Endowed Chair in Comparative Religion

Yap Kim Hao Chair in Comparative Religious Studies, Yale-NUS College     

Position Description

Yale-NUS College is a liberal arts college of 1000 students, with approximately 100 full-time faculty. The College is a collaboration between the National University of Singapore and Yale University. Yale-NUS students are outstanding, with an acceptance rate of less than 7%, and extremely international, representing over seventy countries. They go through a unique and rigorous Common Curriculum that combines Western and Eastern traditions with contemporary skills.

The College invites applications for an endowed chair in Comparative Religious Studies, at the rank of tenured Professor.

Applicants should have a relevant PhD and be active researchers with a commitment to creative and effective undergraduate teaching and mentoring. The incoming faculty member would join a committed team dedicated to the development and teaching of Humanities, and of Yale-NUS’s flagship Common Curriculum (see http://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/curriculum/common-curriculum).

 Additional details about the position:

The Yap Kim Hao Chair of Comparative Religious Studies is an important post from which to develop the comparative study of religion in Singapore and South-East Asia. The vision of the chair, inspired by Rev. Yap Kim Hao, is one of developing comparative religious studies within the academic purview of Yale-NUS College while promoting intellectual values of pluralism, diversity, tolerance, and the search for truth. The person appointed to this chair will have expertise in one or more religious traditions, function within contemporary discourses of Religious Studies and the Social Sciences about the nature of comparative religion, articulate a vision for the field into the future, and be committed to exploring the relevance of religion in contemporary society. The post entails a teaching commitment to Yale-NUS College and the ability to interact with the wider community beyond the College. The person appointed will be expected to have an extremely strong record of research and academic publications with a clear trajectory and research program into the future.

The person appointed to this position will be expected to:

·    contribute to the educational vision of Yale-NUS College, by working equally between the Common Curriculum (which includes a component of Historical Immersion) and any one or more of the College majors;

·    conduct research in comparative religious studies, with strong interest in the co-existence of religions in the contemporary world, whether specific to South-East Asia or globally;

·      deploy expertise in the primary languages and texts of the religion that has been the main focus of his or her research along with the ability to synthesize knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, and be able to operate at both the level of textual research or fieldwork and the trans-civilisational level of comparative studies;

·     be prepared to work with religious communities in Singapore to develop the cultural and social relevance of comparative religious studies both in the local and the wider context;

·        be responsible to the Director of Humanities in respect of teaching allocation;

·       be committed to teaching 4 courses annually (singly or as part of a team), spread over two semesters. 

The appointee will be expected to begin duties in time for the start of the 2020-2021 academic year (i.e. from July 2020).

Faculty receive salaries that are on par with the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the world, enjoy the benefits of a substantial start-up grant as well as a yearly travel and research allowance, and are able to access additional funding from Yale-NUS, the National University of Singapore, and the Singapore’s Ministry of Education. Most faculty qualify for highly subsidized faculty housing, either on campus or a short walk away. Yale-NUS College is located in Singapore, a multicultural city of six million that is known for its high quality of life and sits at the heart of a vibrant region. 

Application Procedure

Applications should consist of the following: a cover letter explaining why the position at Yale-NUS is of interest; a full curriculum vitae, including a complete list of publications; statements on research interests, teaching experience, and teaching philosophy, including how these might fit with the College’s particular mission and curriculum; names and contact information of three academic referees; and any other documents deemed relevant to the application.

Applications should be submitted via https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/14553   

Review of applications will begin from November 1, 2019 and continue until the position is filled.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

For general enquiries, please email: humanities_division@yale-nus.edu.sg

Equal Opportunity Employer

Yale-NUS College achieves excellence through the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff and by embracing inclusivity, equity, and global engagement. We encourage applications by diverse individuals with a demonstrated commitment to continually support these values. For more information about the College, please visit https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg

Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)

Candidates should understand that by sharing information with Yale-NUS, they authorise the College to use their personal data for the purposes of this application. The College will not use their data for other purposes and ensure that their data remains secure and confidential.