Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University Chair Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Structure, goals and context

Transcription

1 Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University Chair Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Structure, goals and context 1. General The chair Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (Antieke en Middeleeuwse Filosofie, AMF) at Utrecht University (UU) is situated at the department of Philosophy and Religious studies within the Faculty of Humanities. As far as research is concerned, the focus of the chair is ancient philosophy. In teaching, the chair encompasses coursework in both ancient and medieval philosophy. The chair consists of a full-time (1.0 fte) appointment (full professorship). The holder of the chair supervises the group for the History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, and directs the research and teaching in this field. The holder of the chair is also qualified and prepared to take on important administrative and/or policy-making responsibilities and positions within the department and the faculty. 2. The research area The research programme, conducted by the group AMF is entitled Historiography of Ancient Philosophy. The focus of the chair s research will therefore have to lie in the field of ancient philosophy. Within the field of Historiography of Ancient Philosophy, AMF at Utrecht has a strong research tradition in the following areas: pre-socratic philosophy, doxography and historiography, Aristotle and Aristotelian traditions in antiquity (with a special focus on the philosophy of nature), Hellenistic philosophy, and the relationship between philosophy and the sciences in antiquity (in the group there is a personal chair ( profileringsleerstoel ) entitled History of ancient medicine ). The group builds its research on a thorough basis in philology, and has a strong track record in producing scholarly editions and translations of source texts. By appointing a new chairholder, the department aims at continuing its strong tradition of studying ancient philosophy; The Utrecht emphasis on the study of ancient philosophy is unique in the Netherlands and within Europe Utrecht has a good reputation for its research tradition of ancient philosophy. and. The exact research profile of the chair will depend on the areas of expertise of the new professor. The holder of the chair will cooperate closely with the chair for the History of Modern Philosophy and will take responsibility, together with the other chairs in philosophy at the UU, for determining the profile of the discipline of philosophy at the UU, both in teaching and in research (see point 4). The holder of the chair is expected to participate actively in one or more of the research focus areas and strategic themes of the UU, in particular in the focus area History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities that is related to the UU s Descartes Centre (DC) for the history and philosophy of the sciences and humanities. Depending on the expertise of the holder of the chair, cooperation should be established with one of the strategic themes of the UU. 3. Teaching The group History of Philosophy is responsible for teaching the history of philosophy within the Bachelor-programme Philosophy ( Wijsbegeerte ) and has an important 1

2 role in a number of Minors (partly interdisciplinary) and in the Honours programme of the UU. The chair AMF expected to teach in the fields of both ancient and medieval philosophy. On Masters level, the group is responsible for teaching in the Research Master programmes Philosophy and Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and in the Master History and Philosophy of Science at the natural science faculty. 4. The situation at Utrecht The chair AMF is situated at the department for Philosophy and Religious Studies. This department is home to three groups in the field of philosophy: - The group Theoretical Philosophy is an important centre for issues related to the foundations of logic, mathematics, and computer science, and for the philosophy of science. - The group Practical Philosophy/Ethics Institute discusses issues in the foundations of ethics, political and social philosophy, and deals with questions concerning applied ethics. - The group History of Philosophy discusses the interpretation of important texts from the history of philosophy, places them in their historical contexts, and addresses the historical dimension inherent in important systematic questions in philosophy. - Within the Faculty of Humanities, a Special Research Chair ( faculteitshoogleraar ) for the Philosophy and History of Science of Antiquity has been created. The holder of this chair is presently the Dean of the Faculty. - Together, these groups take care of teaching philosophy at the UU. We aim for an intense cooperation between the groups. This has resulted in a close interaction between the groups; the groups cooperate successfully in both teaching and research. The research of the chair AMF is also part of the university-wide research focus area History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities. Further options for cooperation within the UU exist, for instance, via the strategic theme Institutions. Intensifying these forms of cooperation is strongly desired. Within this general context, the chair AMF will have immediate contact with the following chairs: Ancient Philosophy and Medicine, Faculty for Humanities (prof. dr. T. L. Tieleman) History of Modern Philosophy, Faculty for Humanities (prof. dr. P. Ziche) Philosophical Ethics, Faculty for Humanities (prof. dr. M. Düwell) Theoretical Philosophy, Faculty for Humanities (prof. dr. D. Cohnitz) Ancient History and Ancient Culture, Faculty for Humanities (prof. dr. J. Blok) History of Science, Natural Science Faculty (prof. dr. B. Theunissen) History of Mathematics, Natural Science Faculty (prof. dr. J. Hoogendijk) A close cooperation has been established with the research programmes in ancient philosophy at the universities of Leiden and Leuven. Together with the group AMF at Utrecht, these programmes form the core of research in the field of ancient philosophy in the Netherlands and in Belgium. 2

3 5. National and international situation The (history of) ancient philosophy forms a traditional core area within research and teaching in philosophy. Not at all universities in the Netherlands, however, has this field been established as an autonomous and clearly profiled sub-discipline within philosophy. Utrecht s AMF-group is the largest group in this field in the Netherlands. The two other chairs in this field are situated at the University of Leiden and at the Free University Amsterdam: The University Leiden houses a chair in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (Prof. dr. F.A.J. de Haas). This chair is embedded in the research cluster Philosophy of Knowledge: The Universal, the Global and the Local. Within this cluster, the chair at Leiden cooperates with the University of Nijmegen (chair Philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Prof. dr. P.J.J. M. Bakker). The chair in Leiden has a focus on (late) antiquity. The chair for Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at the Free University Amsterdam (Prof. dr. W. Goris) is part of this university s group for historical philosophy. This chair has a clear focus in medieval philosophy. The chairs History of Philosophy (prof. dr. C. H. Lüthy), Philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (prof. dr. P. J. J. M. Bakker) and Modern Philosophy (prof. dr. C. R. Palmerino) at the Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen study the Middle Ages and later periods in the history of philosophy. The University of Amsterdam, the University Tilburg, the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Groningen have no chairs in the field of ancient philosophy. Within the cooperative Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archeology (Free University and University of Amsterdam), a special chair for ancient philosophy is planned. At the Catholic University at Leuven, the Higher Institute for Philosophy (Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte) houses the Wulf-Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy. Three professors and an assistant professor form the core staff of this centre; the centre also coordinates the activities of a large number of junior researchers. Together with Leuven, Utrecht is the most important centre for historical research in ancient philosophy within the Dutch-language area. Given the importance of ancient philosophy for the development of philosophy and of the sciences in later periods, the field of ancient philosophy plays an important role in a large number of universities in Europe and beyond Europe. The relevant research universities in the English speaking academic world frequently even have several chairs in this field. 6. Profile of the holder of the chair The professor is expected to direct the research and teaching in the field of ancient and medieval philosophy at the UU. Has a good command of the history of ancient and medieval philosophy in its entire scope. Has clear research foci relating to important themes and authors within ancient philosophy, and is able to initiate and conduct excellent and internationally acclaimed research programmes in this area. Futhers the cohesion of the group AMF. 3

4 Further develops/strengthens the cooperation with other groups within the department. Takes an active role within the focus areas and/or strategic themes of the UU. Directs, and participates in, the teaching of the history of philosophy in the Bachelor programme Philosophy, in the Research Master Philosophy, as well as in the Master History and Philosophy of Science. Has the capacity to teach in the field of ancient as well as medieval philosophy. Has experience in administrative and managerial functions. Is able and prepared to fulfil important administrative and policy-making responsibilities and positions within the department and the faculty. 7. Required qualifications Research Has a thorough knowledge in the field of ancient philosophy. Is an excellent senior researcher, publishing regularly in the relevant journals and in volumes edited by the important academic publishers. Has shown the ability to set up her/his own innovating line of research. Has successfully coached young researchers, in particular for D.phil.-students. Is capable of international and interdisciplinary cooperation both within the field of philosophy and beyond this field. Is able to develop, solicit and obtain large (inter)national research grants. Teaching Is a motivating and dedicated lecturer capable of teaching both ancient and medieval philosophy on all levels. Is capable of developing innovative forms of teaching, both in the teaching of philosophy and in interdisciplinary teaching. Can cater for the relevant coursework in the Bachelor- and Master-programmes specified above. Preferably has experience in teaching abroad. Is able and prepared to teach in Dutch and English (candidates from abroad are expected to master the Dutch language within two years after appointment). Cooperation Is able to supervise and lead the group AMF in an inspiring way. Is able to engage in, and to further develop, cooperation networks within the department, with other groups in the faculty and the university, and with the focus areas / strategic themes of the UU. Provides input for the national research schools (OIKOS, Research School Philosophy). Is capable of maintaining and further developing cooperation networks. Has an active role in international fora in the field of ancient philosophy. Can position and make visible his/her research and the research of the staff members on an international level. Management 4

5 Is capable of fulfilling (within an adequate period of time) important administrative and managerial positions within the department and the faculty. Can demonstrate that he/she has the communicative and organisational skills required for this position. Is a team player with managerial skills. 8. Qualification system for teaching and research at the UU The UU observes a system of qualifications for teaching and research. This means that besides a Ph.D. in a relevant field the Senior qualification research and the Senior qualification teaching are required. Candidates from abroad who do not have these qualifications can submit a portfolio demonstrating their teaching achievements, and a portfolio with their research achievements. On this basis, the Dean can decide to convey the Senior qualifications prior to the appointment of the candidate. 5