Lecturer

at  University of the Witwatersrand

The Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ) invites applications for the permanent appointment of a Lecturer to start on 1 October 2024 as part of the New Generation of Academics (nGAP) Phase 9 programme.
The New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP) is a prestigious programme under the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) which involves the recruitment of highly capable scholars as new academics. The recruitment of these academics is based on carefully designed and balanced equity considerations and in light of the disciplinary areas of greatest need in the higher education system.
In line with the objectives of the nGAP, preference will be given to South African citizens under 40 years of age who are Black (African, Coloured and Indian), Black female and Black disabled candidates. For more information, visit: https://www.dhet.gov.za/ssauf/ngap.html
The successful candidate will play a central role in teaching and research that is both theoretically well-grounded, and relevant to journalism as a practice at the WCJ.

Responsibilities: The successful candidate will be required to take on teaching, research supervision and academic administration in the Centre, and will be required to:

• lecture and tutor in journalism practice subjects such as reporting, feature writing, investigative and data journalism, media law and ethics or development communication;
• supervise postgraduate journalism students;
• be active in research related to the discipline;
• participate in interdisciplinary research and teaching;
• take on administrative responsibilities flowing from teaching portfolios after the initial developmental phase; and
• take part in the intellectual and public life of the WCJ, School and University.

The candidate will also be expected to make progress in doctoral or postdoctoral work, which he or she will be given time to focus on.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• A Master’s degree in journalism with a 70% average mark.
• Three years working experience in journalism, media production or communications.
• A proven record of academic research ability, preferably in the form of publications.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

The candidate’s research focus should be in the field of journalism studies, and their research trajectory should be in a journalism-related scholarly area, such as (but not limited to) journalism history, data and/or digital journalism, news media and democracy, media economies, journalism and social media, media and climate change, investigative journalism or journalism work.
A record of teaching and the supervision of postgraduate students to completion (or with significant progress) will be an added advantage.
Detailed Description
Job Requirements
Additional Details
How To Apply
To apply, submit a letter of motivation - clearly indicating which position you are applying for, detailed CV and the names and contact details of three referees (incl. e-mail addresses).
APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE: A cover letter indicating the candidate’s research trajectory and reasons for committing to an academic career.
Internal employees are invited to apply directly on Oracle by following the path: iWits /Self Service application/

External applicants are invited to apply, by registering a profile on the Wits i-recruitment platform located at https://irec.wits.ac.za and submitting your application.

• The University is committed to employment equity. Preference may be given to appointable applicants from the under-represented designated groups in terms of the relevant employment equity plans and policies of the University. Designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, as amended, means black people, women and people with disabilities.

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WITS Employment Equity Policy: https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/footer/about-wits/transformation-office/documents/Policy%20-%20Employment%20Equity.pdf

• lecture and tutor in journalism practice subjects such as reporting, feature writing, investigative and data journalism, media law and ethics or development communication;
• supervise postgraduate journalism students;
• be active in research related to the discipline;
• participate in interdisciplinary research and teaching;
• take on administrative responsibilities flowing from teaching portfolios after the initial developmental phase; and
• take part in the intellectual and public life of the WCJ, School and University