[Job] Postdoc in Korean Family in Comparative Perspective (KFCP) , University of Illinois

The 5-year Korean Family in Comparative Perspective (KFCP) Laboratory for the Globalization of Korean Studies at the University of Illinois, funded by the Academy of Korean Studies, and housed in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, is pleased to announce a KFCP Postdoctoral Fellowship starting August 16, 2011. This one-year position, with the possibility of a one-year extension, is open to: (1) recent PhD recipients (within the last 3 years) and (2) those who will deposit their dissertation by August 15, 2011.

The KFCP Laboratory aims to bring the Korean family to the center of comparative East Asian and general family studies, highlighting Korea as a productive comparative case of interest to non-Koreanists across a range of disciplines and scholarly locations. KFCP Fellows must be scholars interested in comparative work on the Korean family. Scholars with primary expertise in the family of other East Asian countries (e.g., China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan) are particularly welcomed to apply. Scholars with primary research emphasis on the Koreas must have a concrete plan to conduct comparative research (i.e., with another country/region). The postdoctoral fellowship is open to scholars in any humanities or social science discipline.

The KFCP Laboratory is directed by anthropologist Nancy Abelmann and includes 3 KFCP Laboratory Fellows: Jungwon Kim (EALC and History, University of Illinois), Seung-Kyung Kim (Women’s Studies, University of Maryland), and Hyunjoon Park (Sociology, University of Pennsylvania).

The Postdoctoral Fellow will be welcomed to an active Koreanist community at the University of Illinois that includes a biweekly Korea Workshop (that will actively engage the themes of the Laboratory). The KFCP Fellow will be provided the opportunity to participate in organizing a Korean Family Colloquium Series which graduate students will be able to attend for partial credit. The KFCP Laboratory will be guided by a National Advisory Board (See list below). KFCP Laboratory Director, Fellows, and National Board Members will take an active role in nurturing the comparative scholarship of the Postdoctoral Fellow. The Postdoctoral fellow will also have the opportunity to “workshop” his or her manuscript/s with experts from both on and off campus.

The KFCP Fellow will be paid $40,000 including benefits and some funds for domestic research-related travel.

Application deadline: February 25, 2011
Please submit electronically http://go.illinois.edu/KFCP_Application

Applications must include:

  1. A cover letter reviewing your research history, including your dissertation and other publications.
  2. A statement of interest in the Korean family in comparative perspective, including a publication plan that includes the submission of one article for each postdoctoral year (OR a single- or co-authored book manuscript) (this can be integrated into the cover letter).
  3. A statement of commitment to active participation in KFCP Laboratory events, including the Korean Family Colloquium Series (this can be a simple statement in the cover letter).
  4. One writing sample, 25-40 pages.
  5. Contact information for three referees who can speak to your scholarly work and abilities and to the feasibility of your research and publications plans for comparative work on the Korean family. Referees will be contacted electronically and asked to submit their letters.

Please address inquires to slcl-hr@illinois.edu

The University of Illinois is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).

KFCP National Advisory Board
Mary Brinton, Reischauer Institute Professor of Sociology, Chair, Department of Sociology
Nicole Constable, Professor, Anthropology, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, University of Pittsburgh
Frank F. Furstenberg, Zellerbach Family Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
Emily Hannum, Associate Professor of Sociology and Education, University of Pennsylvania
Ishida Hiroshi, Professor, Institute of Social Science, Tokyo University
Jae-kyung Lee, Professor, Women’s Studies, Ewha Womans University
Katherine S. Newman, James B. Knapp Dean of The Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Professor, Sociology, The John Hopkins University
Judith Stacey, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University.
Kathleen Uno, Professor and Director, Asian Studies Program, Temple University
Johanna L. Waters, Professor, Geography, University of Liverpool
Martin Whyte, Professor, Sociology, Harvard University