Postdoctoral Fellowship in Critical Classical Studies

Description

The Department of Classics at Brown University invites applications for two (2) two-year, non-renewable Postdoctoral Fellowships in Critical Classical Studies to begin July 1, 2025. We seek junior colleagues with terminal degrees (either Ph.D. or MFA) whose work directly addresses the classicization of the Ancient Greeks and Romans; critiques the structures of power, exclusion, erasure, and violence that have scaffolded past and present models of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies (i.e. Classics); and/or speculates about alternative models to studying these ancient cultures and others. Successful applicants will be appointed as Postdoctoral Research Associates.

The Fellowship is open to areas of research and creative practice not traditionally housed within Ancient Greek and Roman Studies (e.g. art, film, creative writing, translation studies, political science, language pedagogy, higher education studies, public humanities, museum studies, indigenous studies, decolonial studies, performance or performance history, music) and to more traditional subfields (e.g. art history, literary studies/philology, archaeology,  ancient history, philosophy, reception studies). Ideal candidates position their work's intervention in relation to other disciplines, fields, institutions, and/or industries. They prioritize making contributions to academic, artistic, and/or activist communities. The work can take the form of traditional scholarship (e.g. monographs and articles) or be pedagogical, public-facing, creative, or otherwise trans/inter/extra-disciplinary. 

The fellows selected in this competition will join fellows already in residence and form a community committed to refining methodologies well established at Brown and in the field as well as to co-developing new approaches to Ancient Greek and Roman cultures.

Brown University seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, viewpoints, and ways of knowing, learning, and creating. Therefore, the Department of Classics particularly welcomes applications from members of groups that have been minoritized and underrepresented in academia. A required application form asks every applicant to summarize their approach to and experience in creating equitable, diverse, and inclusive communities. This history might include academic teaching, mentoring, and service, activism, or other forms of community engagement and leadership.

In lieu of formal teaching responsibilities, fellows will be given the time and  support necessary to complete their projects during the fellowship term and to share those projects with communities on and off-campus. Each fellow should expect to host one departmental event (e.g. lecture, symposium, performance, screening) and one informal event (e.g. workshop, interview, open rehearsal, table read, write-on-site) that prioritize graduate students in the Department of Classics each academic year. They will also participate in regular cohort-building and mentoring activities.

Each fellow will earn a salary of $65,000 in year 1 and $70,000 in year 2. In addition to a full benefits package, each fellow will receive a research fund of $10,000 and access to a shared office space. Fellows are expected to be in residence for the full term of the fellowship and, if applicable, will receive a $3,000 moving allowance to ease the burden of relocation.

 

Qualifications

Applicants must have received their terminal degree  (Ph.D. or MFA) in one of the fields listed above within the last five years (excluding career breaks, medical leaves, parental leaves, etc.) or have the degree in hand by the start of the fellowship term, July 1, 2025.

Holders of Brown doctoral and MFA degrees are not eligible to apply.

 

Application Instructions

A complete application should be submitted by January 10th in order to receive full consideration, but the search will remain open until the position is filled. A complete application includes:

The online application form;

A max. 500-word project description/précis/artist's statement;

A curriculum vitae;

A writing sample of 20-25 pages or equivalent (e.g. an article, a portfolio, a script, an excerpt, a video of a performance, a short film, a critical translation or commentary with translator's preface).

Letters of recommendation will be requested at the second stage of the search process; they should not be included at this time.

Any questions should be directed towards the chair of the Fellowship Search Committee, Dr. Sasha-Mae Eccleston.

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