Seeking professor of visual communication

Konstfack currently has a vacancy for a professor of visual communication, specialising in illustration and visual storytelling. The university college offers two study programmes within the main field of visual communication: the three-year bachelor’s programme Graphic Design & Illustration (120 credits) and the two-year master’s programme Visual Communication (80 credits). Graphic design and illustration are the two independent main fields of study that coexist at both undergraduate and master level.

The programmes are based on norm-critical perspectives, which involve highlighting and questioning the norms that construct and uphold discriminatory power structures. The master’s programme has a norm-creative specialisation, the only one of its kind. Norm creativity summarises the processes that aim to translate norm critical analysis into practice.

The aim of both programmes is to provide students with the specialist practical and theoretical knowledge and skills that are required to develop an independent, relevant practice within the field of visual communication that is firmly rooted in the contemporary. Students should be able to critically reflect on the cultural, social and economic context they are creating or choose to work in. The programmes prepare students for professional practice in Sweden and internationally and place a major emphasis on creating a secure study environment that is characterised by pluralism and a generous culture of collaboration. The programmes aim to discuss and contribute to an expanded view of visual communication and its contemporary societal role and develop the field’s artistic research environment.

Aside from the programmes’ permanent faculty, which currently consists of nine teachers, two of whom are professors, a number of visiting lecturers are employed to a varying extent. All of the programmes’ permanent faculty are part-time employees and are professionally active within the main field of study in addition to their roles at Konstfack.

Duties
The professor has the overall responsibility for the artistic and pedagogical leadership, i.e. to state objectives, organise and follow-up, and also for the administration of the academic activities in cooperation with the Professor of Graphic Design, teachers and the head of the department. The professor has the everyday responsibility for the two-year master’s programme and delegates the three-year bachelor’s programme to the senior lecturers. The professor participates in admissions and examinations, plans teaching, gives lectures and supports the students’ development through individual discussions, reviews, criticism and tutorials. This entails responsibility for the organisation and administration and for intervening when problems arise, in cooperation with the teachers, student representatives and the head of department. The professor’s work includes teaching and tutoring foreign students as well as representing the field, the programme and Konstfack externally. The education, its tutorials and examinations are held in English on the master’s programme. The professor should engage in the development of the research within the field. As professor of visual communication, specialising in illustration and visual storytelling, you are also expected to develop the main field of study in relation to contemporary and future challenges.

The duties encompass:

Overall artistic and pedagogical responsibility for developing the main field of study together with the Professor of Graphic Design; organisational responsibility for the master’s programme, including planning and conducting teaching; developing and leading courses, primarily as part of the master’s programme within the field; being part of a team; supervision at the master’s level; developing research.    

The position entails personal development work. The job also includes involvement in Konstfack’s collective work, for example in committees. The work will take place at Konstfack in agreement with professors and the head of the department.

The position
The position encompasses 70 per cent of a full-time post for no longer than five years, with the option of renewing for a maximum of another five years. Our goal is to be an equal workplace, with equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for all employees. Duties to begin as soon as possible.

Information
Head of Department Marie-Louise Bowallius can be contacted for further information. HR Administrator Malin Regnby can be contacted for general terms of employment and questions about the appointment process. These persons as well as union representatives can be reached through Konstfack switchboard, T + 46 8 450 41 00.

Please submit your completed application electronically, marked with KF2017/VO2P/11 no later than August 31, 2017.

Konstfack is Sweden’s largest university college of fine art and design, with approximately 900 students and 200 employees. We offer study programmes at bachelor’s and master’s level in fine art, crafts, design and teacher education. What is shared by all our study programmes is that they are based on an artistic foundation. The majority of our teachers are part-time employees and also undertake their own artistic practice alongside their teaching.