Teaching Fellow in Russian Studies

The University

A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high-quality work/life balance. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people’s lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our University Strategy

Our Purpose and Values

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Durham? information page.  

The School

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of Teaching Fellow in Russian Studies. The appointment will be on a fixed term part-time (0.5 FTE) basis for twenty-four months starting on 1 May 2024, and we invite applications from those with research expertise in Russian Studies. The post is a teaching position; independent research is not part of the role, although the postholder will be able to participate in the research community of the School.

This post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent teaching while allowing you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. At the forefront of our current activity is a programme of decolonisation, in which a commitment to antiracism is accompanied by a commitment to combating all forms of marginalisation in the workplace and classroom. Our goal is to decolonise the School of Modern Languages and Culture in all its aspects, including research and education. Details of our approach can be found at https://www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/decolonisingmlac/ . For more information, please visit our School pages at https://www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/ .

The School is one of the largest and most successful Schools of Modern Languages in the UK, bringing together research in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic, Italian, Japanese and Russian Studies. It is consistently ranked in the top five in national league tables, such as the Guardian University Guide. The School’s reach spans Europe, the Arab world, Russophone Eurasia, Hispanic America, and East Asia, and their mutual socio-cultural, intellectual and linguistic relations. The School federates expertise to generate innovative research practices and activities that cross historical, geographical and methodological boundaries. Its research focuses on the transnational study of literatures, cultures and histories. The School has particular strengths in medieval and early modern studies, visual arts and culture, and the relationship between the sciences and the humanities, with further strong research interests in 19th to 21st century literature and culture, textual scholarship, gender and sexuality studies, critical and cultural theory, travel literature, creative writing, and translation. Indeed, translation – understood in its broad sense of transmission, interpretation and sharing of languages, ideas and histories – underpins the School’s collective practices. The School’s forward-thinking research agenda was recently highlighted in its major conference Where Are We Now? The Location of Modern Languages and Cultures, held in Durham in 2023 (https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/2023-conference/ ). This conference brought together speakers from across the world to articulate and embrace the values of a discipline equipped to study cultures and their interactions in historical perspective.

In the School, staff and postgraduates are brought together in interdisciplinary discussions and collaboration through a set of research groups. These currently include Bodies, Texts, Nations; Digital Studies; Performance and Performativity; Living Texts; Linguistics and Translation; Decolonisation; and Transnational Cinema. The School plays a leading role in the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, the Centre for Culture and Ecology, the Centre for Visual Arts and Culture, and the Institute of Medical Humanities, and has an important role in the University’s prestigious Institute of Advanced Study, which promotes world-class research across the Faculties. The School is also a key contributor to one of four major research programmes to which the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awarded funding in 2016 as part of its Open World Research Initiative (OWRI). It is part of a consortium headed by the University of Manchester, which has been awarded c. £4 million to develop a large interdisciplinary research programme titled “Cross-Language Dynamics: Reshaping Community”. The School is also a significant contributor to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) project Living Deltas (https://www.dur.ac.uk/ihrr/research/gcrf/ ). As part of its commitment to local regeneration through internationalisation, the School is engaged in collaborative activities with The Auckland Project around the Spanish Art in County Durham initiative (https://aucklandproject.org/about/what-our-plans-are/spanish-gallery/ ) and the Zurbarán Centre for Spanish and Latin American Art (https://www.dur.ac.uk/zurbaran/ ).

Russian Studies

Russian Studies at Durham University is one of the best performing academic units with this specialism in the UK. It is consistently placed among the top-ranked equivalent departments in major national league tables. In 2024, it was ranked 3rd in the Good University Guide, contributing strongly to Durham University’s top-20 placing for Arts and Humanities in the THE World Reputation Rankings.

There are currently eight full time members of staff in Russian Studies at Durham, not including doctoral researchers and honorary staff. Staff specialise in a wide range of research topics in Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet culture and history including poetry, musical culture, cinema and the visual arts, literary and critical theory, history of the sciences and professions, material culture, gender, and historical linguistics. This expertise is reflected across a wide range of general and specialist undergraduate modules. Staff in Russian also contribute to the cross-cultural taught Masters programmes offered by the School and supervise PhD and Masters by Research projects on Russian, Slavonic, and Russophone-related topics.

Russian language courses are taught at all levels, from beginners to advanced, by highly experienced language instructors. In the first year, students who have no prior experience of studying Russian take an intensive ab initio course; those with an A-level or equivalent in Russian are enrolled on an intermediate course. Both strands build on this in the second-year core language courses, intensive for the post-beginners and standard for the post-A-level cohort. All students then normally spend their third year abroad in a Russian-speaking country currently at one of our partner institutions in the Baltic states, Georgia, or Kyrgyzstan. In the final year, in addition to the core language option, students can take an optional language course in Russian for Professional Communication.

More detailed information on the unit, its staff and modules, is available at: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/modern-languages-cultures/undergraduate-study/language-areas/russian-studies/ and related webpages.

The Role 

Applications are invited for a Teaching Fellow in Russian Studies. You will have excellent Russian and English language skills and research expertise and teaching experience in Russian Studies. You should be able to teach Russian literature, culture, and history in a holistic way across different periods, with particular emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries.

If successful you will be fully integrated in the Russian Studies team within Durham University’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures and you will be expected to contribute to the delivery of teaching on the relevant programme, to include curriculum development, the convening of modules, and all aspects of assessment.

Teaching Fellowships offer the opportunity of valuable experience to those early in their academic careers and the University is keen to maximise the benefit to as many people as possible.  The post of Teaching Fellow will involve a significant teaching load, which may extend into the summer period, and there may be related scholarship and the opportunity for administrative duties which relate to education and pedagogy.

This 0.5 FTE post is for a fixed term of 24 months only and is funded by a Leverhulme Trust award. It is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term. The successful applicant will ideally be in post by 1 May 2024 (or as soon as possible thereafter). They will not be expected to teach during the summer of 2024, but the early start will allow them to fully prepare for teaching in the 2024/2025 academic year.

The University provides a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

The post is for a fixed term only, and it is not anticipated that the post will be extended beyond this fixed term.

Successful applicants will, ideally be in post by 1st May 2024.

The University provides a working and teaching environment that is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate these key principles as part of the assessment process.

Key Responsibilities

• Teach modules in appropriate learning environments at undergraduate/postgraduate levels, demonstrating an increasing awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning;
• Demonstrate the ability to manage own teaching and designing, planning and writing teaching materials;
• Lead some aspects of modules and contribute to modules led by others by collaborating with colleagues on course development;
• Develop and deliver an inclusive curriculum and make an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated;
• Seek and take on board feedback on teaching and engage with others in CPD;
• Supervise undergraduate student(s), and where appropriate act as part of a PhD supervisory team;
• Contribute to educational skill of colleagues, e.g. giving a seminar to colleagues or engaging in constructive discussion about a seminar;
• Build internal contacts and participate in networks to exchange information;
• Start to engage in scholarship (the creation, development and maintenance of the intellectual infrastructure of subjects and disciplines) e.g. develop online teaching resources;
• In addition to Board of Studies, membership of some departmental committees and professional body memberships;
• Student support, assessment of academic performance and provision of feedback, dealing with student disciplinary matters and complaints;
• Undertake effectively and efficiently any administrative role allocated by your Head of Department.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by attending relevant training and development courses.  

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled  into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. 
•    If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.
•    If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  

As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values  and our Staff Code of Conduct.   At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities and people from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

We are committed to equality: if for any reason you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted on the volume and recency of research outputs, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application.  We also understand that the Covid-19 pandemic will have had differential impacts on different people and welcome information on this if you wish to share it. The selection committee will recognise that this may have reduced the quantity of your research accordingly 

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

Contact Information 

Department contact for academic-related enquiries 

For informal enquiries please contact Professor David Cowling, Head of School ([email protected] ) and/or Dr Viktoria Ivleva, Director of Russian Studies ([email protected] ). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to [email protected]  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

Michele Groark, HR Administrator (Recruitment) [email protected]

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and covering letter which details your experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.
• a statement as to your aspirations as a Teaching Fellow in terms of what motivates you, what you would like to achieve and what your broad approaches to teaching excellence and innovation are (maximum 2 pages).

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails. 

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to staff and postgraduate students in the School followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in late March 2024.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

Person Specification

Candidates applying for a grade 7 post will have recently completed or be concluding their PhD and, while they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the below criteria

Essential Criteria:

• A good first degree in Russian Studies.
• A PhD (or be close to submission) in Russian Studies or a related subject, or equivalent demonstrable practitioner experience which may include appropriate certification and/or membership of a relevant professional body.
• Experience of teaching and examining at University level with positive student feedback gained.
• Demonstrable ability to teach university courses in Russian Studies in an Anglophone environment, especially literature, history, and culture.
• Experience of contributing to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching and/or assessment of learning, including the design and creation of successful learning environments and curricula.
• Demonstrable ability to participate in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high quality teaching.
• Research expertise in Russian Studies that complements the specialisms of existing staff.
• Experience of successfully working in an administrative role within an organisation or department.
• Participation in student-oriented extra-curriculum activities.
• Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
• Evidence of work undertaken (or which would be undertaken) in preparation for teaching and keeping up to date with developments in the subject area, such as:

• active membership and engagement with a professional body;
• demonstrable innovation in educational practice;
• publication in a scholarly journal or relevant professional publication;
• Attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference; and/or
• Materials/curriculum development for wider use in a department.

• Candidates may have, or should have the ability to attain the rank of Fellow of HEA.