Apologies for cross-posting, and please forward to anyone who might be interested. Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Writing for Screen and PerformanceReference number:IHCA1304 - 1187 Closing Date:12/06/2013 Salary:AC2/3, £30,423 - £44,607 pa, with opportunity to progress to £48,729 pa Department:Institute of Humanities & Creative Arts: Division of Drama, Performance and Film HoursFull time (applications for fractional appointment of 0.6 or above may also be considered)Start1st September 2013 Duration:Permanent Responsible to:Head of Division of Drama, Performance and Film Responsible for:N/A Interview date:9th July 2013 Overview We are seeking to appoint someone to contribute to teaching and development of Screenwriting at Worcester. Currently, our undergraduate Screenwriting course is offered as a Joint Honours course, to be studied in combination with a range of other humanities & creative arts courses, including Drama & Performance, Digital Film Production and, from next year, Creative & Professional Writing. The course recruits well and its scope, and our ambition for it, have grown significantly over the past two years. We now wish to make an additional, specialist appointment that will support further development of the curriculum, possibly to develop a Single Honours route, and that will contribute to the burgeoning role of teaching and research in areas of writing within the Institute of Humanities & Creative Arts. The successful candidate will bring to his/her teaching and research significant, relevant professional experience and success which will support student and graduate achievement. The appointee will also be committed to university teaching and engaged with (and capable of engaging students with) the theoretical and historical framing of writing practices associated with screen writing and writing for performance. Candidates will be expected to be able to consider their own writing practices in research terms (possibly within the context of practice-as-research). The post holder will be expected to teach across a range of practice-led and theory modules, to make a distinctive contribution to both undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum development and to develop industry links, contacts and networks from which students, the Screenwriting course and the Institute, more widely, may benefit. As already described, we are looking for a candidate with a track record of practice in writing for film, TV and/or related contexts. We would especially welcome candidates also offering established and /or developing academic research profiles and with experience of academic course development. The appointee will be asked to take Worcester’s young Screenwriting course to a next level of development, assuming a leadership and administrative role within the Screenwriting and Film area, and to contribute to other appropriate aspects of writing provision.We particularly welcome applications from candidates offering experience in a range of the following: • Writing for film, television and radio • Playwriting and writing for live performance • Creative writing • Screenwriting theory • Industry practice As part of the selection process for the post, candidates invited for interview will be required to provide: • A short interactive teaching session with students • A 10-minute presentation to an audience of academic peers on the topic, ‘Illustrate your ideas for the development of Screenwriting at the University of Worcester’ • An opening 10-minute presentation, to the interview panel, on their professional practice or research, as part of a longer, formal interview. The post is being offered as a full-time post, but candidates wishing to propose appointment on a fractional basis above 0.6 may also be considered. Background Screenwriting and the Institute of Humanities & Creative Arts at the University of Worcester Screenwriting at Worcester is a rapidly developing area of academic provision, led by the Division of Drama, Performance & Film in the University’s Institute of Humanities & Creative Arts (IHCA). The Division’s portfolio of undergraduate courses comprises Screenwriting, Film Studies, Digital Film Production, Drama & Performance, Dance and Urban & Electronic Music Production. Current Screenwriting provision not only offers specialist modules but also draws on appropriate modules from related areas. Recruitment to all of the Division’s courses has risen significantly over the past three years, but there has been particular growth in relation to courses, including Screenwriting, that are offered for Joint study with others (including courses located elsewhere within IHCA, such as Animation, Creative & Professional Writing, Digital Film Production and English Language Studies). Specialist teaching resources available to Drama, Performance & Film include a 50-seat screening room, a Digital Arts Centre comprising MAC and PC computer studios, digital editing suites, a sound studio, two drama studios and a video studio linked to one of the drama studios (thereby supporting curriculum and research developments in multi-media and new performance). The facilities are well equipped to support collaborative, interdisciplinary research and projects involving performance, film and new media. There is a developing culture of screenings and thriving, multiple links with the professional cultural industries via both the Screenwriting and Digital Film Production courses. IHCA is one of the fastest growing of Worcester’s six academic Institutes. It offers undergraduate provision across a wide range of arts and humanities disciplines. Its work is structured through four academic Divisions comprising: Drama, Performance & Film; English, Journalism & Cultural Studies; History & Sociology; Art, Design & Creative Digital Media. Staff in the Institute played a significant role in the University’s RAE2008 submission and new appointments in recent years have raised, further, IHCA’s research aspirations and strengths, supporting the University’s aspirations to achieve enhanced performance at the forthcoming REF. There are good numbers of postgraduate research students, and IHCA as a whole has a lively research culture that draws on the potential for cross-disciplinary exchange offered by its academic breadth. It has a dynamic and ambitious approach to making regional, national and international connections in both academic and professional contexts. Key foci for development, recently, have been: its postgraduate taught course portfolio (with two new MAs - MA Digital Media and MA Drama having been validated within the last two years, and further developments in discussion); its international research achievement and continuing development of research culture; and further development of already high levels of professional/industry engagement and knowledge transfer work in support of maintaining the currency and success of its taught courses. Drama, Performance & Film and the Institute as a whole believe that the conditions now exist to support a further step change in their activity and aspirations, to which we will look to the post-holder to make a distinctive contribution - by capitalizing on the existence of both practice-based and academic modes of enquiry offered by extant courses, and by drawing on the Institute’s broader portfolio. The University as a whole, including the Institute of Humanities & Creative Arts, has an excellent record of providing academic programmes that support students’ engagement with relevant professional contexts and their capacity for subsequent employment within them. It therefore values the experience of professional practitioners with strong and current industry experience. Main duties 1. High quality and inspirational undergraduate teaching in Screenwriting. 2. Leading curriculum and other developments in Screenwriting and contributing to development of the Institute’s academic ‘writing’ portfolio more widely - to grow the national reputation and standing of its teaching and curricula, to support student recruitment and to develop graduate opportunity and achievement. 3. Research and/or knowledge transfer activity in Screenwriting and/or related programmes within the Institute, resulting in dissemination/publication of outputs of national/international peer standing. 4. Teaching and leadership of mandatory modules, including supervision of independent studies and extension modules. 5. Academic administrative duties for the Division and Institute, as required by the line manager, including attendance at Subject, Divisional, Institute and University committee and other meetings. 6. Contribution, as appropriate, to commercial, community, short course and professional development initiatives and projects in the subject. 7. Participation in learning and teaching developments and income-generating activities as appropriate and agreed by the line manager. 8. All activities associated with an academic post, including preparation of teaching and support materials, student tutorials, marking, attendance at committees and meetings, staff development, open days and schools visits, international activities, widening participation and outreach activities, and day and summer schools, as appropriate and agreed with the line manager. *Maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job; participate in appropriate training activities and encourage and support staff in their development and training. *Take steps to ensure and enhance personal health, safety and well being and that of other staff and students. *Carry out these duties in a manner that promotes equality of opportunity and supports diversity and inclusion, and takes into account the University's commitment to environmentally sustainable ways of working. Person Specification Please provide evidence of how you meet each of the essential criteria. Essential 1. A first degree or equivalent and a postgraduate qualification in Screenwriting or a closely related subject. 2. Experience of teaching Screenwriting at HE level and in a university, and the ability to teach enthusiastically across a range of related curriculum areas. 3. Current knowledge and experience of innovative learning and teaching methods in HE, including e-learning. 4. A developing research profile and emerging track record of national/international peer esteemed research outputs and/or an outstanding record of professional practice and clear evidence of scholarly engagement. 5. Experience of working professionally in an area of Screenwriting. 6. The potential to generate successful external research funding bids and/or bids to enable professional development/projects, and good industry experience/links. 7. Emerging leadership skills and the ability to work as part of a team. 8. Excellent oral and written communication skills. 9. Ability to use information/communication technology to support administration and teaching. Desirable 1. Prior experience of HE curriculum and course development. 2. A PhD in Screenwriting or related writing for performance research (or doctoral study in the process of completion). 3. A track record of publication (in its broadest sense) 4. Proven active involvement in relevant subject associations. 5. Evidence of successful income generation in support of research and/or other forms of relevant activity. 6. An HE teaching qualification* *Unless a candidate can offer at least three years’ full-time experience of teaching within higher education, and an accredited teaching qualification for the higher education environment, or registered practitioner status with the HE Academy, then completion of the probationary period will be dependent on the successful completion of the University’s Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Applications from Non EEA Workers: Prospective applicants are advised to ensure that they are eligible to work in the UK without restriction. Further details can be found at the Home Office UK Border agency website at http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/ and the points based calculator can be found at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/pointscalculator Non UK based applicants: further information about options for applicants who are not located in the UK can be found at the link at the top of this web page - see Information for non UK based applicants. Disclosure: This employment is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Candidates will be required to declare any criminal convictions, cautions or bind-overs, including any that would be regarded as spent under the Act in other circumstances. If you are selected for appointment you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a Criminal Records Check/Barred List Check -- Mikel J. Koven Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Juvenal (Satires VI) ---- For past messages, visit the Screen-L Archives: https://listserv.ua.edu/archives/screen-l.html