Further particulars: Chichele Professorship of Social and Political Theory

The University of Oxford proposes to appoint a successor to Professor G.A. Cohen, FBA, Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory. The Professorship is tenable from 1 October 2008, upon Professor Cohen’s retirement, or as soon as possible thereafter. It will be held in the Department of Politics and International Relations and in conjunction with a Professorial Fellowship in Politics at All Souls College.

GENERAL

The University of Oxford

The University of Oxford enjoys an international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence in research and teaching. It employs over 7,800 academic, research and support staff across a wide range of academic disciplines. Its mission is to achieve and sustain excellence in every area of its teaching and research, maintaining and developing its position as a world-class university, and enriching the international, national and regional communities through the fruits of its research and the skills of its graduates. Further information about the University can be found on its website at http://www.ox.ac.uk/.

The Department of Politics and International Relations

Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford have a long and distinguished history in the education of leading figures in academia, politics, the media and public life, both in the UK and internationally. Teaching and research in this area were gathered together in 2000 to create a Department of Politics and International Relations. Since then it has become one of the largest in the field in the UK and is considered to be an internationally excellent centre for teaching and research. The Department achieved 5*, the highest rating in the last two national research assessment exercises; received top marks in the QAA Subject Review of teaching (2000); and is consistently ranked at the top of The Times and the Guardian university guides for the subject. The Department attracts some of the best academics in the field to work here as permanent faculty, as part of major research projects or as academic visitors. There is a strong post-doctoral group supported by highly competitive research fellowships, and working across a broad range of fields.

THE POST ADVERTISED

The Chichele Professorship of Social and Political Theory, previously held by Isaiah Berlin, John Plamenatz, Charles Taylor, and currently by Gerald Cohen, has a history of close association in its activities with the Faculties of History, Philosophy and Law. The successful applicant will be an outstanding scholar, with a distinguished research profile in Social and Political Theory, capable of providing leadership to academics in Social and Political Theory and related fields. The person appointed must have a proven interest and reputation in this area, broadly defined, and must be prepared at an early stage to share in the governance and leadership of the Department of Politics and International Relations.

In addition to the standard duties described below, the Professor will be expected to contribute to the development of teaching in this area, and to engage in the development of research activity within the Department, pursuing funding opportunities where appropriate.

DUTIES

The main responsibility of the Professor is to undertake and publish research and to provide leadership in teaching and research in the Department. The Department calculates teaching duties in terms of units, weighting the various inputs (24 per doctoral student, 3 per hour of lecturing, etc.) up to a total of 288 units per annum for full-time staff. Thus, a typical professorial load could comprise 36-40 hours of lectures and classes per annum and supervision of 4-6 graduate students with other departmental duties. Oxford has three 8-week teaching terms with two additional weeks of each term for teaching-related activities. Standard examining duties include setting question papers for courses taught, assessment, and service as an examiner when requested by the committee for nomination of examiners.

The Professor will be required to undertake the following duties:

Teaching and research

The Professor will be required to deliver lectures and to give instruction in Social and Political Theory, and in particular:

(i) to lecture, or hold classes, in at least two of the three University terms and to give at least thirty-six lectures or classes in all and not less than twelve in each of two terms;

(ii) to undertake and publish original work and to supervise research and advanced work in his/her subject and department, and to assist students in their studies by advice or informal instruction.

Examining

The Professor will be required to take part in University examining as and when requested to do so by a committee for the nomination of examiners, unless he or she can show reasonable cause, to the satisfaction of the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors, why on a particular occasion he or she should not do so. (This requirement does not apply to invitations from departments to examine theses submitted for research degrees.)

Supervision

The Professor will be required to act as the supervisor of a graduate student as and when requested to do so by his/her department or other competent body, unless he or she can show reasonable cause, to the satisfaction of the body concerned, why on a particular occasion he or she should not do so.

Tutorial teaching

Professors may apply to the divisional board (through the department) for leave to undertake paid undergraduate tutorial teaching for up to four (or exceptionally up to six) hours per week.

Headship of departments

Every Professor or Reader who is employed by the University unless individually exempted has the obligation to accept the headship of the department in which his or her post is held (in this case the Department of Politics and International Relations) if invited to do so by Council. The current Head of Department is Professor Neil MacFarlane. The successful candidate will be obliged to accept the headship of the Department for a specified period of three years, at some point after 2010, if requested to do so by the divisional board.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates will be considered for the post on the basis of the selection criteria outlined below, and should address these criteria in their application.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualities:

an international reputation for innovative research in Social and Political Theory, and a commitment to the development of this field, broadly understood;
evidence of excellence in teaching and supervision at the graduate level;
experience of working effectively and collegially as part of a team and evidence of the ability to build and lead teams, and a commitment to such tasks;
the capacity to guide and support younger scholars in the field, and the initiative to develop collaborative research projects;
evidence of commitment to and experience of institution-building;
experience of university governance and management, and of academic administration;
knowledge and understanding of different academic approaches and disciplines.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Academic Divisions

The University is organised into four academic divisions (Social Sciences, Humanities, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, and Medical Sciences) through which its academic planning and administration is conducted. Each division is led by a full-time Head of Division who chairs the divisional board and its major committees. The Department of Politics and International Relations is one of the thirteen constituent units of the Social Sciences Division, currently headed by Dr Michael Spence, which also includes the Departments of Economics, Education, International Development (Queen Elizabeth House), Sociology, and Social Policy and Social Work, the Saïd Business School, the Faculty of Law, the Schools of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Archaeology, and Interdisciplinary Area Studies, the Oxford University Centre for the Environment, and the Oxford Internet Institute.

The University, in this case through the Department and the Social Sciences Division, determines the content of Politics courses. It organises lectures and seminars and provides a wide range of resources for teaching and learning in the form of libraries, laboratories, museums, computing facilities, etc. It selects and supervises graduate students, and also sets and marks examinations, examines theses and awards degrees.

The Department of Politics and International Relations

The Department is located in the Social Sciences building at Manor Road, along with the Departments of Economics and Sociology, the Centres for Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies, and the new integrated Social Science Library. The building provides excellent facilities including a lecture theatre, a large computer laboratory and a range of seminar rooms as well as a cafeteria and common room for use by both staff and students. The Department itself contains over one hundred graduate workstations and has its own IT server system and local network, shared with Sociology and Criminology, and supported by four IT/Web staff. An experienced administrative team supports the Department’s research and teaching activities. Professors are offered office space in the Department (in addition to their College room) if they so wish.

Research - relevance and influence

Research in the Department is enriched by its diversity, with over 80 academic staff working in areas that range in geographical scope across the globe and take in the historical foundation and development of societies and their political institutions, as well as contemporary global issues in politics and international relations, through a plurality of approaches (theoretical, empirical and methodological). Staff and students have the opportunity to work individually on their own areas of interest and collaboratively with other members of the Department, the wider University and external colleagues and institutions. Individuals and research centres in the Department have strong links with other units in the University, including the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies (SIAS), and the Departments of International Development and Sociology.

Research in the Department is grouped mainly around the research centres for advanced research and graduate study:

Centre for International Studies (CIS)
Centre for Political Ideologies (CPI)
Centre for Research Methods in the Social Sciences (ReMiSS)
Centre for the Study of Social Justice (CSSJ)
Public Policy Unit (PPU)
Oxford Research Network on Government in Africa (OReNGA)
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ)

The main aims of these centres are to co-ordinate research activities and support collaborative research, to disseminate research in the Department to audiences inside and outside the University, and to communicate the relevance of the Department’s research to academic, policy and societal audiences. The Department is also host to two major externally-funded research programmes looking at, respectively, the changing character of war (Oxford Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War) and public services (ESRC Public Services: Quality, Performance and Delivery Programme). It is also associated with the Global Economic Governance Programme (funded by the MacArthur Foundation, the International Development Research Centre and Old Members of University College). The Department also hosts the ESRC Oxford Spring School which provides advanced training in quantitative research methods.

The Department encourages and supports funding applications to external bodies from members of the Department and has a high level of success in securing funding despite intense competition from other UK institutions. It is also successful in securing University seed-corn funding and underwriting for new research initiatives. The Department aims to encourage and support the development of a research environment that is innovative, soundly-based, collaborative and interdisciplinary. It provides funds for individuals through modest internal awards, funding and support for conferences, seminars and workshops, and research assistance. Statutory professors are provided with a research allowance of up to £5,000, the actual amount depending on the amount of similar support provided by the College.

Teaching – diversity and distinctiveness

An Oxford education maintains its distinctive commitment to small-group teaching through tutorials and thorough instruction in the rigorous application of argument and evidence. The Department is developing class and seminar teaching to complement tutorials in order to diversify and maintain the excellence of teaching provision, giving students more varied learning experiences. Over the past five years it has focused strongly on new techniques and methods in the study of politics and international relations while maintaining its traditional strengths.

The Department is a major international centre for graduate research. It admits each year (to a graduate body numbering around 300) between 70 and 80 new graduate students from around the world to a range of programmes: two one-year MSc courses (in Politics and International Relations Research, and in Political Theory Research); four two-year MPhil courses (Comparative Government, Political Theory, European Politics and Society, and International Relations), and a doctoral programme. Around 35 graduates complete their DPhil degrees each year. The Department also has around 1,000 students at the undergraduate level reading its two joint honours degrees: Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and History and Politics (HP). PPE continues to be one of the University’s flagship undergraduate programmes, providing those who study it with a rigorous introductory training in the social sciences. Complementing PPE, HP was launched by the Department and the History Faculty in 1999, enabling students to combine an interest in both Politics and History by setting contemporary political problems in their historical perspective, and communicating the need for rigorous analytical thinking demonstrated in the long-established PPE programme.

Potential applicants can find out more about the Department of Politics and International Relations at http://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/.

Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Professor Neil MacFarlane, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations (email: neil.macfarlane@politics.ox.ac.uk, tel. +44 (0)1865 288560).

ALL SOULS COLLEGE

Professorial Fellowship

All Souls is unique among Oxford colleges because it has no junior members: all are Fellows (except the Warden). In brief, we have between seventy and eighty Fellows. About twenty of them (including the Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory) hold University posts on University terms. Thirty or so are elected by the College for periods of up to seven years to do academic research full-time. Of the remainder, two are College Officers (the Bursar and the Chaplain); and the rest are people who work elsewhere, in other universities, or in the law, banking, journalism, politics and international organisations. These are full Fellows, but receive at most a homeopathic stipend.

In addition to this Chair, the College has the Gladstone Chair (currently Professor Christopher Hood) and a number of philosophers, lawyers and economists with interests that may overlap with those of the new Professor. For a complete list, see http://www.all-souls.ox.ac.uk/.

A Fellowship at All Souls involves membership of the Governing Body, with the possibility of being invited to serve on College Committees. The Governing Body meets on Saturday mornings three times a year; election meetings (twice a year) are also on Saturday mornings.

The College provides a study, either within the curtilage or in the Sparrow Building located in Harris-Manchester College. The College may also provide residential accommodation, subject to availability. All Souls has lecture and seminar rooms.

Fellows have the right to luncheon and dinner without charge at the Common Table.

Academic Allowances up to £2,833 (revised each August) may be claimed for research expenses - travel, telephone, conferences, books, etc. This is currently not subject to tax. Assistance is also available for the purchase of computers - up to £3,500 with half the cost being met by the College, and the other half being lent to the Fellow and chargeable against Academic Allowances over three years.

The Academic Purposes Committee may make additional grants for research, usually to supplement grants from Faculties or the University.

The College offers medical insurance for the Fellow and dependants, but Fellows are liable to tax on the benefit in kind. It also operates a joint equity housing scheme for Fellows moving to Oxford, but for Professorial Fellows this very much depends on particular circumstances and is not available by general right.

The Bursar is always willing to discuss with interested candidates the financial implications of a Fellowship at the College.

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The appointment is subject to the relevant provisions of the Statutes and Regulations of the University, as published from time to time in the University Gazette.

Terms and conditions

Stipend

The salary of the appointee will be determined by the Vice-Chancellor, after appropriate consultation, in the light of the University’s detailed arrangements for the reward of academic distinction and contribution among its professoriate. In addition, after taking up appointment, the professor will be eligible for consideration, in reviews which will take place from time to time, for one of a number of additional salary awards which may be made in recognition of outstanding academic distinction and/or contribution to the academic work of the University (e.g. in leadership in, or in the development of, some field of study).

Additional remuneration is currently paid to those undertaking examining and graduate supervision. Additional payments are also available for some tutorial teaching.

A pensionable allowance (currently £13,174 per annum) will be added in respect of duties as Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations for any period during which these are assigned to the Professor (an allowance payable for a period of less than six months will not, however, be pensionable).

The Professor will have the option of becoming (or remaining) a member of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).

Retirement

The University’s normal retirement date for professors is the 30 September immediately preceding the 66th birthday, except that for those who can establish vested rights as defined in the University’s statutes (details available on request) in retirement at age 67 or later, the date of retirement will not normally be later than the 30 September immediately preceding the 68th birthday.

Residence

The Professor is required to reside within the University (i.e. within twenty-five miles of Carfax, the central point of Oxford) during six months at least in each academic year, between the first day of October and the ensuing first day of August, and in particular during not less than six weeks of each term.

Holding of other offices or appointments (including consultancies)

Except as expressly provided by Council Regulations 5 of 2004, no office or appointment may be accepted or other activities or responsibilities undertaken, without the leave of the head of department (head of division in the case of a head of department). If leave is granted, the Divisional Board is empowered to determine what reduction in stipend (if any) shall be made.

The University encourages links with industry and other outside bodies. Although the holding of outside appointments such as consultancies must be approved by departments and divisional boards, no limit as such is set on the amount of money individuals may receive in this way. The criterion is the amount of time such appointments take up: a maximum of 30 days per annum may be spent on such activities before any deduction in stipend is considered.

Except when they are earned by the Professor as the supervisor of graduate students, as an academic adviser under the regulations for Recognised Students, or in respect of paid tutorial teaching approved by the divisional board, any fees received for lectures or instruction given by the Professor in the University shall be paid to the University Finance Division for the credit of the University General Revenue Account.

Leave of absence

The holder of this post is eligible to apply for sabbatical leave. In general, one term of sabbatical leave is available for each six terms of qualifying service: qualifying service is built up on a ‘rolling’ basis, so that leave which is not taken is not lost (although qualifying service does not accrue beyond the maximum of 18 terms). Further details are available on request.

Notice of termination of appointment

The Professorship is tenable until retirement.

The length of notice required to resign an appointment shall (a) be at least three months and (b) include one complete Full Term. The conditions under which the University may in certain circumstances terminate an appointment are laid down in Statute XII Part C or Statute XII Part D of the Statutes of the University.

Appraisal

All staff participate in the University’s appraisal scheme which is currently under review.

Intellectual Property Policy

The Statutes and Regulations of the University record the extent of the University’s claims to intellectual property, and the proportions in which exploitation revenues are shared with researchers. Copies of the relevant extracts are available on request.

Conflict of Interest Policy

The holder of this post is required to abide by the terms and conditions of the University’s Conflict of Interest policy, a copy of which is available on request. Professors who fall into the category of:

(a) Heads of department

(b) Chairmen of bodies which govern the University’s affairs

are required to make a personal declaration on an annual basis to the University’s Conflict of Interest Committee about any potential conflict of interest they may have within their area of responsibility.

General information

Equal Opportunities statement

The policy and practice of the University of Oxford require that all staff are afforded equal opportunities within employment. Entry into employment with the University and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of his or her gender, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, racial group, age, or disability.

Where suitably qualified individuals are available, electoral boards will contain at least one member of each sex.

Membership of Congregation

All professors of the University, with other members of the academic staff and certain senior academic-related staff, are members of Congregation, which is the University’s ultimate governing body. Congregation’s approval is required for all University statutes or amendments to statutes, and for major policy decisions, and the members of Congregation constitute the electorate for ten of the members of the University’s main executive body (the Council of the University) and for members of a number of other University committees. Twenty or more members of Congregation may initiate the discussion by Congregation of matters of University policy, and any two members may ask questions about the policy or administration of the University. The person appointed to this chair will receive fuller details soon after he or she takes up the appointment.

Parental leave and childcare facilities

The University has generous maternity leave arrangements. Provided that they have at least 26 weeks’ service with the University at the fifteenth week before the expected week of childbirth, women may take up to 26 weeks leave on full pay, plus 13 weeks SMP, plus a further 13 weeks unpaid leave. Arrangements are available to enable a phased return to full duties; for women to return to work on a part-time basis after the birth of their child; and for paternity leave. Requests for flexible working arrangements will be considered.

The University has three subsidised nurseries and also subsidises places at some local nurseries, although at present there is a waiting list. In addition, staff have access to a childminding network. There is also a salary sacrifice scheme whereby parents with children at University nurseries are able to save on income tax and national insurance contributions, and a virtual voucher scheme for parents with children not at University nurseries or placed with childminders through the network whereby a saving is made on national insurance contributions. There is also a holiday playscheme for school-age children. Further information may be obtained from the childcare website (http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/child) or by e-mailing: childcare@admin.ox.ac.uk, or writing to the Diversity and Equal Opportunities Unit, University of Oxford, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD.

Relocation expenses

Removal expenses and travelling expenses in connection with the move to Oxford of the successful candidate are generally paid in full in appropriate cases. Professional expenses up to a maximum of £6,500 also are available where appropriate to cover solicitors’ and other costs in connection with a move. Further details are available on request.

Assistance with house purchase

Where exceptional difficulty arises in regard to housing for a professor moving to the Oxford area to take up appointment (e.g. as may sometimes be the case where the move is from an area in which housing costs are substantially lower than in Oxford), the University may in certain circumstances be able to facilitate arrangements to assist house purchase.

Medical questionnaire and the right to work in the UK

The appointment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire, and the provision of proof of the right to work in the UK.

Data Protection

All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the University’s Data Protection Policy.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications (ten copies, or only one from overseas applicants) should be sent to the Registrar, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD to arrive no later than Monday 7 January 2008.

Applications should be made in the form of a detailed CV and publication list, a covering letter indicating clearly how the candidate meets the selection criteria for the post outlined above, and the names and contact details (postal and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers) of three referees who have agreed to act on this occasion (at least one of whom should be a representative of the candidate’s current or most recent employer). Shortlisted candidates for whom only Oxford references are available will be asked to provide the name of an additional referee from outside Oxford. The University will assume that it is free to approach referees at any stage unless the candidate’s application stipulates otherwise (i.e. candidates who wish a referee or referees to be approached only with their specific permission and/or if they are being called for interview on the final short list or are in receipt of a conditional offer, are asked to state such requirements explicitly alongside the details of the relevant referee(s)).

Interviews will be held on a date to be arranged.