Friday 29 January 2016

PETITION TO SAVE ANCIENT GREEK IN COPENHAGEN


 
This week, we are in the unfortunate position of having to inform you of two worrisome developments that call for both our attention and our action.

 
PETITION TO SAVE ANCIENT GREEK IN COPENHAGEN

Firstly, we would like to make you aware of the threat to smaller study programmes, including Ancient Greek, at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Barbara Borg, Lynette Mitchell, Daniel Ogden, Robin Osborne, Robert Parker, and Peter Rhodes, who have collectively launched a petition for the preservation of the study of Ancient Greek, give the following background information on the matter:

“The Copenhagen Department of Greek and Latin is the largest and the premier department for the study of Classical subjects in Denmark, and one of the world’s most distinguished Classics depts. In recent times alone it has hosted M.H. Hansen’s Polis project and S. Ebbesen’s projects on the Aristotelian tradition (the latest manifestations only of a great tradition: in the nineteenth century Copenhagen was home to J.N. Madvig and K. Hude). The department also offers vital support to Copenhagen’s Department of History, home to V. Gabrielsen’s Associations project. All of the Greek and Latin Department’s current permanent staff have published on the Greek side.

The new Danish government has cut the funding of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Humanities by a fifth (125M kroner), leading the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Ulf Hedetoft, to initiate the closure of the 13 ‘uneconomic’ undergraduate degree programmes the Faculty currently offers, including Ancient Greek. It has already been decided that the undergraduate programme in Ancient Greek will admit no students in 2016, whilst further stock is taken. A number of options remain under consideration, including the complete and final closure of the programme or the restriction of it to biennial entry only from 2017 onwards. Needless to say, the abolition or diminution of Greek will put extreme pressure on the related degree programmes for Latin and Classical Archaeology, on the teaching of Classical subjects in other Danish universities too, and indeed on the provision of these subjects in Danish high schools, which depend upon the universities to supply them with teachers. “
The petitioners as well as FIEC invite you to consider signing the petition which aims at saving the study programme of Ancient Greek in its current state:
Please follow the link in order to read and sign the petition
Please note that the petitioners ask you, if applicable, to “supply your academic title and/or post in the ‘name’ box, but note that the box does not accept commas (hyphens offer a crude alternative).”
In case you would like to get more information on the matter, you may follow this link.

 
DANGER TO ITALIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

Secondly, we need to inform you of an alarming development taking place in Italy:

The Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage is planning on implementing major structural reforms. This would include the closure of all local Archaeological Heritage Offices by merging them with those offices dedicated to territory and artistic heritage. There is compelling reason to fear that this reform would put the safeguarding of archaeological heritage at risk. 

In fact, it would strike a dramatically severe blow to the Italian system of the protection and promotion of Cultural Heritage whose efficiency and functionality has already been considerably reduced in recent years.

Therefore, we would like you to consider signing the petition opposing the reforms planned by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage

Sunday 10 January 2016

14 PHD POSITIONS TO START IN AUGUST 2016 AND PRE-DOCTORAL POSITIONS IN VIENNA

We would like to make you aware of the following offer:

“The Marie Curie ITN HHFDWC (“The History of Human Freedom and Dignity in Western Civilization”) – a collaboration between 6 universities and 9 non-academic partner organizations across Europe – invites applications for 14 full-time, three-year Early Stage Researcher (ESR) positions. The ITN offers an interdisciplinary environment and an innovative training program that allows the ESRs to obtain specialist knowledge of a specific research topic as well as transferable skills that can be used in non-academic institutions.”

In its investigation of the history of human freedom and dignity, the project is particularly concerned with the continual reception of Origen of Alexandria.
Please note that the deadline for applications is said to be slightly flexible so that you may still regard this as a valid offer. Nevertheless, please apply as soon as possible in case you are interested. Follow the link to see all the relevant information including the full description of the programme as well as an overview over the individual PhD projects.

PRE-DOCTORAL POSITION IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA

What is more, we would like to let you know that the Department of Ancient History, Papyrology, and Epigraphy of the University of Vienna is offering a position to pre-doctoral applicants. The exact fields of research are Ancient History and Papyrology.


Please take note of the fact that the deadline for applications is the 19th of January 2016. For further information in both German and English, see here.

Sunday 3 January 2016

REMINDER: AIA & SCS ANNUAL MEETING

There are two pieces of information we would like to share with you this week.

Firstly, we would like to remind you of the fact that the AIA (Archaeological Institute of America) and the SCS (the Society for Classical Studies) are going to hold their joint annual meeting from the 6th to the 9th of January in San Francisco. Please follow the link in order to see all the relevant information including the preliminary schedule of the event.

JOB OPENING IN PROTESTANT THEOLOGY, BONN, GERMANY

Secondly, we would like to announce to you that the Faculty of Protestant Theology of Bonn University is offering a full-time position of Research Associate within the scope of their long-term project “Die Akten des Konzils von Ephesus 431. Übersetzung, Einleitung, Kommentar und Register” (“The records of the Council of Ephesus 431. Translation, Introduction, Commentary, and Index”). The main task of the researcher will thus be to translate the Latin material into German and to write the corresponding commentary.
Please read the full job description below. Note that the deadline for applications is the 31st of January 2016.

Lastly, we would like to thank all our readers for their interest in our blog: We will continue bringing you up-to-date news of international importance in the field of classical studies throughout next year.
Today, we would like to wish you a joyous holiday season and all the best for 2016.


 “Im dem von der DFG geförderten Langzeitprojekt

„Die Akten des Konzils von Ephesus 431. Übersetzung, Einleitung, Kommentar und
Register“

an der Evangelisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität
Bonn (Abt. Kirchengeschichte / Lehrstuhl Prof. Dr. Wolfram Kinzig)
soll zum frühestmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine Stelle als

Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in (100%)

besetzt werden. Die Stelle ist zunächst auf 36 Monate befristet, eine Verlängerungsoption
wird angestrebt.

Zu den Aufgaben des Mitarbeiters/der Mitarbeiterin gehört die Übersetzung und
Kommentierung der lateinischen Akten in der maßgeblichen Edition durch Eduard Schwartz
(Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum). Die Möglichkeit der Einarbeitung wird gegeben.

Einstellungsvoraussetzungen:

− abgeschlossenes wissenschaftliches Hochschulstudium in den Fächern Klassische
Philologie (Latinistik) und evtl. Theologie;
− mit mindestens magna cum laude (oder äquivalent) abgeschlossene Promotion in
Latinistik, vorzugsweise zu einem Thema aus der (christlichen) Spätantike;
− Interesse an theologiegeschichtlichen Fragestellungen;
− deutsche Muttersprache;
− sicherer Umgang mit den gängigen Computer-Anwendungen;
− Freude an der Mitarbeit in einem internationalen Team aus Theologen und Philologen
unterschiedlicher Konfessionen.

Die Möglichkeit zur (externen) Habilitation in Klassischer Philologie oder ggfs. in
Kirchengeschichte ist gegeben.

Die Vergütung erfolgt nach E 13 TV-L.

Bewerbungen sind mit Anschreiben, Lebenslauf, Zeugnissen und Publikationsliste bis zum
31.01.2016 per mail zu senden an Prof. Dr. Wolfram Kinzig (kinzig@uni-bonn.de).

Auskünfte erteilt der Arbeitsstellenleiter Herr Dr. Thomas Brüggemann

HARDT FOUNDATION AT AIA & SCS ANNUAL MEETING

Please take note of the following information published by the Hardt Foundation:

“The FrenchSchool at Athens, the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, the Hardt Foundation for the Study of Classical Antiquity in Vandœuvres, near Geneva, in collaboration with Melissa, the Athenian publishing house, will present their activities and publications at the AIA & SCS Joint Annual Meeting at the Hilton Hotel International, San Francisco, January 6 - 9, 2016. Their booths will be situated together in the exhibition hall.
A joint reception will be given at swissnex San Francisco (730 Montgomery,Jackson & Washington) on Thursday, January 7th 2016 from 7:00 pm until 10:30 pm.


For more information, please contact: efa_fh_esag_melissa@yahoo.com