning issues, feedback and assessments, and wider examination processes;

• To undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post.
• To be committed to the University’s Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post.
• To be committed to your own development and that of your staff through the effective use of the University’s Effective Contribution Scheme.
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

Training will be provided where there is identified need.

Who you are – Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills required

The role holder will contribute to delivering excellence in teaching and learning as well as enhancing the student experience at the School of Art. It is expected that the role holder will be versatile, flexible and able to demonstrate:

Essential

1. PhD in Art History (or a cognate discipline), or working towards one, or have equivalent professional experience of teaching.
2. Good communication skills (able to communicate specialist knowledge and concepts, and transfer skills to others).
3. Good interpersonal skills, enabling effective team working relationships (liaising with staff and students to support teaching and learning, discussing schedules and class preparation with module coordinators and others working on the delivery of core activities).
4. Good IT skills
5. Flexibility to work within the full range of the teaching timetable between 9AM and 6PM Monday to Friday and to contribute to weekend Open and Visit Days.
6. An ability to understand the bilingual nature of the University and an awareness of the procedures in place to support working bilingually.

Desirable

1. Experience in the delivery of higher education Art History, academic administration and co-ordination of taught modules.
2. Understanding of the specific demands of teaching art history to art practitioners.
3. Competence to act as supervisor of student-led undergraduate dissertation projects.
4. Knowledge of e-learning platforms such as Blackboard and Turnitin.
5. Experience of student personal tutoring,
6. sensitive to the needs of students from different backgrounds and with varying degrees of aptitude.
7. Oral (spoken) and Written Welsh Level B1.*

*More information on Welsh Language Levels can be found at:

https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/hr/policy-and-procedure/welsh-standards/

How to apply

To promote a flexible workforce, the University will consider applications from individuals seeking full time, part time, job share, or term time only working arrangements.

Applications for this role must be made through jobs.aber.ac.uk. You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally.