Job Description

The Contemporary China Studies Programme (CCSP) at Oxford School of Global Area Studies is seeking to appoint a full-time, one year fixed-term Departmental Lecturer in Contemporary Chinese Society from September 2025.

About the Role:

The successful candidate will lecture, tutor, supervise, examine, and handle course administration for postgraduate students as well as contribute to the wider intellectual life of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies. They will also have the opportunity to conduct independent research.

Their main duties include providing cover for postgraduate teaching on the MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies and the MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies for the core course, as well as contributing to teaching on the MPhil in Global and Area Studies. This encompasses qualitative methods teaching (lectures, classes and workshops) as well as setting, marking and providing feedback on all qualitative take-home assignments, and optional teaching, supervision for master's dissertations -primarily for students from the MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies and the MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies and additional supervision for the MPhil in Global and Area Studies, and examining tasks (marking course exams, assignments and dissertations).

Expertise in any discipline relevant to contemporary Chinese society is required, along with a suitable research record appropriate to the career stage.

Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) is one of the largest communities of Area Studies scholars anywhere in the world. This vibrant and dynamic University department has research and teaching programmes dedicated to Africa, China, Latin America, the Middle East, Japan, Russia and Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Comparative Area Studies. The School welcomes students from all around the globe and offers seven MSc Degrees, six MPhil degrees, a DPhil in Area Studies, as well as the Oxford 1+1 MBA with Said Business School.

About You:

The ideal candidate should possess or be near completion of a PhD in sociology, anthropology, human geography, development studies, politics, or area studies (social sciences) that pertains to contemporary Chinese society with evidence that relevant doctoral thesis will be submitted by the starting date of the post.

To be successful in this role, you must exhibit a capacity to use Chinese language materials in research, and a track record of publishing high-quality research in international journals and presses reflecting your career stage. Also, commitment to teaching and an ability to contribute effectively to the teaching of graduate students in Contemporary China Studies and Global and Area Studies and to your own professional development will be crucial.

How to Apply:

Applications are to be submitted via Oxford University's website. Please click on the "Apply Now" button and follow the application instructions. You will be asked to upload a CV, including details of relevant publications, the details of three referees and a supporting statement outlining how you meet the selection criteria including your research plans and teaching experience. We request that candidates do not submit any published work at this stage.

Further details regarding the application process and information on how to apply can be found in the attached job description.

For informal academic inquiries, please contact Professor Denise van der Kamp, Director of the Contemporary China Studies Programme, denise.vanderkamp@area.ox.ac.uk . For any administrative, recruitment or visa questions that are not academic in nature, please contact the HR Team at recruitment@area.ox.ac.uk . All inquiries will be treated confidentially.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse academic environment. Applications are particularly encouraged from women, black, and minority ethnic candidates, who are underrepresented in academic posts at Oxford.
The University is committed to fairness, consistency and transparency in selection decisions. Members of selection committees will be aware of the principles of equality of opportunity, fair selection and the risks of bias. There will be both female and male committee members wherever possible.

If, for any reason, a candidate has taken a career break or has had an atypical career and wishes to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognising that research output may be reduced as a result.

The University of Oxford is committed to fostering an inclusive culture, which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its staff and students are respected. We recognise that the broad range of experiences that a diverse staff and student body brings strengthens our research and enhances our teaching, and that in order for Oxford to remain a world-leading institution we must continue to provide a diverse, inclusive, fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

The University is a member of the Athena SWAN Charter to promote women in Science, Engineering, Technology and Medicine and the College supports the Race and Equality commitments made by the University. The University holds an Athena SWAN silver award at institutional level, and OSGA holds a bronze Athena Swan award, conferred in January 2022, to recognize good practice in promoting gender equality in higher education.

If you, as an applicant, require reasonable adjustments to be made in the interview process, please do reach out and discuss this with our HR team. We will do our best to facilitate and accommodate reasonable adjustments.

The closing date

for applications is 12.00 noon (UK time)

on Wednesday 18th June 2025.

Interviews

are expected to be held online via Teams on

Monday 14th July 2025.