Södertörns högskola (Södertörn University) in south Stockholm is a dynamic institute of higher education with a unique profile and high academic standard. A large proportion of the university staff holds doctorates and there is a strong link between undergraduate education and research. Södertörn University has around 13 000 students and 840 employees. Undergraduate and postgraduate education and research are conducted in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Technology and Education. Our site is in Flemingsberg. Södertörn University is an equal opportunities employer.

The History of Ideas is part of the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies. This is a multidisciplinary school that focuses on the humanities and, in addition to the History of Ideas, offers Archaeology, Archival Science, Ethnology, History, and the Study of Religions, as well as hosting the Institute of Contemporary History, the Maritime Archaeological Research Institute at Södertörn University (MARIS) and the Institute for the Study of Multireligiosity and Secularity (IMS). Around 100 people are currently employed at the school, and the research area of Historical Studies, which includes the History of Ideas, is based there.

At Södertörn University, the History of Ideas is a dynamic and growing subject, and the recruitment of a professor specialising in the Baltic Sea region and/or Eastern Europe is an important element in its continued development. It currently has eight teachers/researchers who are employed on a permanent basis, of whom three are professors, and staff have also included researchers with project-based funding from external financiers. Recruitment of an associate senior lecturer in History/History of Ideas is also ongoing. The History of Ideas offers doctoral education with a Baltic Sea region and Eastern European profile and, along with our fellow departments in Uppsala, Stockholm and Gothenburg, in the autumn of 2023 we admitted doctoral students to the graduate school in the History of Political Thought, which is funded by the Swedish National Research Council. The History of Ideas at Södertörn University has a broad research profile and, in addition to the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe, important focus areas are the history of education, culture and media, political theory and the history of philosophy. The History of Ideas offers education at Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral levels, and is part of many of the university’s multidisciplinary Bachelor’s programmes. Teaching staff also work closely with the Teacher Education programmes. As stated above, the History of Ideas is one of seven subjects at the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies, and this multidisciplinary environment offers excellent opportunities for transdisciplinary cooperation and joint initiatives in both research and education.

Job description
This position includes research at 60% of full-time. The remaining 40% consists of teaching, but may also include collegial tasks and educational development work. Administrative duties may occur. Employment as a professor of the History of Ideas includes cooperation with the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES), where the successful candidate is expected to spend some of their working hours. The position requires a high degree of presence and participation in collegial work. The subject’s working languages are primarily Swedish and English. The applicant is expected to be able to teach in Swedish within the first two years of employment.

The successful applicant for the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies Professorship in the History of Ideas must:
- Lead and share responsibility for research, education, doctoral education and collaboration
- Conduct their own research related to the Baltic Sea region and/or Eastern Europe
- Initiate and lead projects and actively apply for research funding
- Initiate and lead collaboration projects and actively participate in the academic community, nationally and internationally
- Develop and conduct education at Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral levels, within the discipline and in partnership with other subjects and programmes
- Participate in management work at Södertörn University, faculty work, the development of collaborations with academic and non-academic stakeholders both inside and outside the university

Qualifications
You are qualified for employment as a professor of the History of Ideas if you have demonstrated research expertise and teaching expertise. Research expertise must be demonstrated in the History of Ideas or closely-related disciplines and through research that focuses on the Baltic Sea region and/or Eastern Europe. You must have completed a course in higher education pedagogy worth at least 7.5 credits or have the equivalent competence. For this position, you must be able to teach in Swedish and/or English. You must otherwise have the personal skills necessary to do the job well and to represent the university in a way that benefits its activities.

Research expertise is demonstrated through high quality scholarly publications of significant scope in the relevant subject area, research funding obtained in competition, the initiation and leadership of research projects, research collaboration, contributions to the development of the subject, and through assignments as an external reviewer, external expert, editor or similar.

Teaching expertise is demonstrated through high quality teaching of considerable scope at first, second and third cycle levels, leading and participating in educational development work, published texts on teaching and learning, a self-reflective approach to students’ learning and experience and their own role as a teacher. It is also demonstrated through establishing links between research and higher education, appointment as a recognised or distinguished university teacher or the equivalent, building up and developing degree programmes, initiatives in educational cooperation, initiatives in third stream activities and the supervision of doctoral students.

Grounds for assessment
The assessment criteria for appointment as a professor are the level of expertise required as qualification for employment. For this position, research expertise is more important than teaching expertise. The following grounds for assessment have been established for this position (in order of importance): The below items must be documented.
- Expertise in building up and leading research environments.
- Expertise in the History of Ideas, specialising in the Baltic Sea region and/or Eastern Europe.
- Well-established national or international networks.
- Skills in one or more languages relevant to the Baltic Sea region and/or Eastern Europe.
- Expertise in multidisciplinary collaboration, inside and outside academia
- Educational expertise
- Good cooperation skills

For complete information about qualifications and the criteria for assessing them, please read Södertörn University’s Appointments Procedure.

Employment
The position is full-time and until further notice, start date to be agreed.

Application
The application deadline is 13 December 2023.
Your application must be written in English, as it may be assessed by international experts.

Additional information
Linda Vikdahl Gunséus, Head of School, +46 (0)8 608 4416, linda.vikdahl.gunseus@sh.se
Magnus Rodell, Subject Coordinator, +46 (0)8 608 4623, magnus.rodell@sh.se
Viktor Hasselgren, HR Specialist, +46 (0)73 714 1296, rekrytering@sh.se