PhD-position Aspects of Inclusive Language in French

at  Universiteit van Amsterdam

PhD-position Aspects of Inclusive Language in French
Faculteit/Dienst: Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen
Opleidingsniveau: Master
Functie type: Wetenschappelijk Personeel
Sluitingsdatum: 2 September 2024
Vacaturenummer: 13316
Are you looking for a challenging position in a dynamic setting? The Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC) currently has a vacant PhD position as part of the Starting Grant ‘Inclusive language in French: challenges for L2-education?’, led by principal investigator Dr. T.J.T. (Thom) Westveer. The ACLC is one of the five Research Schools within the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR).
The ACLC prioritises diversity (taken in a holistic sense, e.g., ethnicity, social and/or linguistic background, gender, sexuality) and is committed to creating an inclusive research environment. The vision of the ACLC is to solve scientific and societal problems in the broad field of language and communication through a focus on variability in language and the causes and constraints thereon.
To realise the vision, researchers in the ACLC investigate language within its cognitive, communicative and physiological contexts, and with due regard for the diversity of languages and modalities. An integrative and inclusive ethos guides the investigation, inviting collaboration across different and competing paradigms and methods.

YOUR EXPERIENCE AND PROFILE

Candidates need to have the following qualifications:

• a completed Master’s degree in (French) linguistics (or in French language & culture with a focus on linguistics). You may apply if you have not yet completed your Master’s degree only if you provide a signed letter from your supervisor stating that you will graduate before 01 November 2024;
• excellent research skills demonstrated by an outstanding Master’s thesis and a demonstrable capacity to develop a track record of publishing in high-ranking journals and/or with leading presses;
• a strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research;
• enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences;
• good command of English and French

Good command of Dutch is a plus, as is experience in psycholinguistic experiments and/or L2-acquisition.
Please note that if you already hold a doctorate/PhD or are working towards obtaining a similar degree elsewhere, you will not be admitted to a doctoral programme at the UvA.

ABOUT US

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 42,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.
The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in de field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

JOB APPLICATION

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online . We will accept applications until 02 September 2024.

Your application should include the following information:

• a motivation letter, in which you explain how your profile fits the described project;
• an academic CV;
• a list of all Master-level modules you have taken, with an official transcript of grades;
• a 1000-1200 word description (excluding references) in English of one of the subparts mentioned in the job description (e.g., corpus study, psycholinguistic experiment, sociolinguistic survey), showing how you would approach such a method;
• the names and email addresses of two references, including your advisor, who may be approached by the selection committee.

Please submit the required information in 1 pdf by uploading in the required field ‘CV’.
The first round of interviews will be held in the course of mid-September.
The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.
No agencies please.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

The ongoing societal discussions on equal representation of genders in language led to the creation of several forms of inclusive language for French. This growing awareness of inclusive language also becomes increasingly more relevant in the context of French L2 education: while learners may want to learn forms of inclusive language in their L2, the pedagogy of such linguistic innovations presents challenges because their integration affects the grammar in various ways.
First, it is not immediately clear what forms of inclusive language should be included in the L2 curriculum, as there is considerable variation across French-speaking communities within the francophone world and there are no clear guidelines yet. Second, there are questions on the impact of inclusive language on L2 learning: the French gender system is often perceived as difficult to acquire, and the grammar of inclusive language could potentially make the task for learners even harder.
In order to successfully integrate inclusive language into the French L2 classroom, we need more substantial knowledge about all aspects related to inclusive language in the Francophone world. This is where your PhD project comes in. You will combine different methodologies to address the following points: (i) the use of inclusive language forms by speakers of French from Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland) and Francophone Africa, (ii) the influence of inclusive language on text processing (i.e., reading and comprehension), and (iii) the attitudes of L1 and L2 speakers of French about inclusive language.
We expect you to conduct fieldwork and corpus studies on inclusive language in Francophone Europe and Francophone Africa, and to design and carry out psycholinguistic experiments on text processing (in cooperation with specialists from the ACLC), as well as sociolinguistic surveys.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• submission of a PhD thesis within the period of appointment;
• participating in meetings of the project research group and developing a shared database;
• publishing three peer-reviewed (co-authored) articles;
• presenting intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;
• organising knowledge dissemination activities, as well as publishing a co-authored popular scientific publication intended for teachers of French;
• (Co-)teaching courses at the BA-level in the 2nd and 3rd year of the appointment (max. 0,2FTE per year);
• participation in the Research School and Faculty of Humanities PhD training programmes.