King's College London

About Us

Film Studies at King’s College London stands out for its unwavering commitment to interdisciplinarity and its pioneering exploration of innovative and inclusive research methodologies and pedagogical approaches.  This exciting new post will not only enhance the department’s esteemed research profile but also engage in teaching and pastoral support across our diverse range of courses. This includes the BA Film Studies and Postgraduate taught program (PGT) in Film Studies, which encompasses the Film-Philosophy Pathway and the Joint PGT program with the Courtauld.

About The Role

The King's Early Career Development Fellowships are 10 fixed-term posts (2 three-year posts; 8 two-year posts) providing promising early career academics with opportunities to develop as an educator and researcher in departments across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.  Applicants must be within seven years of their doctorate at the time of application. Funding for the posts is short-term and non-renewable; they do not fulfil a long-term need in the faculty.

The Fellow will conduct research, produce research publications, deliver teaching, and provide administrative and pastoral support for the Department of Film Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King's. Fellows will be appointed on an Education & Research contract ('E&R') and will receive career development opportunities to increase their knowledge of the research funding landscape across Arts and Humanities. For more details, see below: 'Key responsibilities'

Fellows will be encouraged to submit an external research grant application in the final year of their fellowship as a directly-incurred Principal Investigator. If successful in their application and if appropriate, the research projected will be hosted at King's in the fellow's department.

The fellowship is intended to help the development of an early career scholar. It cannot be renewed at the conclusion of the period of the appointment. The fellow will not be eligible for internally funded research leave during their fellowship. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a particular interest in engaged research, and provides opportunities for scholars to develop the potential of their research across multiple fields and audiences.

The Department of Film Studies seeks to appointment a Lecturer (Grade 6) of 2-year fixed term, with a strong profile in the following areas: Film and Media Cultures; Gender and Cinema, in particular Women Directors; and Experimental Cinema.  We seek applicants who will consolidate and/or complement the existing methodological approaches to these areas of the department research (textual, theoretical, historical, archival and critical).

Film Studies at King’s is distinctive in its commitment to interdisciplinarity, and the position requires teaching across a broad range of areas within the discipline.  Applicants are expected to offer and strengthen some of the following existing modules at both UG and PGT level: Media Cultures, Avant-garde Cinema, Women Directors, Documentary, and Cinema and Spectatorship (BA level); In addition, applicants should be able to offer and contribute to modules which are not necessarily central to their personal research or research plans, indicatively, some of compulsory modules offered in the Department of Film Studies: Introduction to Film Studies; Critical Debates; Research and Scholarship; Film History and Film Theory modules; Film and New Media (BA level); and Formations of Film Studies, and London Film Cultures (MA level). They will also supervise undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations both audio-visual work and written dissertation.

We encourage applications from members of groups with protected characteristics which have been marginalised on any grounds under the Equality Act. We particularly welcome applications from Black and minority ethnic candidates, as they are under-represented at this level.

In applying for this role please provide:

• a covering letter of no more than 2 pages indicating how you meet the essential and desirable criteria
• An up-to-date CV (no more than 4 pages)
• A separate statement (max 2 pages) of the significance of your existing research, impact, engagement, partnerships and collaborations, your future plans in these areas, and the potential research grant you might develop over the fellowship.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide a writing sample of between 5,000-20,000 words in support of their application in advance of interview. Appointment will be made following an interview and presentation by the candidate: a brief overview of their research areas and how a compulsory or optional module of candidate’s choice could be informed by their research specialities.

The role holder will:

• Plan, organise and deliver outstanding teaching and assessment across our Programmes, as required by the Head of Department / Department Education Lead
• Assess coursework and examinations as required;
• Contribute to the welfare of students through the personal tutor system as required;
• Fulfil administrative roles and tasks as directed by Head of Department and contribute to departmental events and activities, including attendance at departmental meetings and open days.
• Contribute fully to developing and enhancing the research profile of the Department, Faculty and College through high profile publications and participation in their research environments;
• Develop their expertise and understanding of research grant funding, research impact and engagement through participation in workshops and events;
• Independently develop a proposal for external research funding which covers their employment for the duration of the grant and which, if successful, would be held at King's following the end of the fellowship.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified in relevant subject area within the last seven years at point of application
2. Expertise in teaching and researching in Film Studies
3. Clearly defined research interests related to Film Studies compatible with the research, impact and engagement strategies of the department, faculty and college, including the potential for publications and impact projects of the highest quality
4. Some experience of teaching relevant to the areas specified by the department, with clear evidence of potential to deliver innovative, effective and enjoyable teaching.
5. Ability to design the basics of a future externally funded research project
6. Some experience of effective and diligent academic administration and academic and/or external networking

Desirable criteria

1. Teaching in Higher Education qualification (such as fellowship or associate fellowship of the Higher Education Academy)
2. Knowledge and/or experience of designing and delivering online teaching

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.