PRR Project

Summary

Job description NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH) seeks to expand its academic staff by appointing an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences. The selected candidate will teach at the Department of Communication Sciences, will develop a research agenda as an active member of Instituto de Filosofia da Nova (IFILNOVA) and will contribute to the development of NOVA FCSH strategic line on Media, Communication and Language. In the last 10 years, Argumentation developed as an important field of studies simultaneously in the Department of Communication Sciences and in IFILNOVA. IFILNOVA’s research lines involve the study of formal languages and the development of conceptual tools from an argumentative, cognitive, linguistic and logical perspectives, lines that are pursued at the ArgLab – Laboratory of Argumentation, Cognition and Language. These lines are not limited to theoretical research but aim also to apply philosophical theories to social practices and problems, prioritizing the role of values in human action. Given this overall strategic aim of using logical and other formal tools to investigate the language, meaning, reasoning and argumentation, it is crucial for IFILNOVA and for the Department of Communication Sciences to ensure the hiring of a candidate with a solid scientific background in the field of Argumentation with a complementary expertise of Political Argumentation. The candidate should have a comprehensive view of this field and be able to teach in this domain at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Scientific profile Candidates should present high level expertise in Argumentation, particularly in Political Argumentation. Preference will be given to a scientific profile that reveals i) solid knowledge of this area of specialization; ii) theoretic ability to pursue philosophical reflection on the applicability of logic and philosophy of language to societal issues; iii) theoretic engagement with contemporary views of Political Argumentation. Thus, we are looking for a candidate with an excellent curriculum, who: (i) has a PhD in Humanities, Communication Sciences, or any other field that involves specialisation in Logic and Argumentation; (ii) has an excellent record of international publications in indexed journals and book chapters; (iii) has played an active role in research projects, is or has been part of international projects in the research area described above and therefore shows that is capable of forming fruitful collaborations with other researchers or institutions, demonstrating capacity to develop research projects in the future and attract external funding; (iv) has a solid track record of teaching courses in the area of specialization at different levels, graduate and postgraduate; (v) shows abilities for undertaking managerial or scientific coordination activities, as well as (vi) engaging in scientific referee work, evaluation committees and organization of scientific events. Rationale The recruitment of an Associate Professor of Communication Science in Argumentation with a complementary expertise in Political Argumentation is scientifically relevant for the Research Unit IFILNOVA, the Department of Communication Sciences and NOVA FCSH. IFILNOVA’s main goal is to develop research focused on the philosophical investigation of values. Among other perspectives, it promotes research on the foundations and understanding of natural languages, including their characterization, formalization and conceptual engineering, with a focus on the application of such tools to current debates in society. An Associate Professor working in Argumentation with a complementary expertise in Political Argumentation will consolidate IFILNOVA’s long term investigation in this field and be a major addition to the teaching staff of the Department of Communication Sciences.