No application fee, Judith E Wilson Fellowship in Poetry (Univ. of Cambridge), stipend: £36,862 to £46,696 pa

Deadline: 3 May 2011

Judith E Wilson Visiting Fellowship in Poetry

The Judith E Wilson Fellowships, held within the Faculty of English, are designed to enable practising poets, playwrights and theatre practitioners to spend a period as members of the Faculty of English, bringing together the practices of poetry and drama and their academic study. The cost of Fellowships is met from the Judith E Wilson Fund, formed from a donation to the Faculty of English by Judith E Wilson, a life-long friend of Dame Edith Evans.

Judith Ellen Wilson was an Irishwoman from County Limerick; but as a cousin of Lord Rothermere she inherited a large fortune when her parents died. She had spent her youth as a dutiful daughter, attending on them, but had always been devoted to the theatre and the arts generally. She founded a lectureship in the University of Cambridge to bring together those interested in the study of drama and poetry and those who were practitioners in these fields. She hoped that the Fellowship would be used also to draw the live theatre and the university closer together. When Edith Evans lost her husband, Judith Wilson provided a beautiful home at Goudhurst and all the support that an artist needs, never obtruding, always putting Evan’s art first, providing peace and ability to work as she wished. Judith Wilson died of cancer at a
comparatively early age, and she left her money to Edith Evans in trust and afterwards to this University of Cambridge. On the death of Edith Evans in 1976 the legacy, increased by some valuable works of art, made this fund a unique source of support for work in drama and poetry.

The new Faculty Building, completed in 2004, benefits from a purpose built Drama Studio, a striking double-height (8 metres in height) space, a large black box, in the basement of the English Faculty building. It has a floor area of approximately 80 square metres, which can seat up to 80 people. A lighting grid is provided and the studio is fitted with audio-visual equipment. The studio has been designed to function as a rehearsal and workshop space for poetry and drama-related events, and as teaching space for both graduate and undergraduate courses. A Drama Studio Manager oversees the work of the Studio taking responsibility for the day-to-day oversight and management of the Studio and associated equipment, for developing the potential of the Studio to maximise both artistic and commercial demands, and for organising and supporting a programme of events in the Faculty.

The Fellowship

The Fellowship is available for nine months from 15 September 2011. The Fellow is expected to reside in Cambridge during that period and will be invited to take some part in the work of the Faculty, by arranging workshops or readings (including, in term, three hours of formal contact time for students per week), and to pursue his/her own projects. The Judith E Wilson Committee will discuss a possible programme of work with the successful candidate. Further information, including Faculty Reading lists and details of the current teaching provision, is available on our website (www.english.cam.ac.uk).

To access password protected areas, please contact the faculty Administrator on 01223 35655 or glw33@cam.ac.uk.

Person Specification

We are seeking an individual with a strong academic record and potential to make a significant contribution to the research and teaching of the Faculty.

Essential

• Highly respected practitioner in Poetry nationally and or internationally;
• Good interpersonal skills;
• Good communication skills, both oral and written;
• Evidence of published work

Desirable

• Sufficient administrative skills to manage projects, including financial management activity in an academic environment and experience of managing own workload;

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Appointment will be made for 9 months from 15 September 2011, subject to completion of a probationary period of 3 months. The pensionable scale of stipends for a Fellow is currently £36,862 to £46,696 per annum, pro-rata.

Further information about working at Cambridge including details of the University’s family friendly and financial benefits can be found at www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/.

Application Procedure

Candidates are asked to send a covering letter, completed application form (CHRIS/6, Parts I and III only), a detailed curriculum vitae (giving name, postal address and email address, and details of education and qualifications obtained), together with a list of publications, and the names of two referees only. Applicants should also include 10 pages of written work, together with a research proposal of no more than 1000 words.

Applications should be sent to the Secretary of the Appointments Committee, Faculty of English, 9 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DP by the closing date of 3 May 2011. Late applications will not be considered.

Selection Procedure

Short-listing for this post will take place in May; interviews will be held in June. Short-listed candidates will be informed of the exact time for interviews. The interview process will be in two stages:

(i) candidates will be asked to give a 15-minute presentation on their work to members of the Appointments Committee;

(ii) a formal interview with members of the Appointments Committee will follow the presentations. Full details of this part of the selection process will be sent to short-listed candidates. Candidates not selected for the short-listing or interview will be contacted in the week following the relevant meeting.

Enquiries concerning academic matters may be made to the Chairman of the Appointments
Committee at chair@english.cam.ac.uk. Enquiries concerning the appointments procedure and related matters may be made to the Faculty Administrator at administrator@english.cam.ac.uk (01223 335655). Candidates are also advised to visit the Faculty’s Website at www.english.cam.ac.uk where details of courses at undergraduate and graduate level are given, together with a list of members of the Faculty and details of their research interests.

Equal opportunities in employment

The University of Cambridge is committed to a policy and practice which require that entry into employment with the University and progression within employment should be determined only by personal merit and by the application of criteria which are related to the duties of the particular appointment and the relevant stipend or salary structure. No applicant for an appointment in the University, or member of staff once appointed, will be treated less favourably than another on grounds of sex (including gender reassignment), marital status, race, ethnic or national origin, colour, or disability. If an employee considers that he or she is suffering from unequal treatment on grounds of sex (including gender reassignment), marital status, race, ethnic or national origin, colour, or disability, he or she may make a complaint which will be dealt with through agreed procedures for dealing with grievances.

If you have a disability

The University's recruitment and selection procedures follow best practice and the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. Fair selection for employment is based on the ability or potential ability of an applicant to carry out the duties of the post and decisions on appointments are based on the merit and suitability of the candidate. If you have a disability you are invited to request any special arrangements you may require for interview, or adjustments you may anticipate would be needed in your working arrangements, at the point of application. However the University recognises that you may prefer to forward this information if and when you are called for interview and you may do so at that stage without prejudice, if
you prefer.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Faculty of English comprises 39 University Teaching Officers (UTOs), all of whom are required to provide undergraduate and graduate teaching, to undertake research and to publish the findings of research, and to examine in the Tripos. In addition 36 College Teaching Officers (CTOs) are associated with the Faculty: CTOs are members of the Faculty whose teaching obligations are primarily owed to the Colleges which employ them. The Faculty currently has almost 200 graduate students and over 650 undergraduates.

There is one formally constituted department in the Faculty, with its own head of department, the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. The Faculty as a whole is co-ordinated by the Faculty Board of English which elects a Chairman to serve for a set period; the period of office of the Chairman is currently three years. The Faculty is located at 9 West Road in a new building opened in October 2004. The building provides a library, teaching and research facilities and offices for University Teaching Officers; it also provides space for the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic and the Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics.

The Faculty is active in all major areas of English literature, and in English language for literary studies. It is rated as excellent for the quality of its teaching, and of its research by the Quality Assurance Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. It was awarded 4* 40, 3* 25, 2* 25, 1* 10 in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

The English Tripos at Cambridge consists of a two-year Part I, which introduces undergraduates to a wide range of British literature from 1300 to the present day, and to a variety of literary critical methods; and a one- or in some cases two-year) Part II, which offers an extensive choice of options in addition to compulsory papers on Tragedy and Practical Criticism and a compulsory dissertation.

Teaching for both parts of the Tripos is conducted through lectures, classes and ‘supervisions’ (i.e. tutorials). Supervisions are given by College Teaching Officers and by University Teaching Officers in their role as Fellows of Colleges. The Faculty teaching programme is planned by Subject Group Committees (SGCs) which include all appropriate UTOs and CTOs as members. SGCs take responsibility for papers falling within a particular period or subject area.

At graduate level, supervision of doctoral students is undertaken by members of the Faculty in a wide range of fields. Areas of research interests of individual members of the Faculty may be found on the Faculty’s website. There are M.Phil courses in the Medieval and Early Modern periods as well as in Romanticism and 18th Century literature and Criticism and Culture. The Faculty is currently considering M.Phil options for the period since 1830. Information concerning M.Phils and graduate work in general may be found on the Faculty website.

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