Senior Lecturer: Media Studies at University of the Western Cape/Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland

Role Clarification & Key Performance Areas

• The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of the Western Cape has a vacancy for a suitably qualified candidate for the post of SENIOR LECTURER. The faculty houses departments and centres with wide-ranging approaches to Media Studies. The faculty is seeking to establish a new interdisciplinary BA Honours programme in Media Studies, which will be located in one of these units. This programme aims to develop students who can enter the media world as both critical thinkers and content producers, who will be both technologically proficient and innovative, and committed to social justice. This would be a distinctive transdisciplinary programme with a focus on digital media, contextualized within the country’s current needs. The aim of the programme would be to develop critical media practitioners, who have the confidence and technical know-how to engage with rapidly changing technologies, and to act as creative and critical producers of content in a variety of contexts. 

The successful candidate at the level of SENIOR LECTURER will be expected to:

• Teach courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Media Studies, and provide leadership in learning and teaching;
• Supervise postgraduate Honours, Masters and PhD students in Media Studies and related fields;
• Serve on a range of committees and contribute to administrative duties at a departmental and/or faculty level e.g. module/course co-ordination, representation on departmental and faculty committees. 
• Establish and maintain community outreach activities in a media related field, consistent with the University’s Institutional Operating Plan. 
• Partner with institutional stakeholders to source external research funding from national and international agencies and government bodies to support the needs of the programme and provide some bursaries for students.
• Engage with different role players and stakeholders (e.g. staff, students, media industry) to conceptualise the curriculum for a BA Honours in Media Studies;
• Prepare the relevant HEQC documentation with institutional planning bodies and take the proposal through the various regulatory committees to registration and delivery; 
• Liaise with the faculty administration to market the programme, manage the student selection process and ensure that the administration of the course is effectively carried out;
• Generate internships for students with industry and community media houses;
• Conduct research in media studies or a related field, in order to leverage their research standing to enhance the profile of proposed programme.

Minimum Requirements

• A PhD in Media Studies or a related field;
• At least 4-5 publications in accredited/refereed journals and/or books published on reputable presses, or equivalent recognised outputs, OR an average of 1 article/unit OR equivalent recognised output per year for the previous 5 years;
• Conference papers delivered;
• Evidence of successful Master’s supervision (at least 2 successfully completed);
• Experience of teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate at university level (3-5 years);
• Experience in curriculum development and innovation;
• Experience in community outreach activities/community engagement in a media related field; 
• An in-depth understanding of the socio-political issues facing the world of media in South Africa at present;
• Knowledge of developments in contemporary/critical media studies and different mediatised platforms.