Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow

Haverford College; Haverford (Montgomery County); On-site; USD 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Haverford College invites applications for a two-year, full-time Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship to begin Fall 2027. The fellow will engage in a humanistic study of sound and listening, teaching courses across four semesters, and contributing to interdisciplinary conversations on sound culture.

The Fellow will participate in the faculty seminar Acts of Listening, deliver a lecture in the first year, and explore mentorship opportunities in the second year to support professional growth while

Responsibilities

• Participate in the faculty seminar "Acts of Listening" led by Professor Gustavus Stadler (English).
• Teach one course at the intermediate/advanced level during each of the four semesters.
• Deliver a lecture in the spring semester of the first year and pursue mentorship opportunities in the second year.

Job description

Haverford College invites applications for a two-year, full-timePostdoctoral Fellowship to begin Fall 2027.

The John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities atHaverford College invites applications for a two-year, full-timeMellon Postdoctoral Fellowship to begin Fall 2027. We seek ahumanistic scholar of sound studies whose work focuses on thecultural history of listening practices.

Topics of particular interest include: modes of attention; culturalmemory; post-secularity; disability; (un)disciplining the ear;listening as ethical and/or activist practice; professional (e.g.psychoanalytic, medical, juridical) practices of listening. Candidates' work should be fundamentally grounded in sound studiesbut may also draw from a range of fields in the humanities,including history, literary studies, religious studies, performancestudies, gender and sexuality studies, disability studies,Indigenous studies, and area studies (Asian, African, LatinAmerican, and/or American Studies).

During the first year of the program, the Mellon PostdoctoralFellow will participate in the faculty seminar "Acts of Listening"led by Professor Gustavus Stadler (English), which will bringtogether faculty from a variety of fields. Drawing from over acentury of writing in various modalities and disciplines, itexplores practices of audition in diverse cultural and historicalcontexts, across diverse aural phenomena (music, speech, noise,sounds of bodies, sounds of ritual, and more) in diverse spaces(aesthetic, political, therapeutic, pedagogical, and more). Theseminar will explore such questions as: How does listening shapecultural and individual memory? What institutions impact the wayswe listen? Is aural attention different from other forms ofattention? Is it productive to think in terms of an ethics oflistening? What is the relationship between listening and divinity?Listening and intimacy/confession? Is there a post–secular way tolisten?

During each of their four semesters at Haverford College, theFellow will teach one course at the intermediate/advanced level andengage a diverse student body.

The postdoctoral fellow will deliver a lecture in the springsemester of the first year and will pursue mentorship opportunitiesin the second year to support their professional growth. While theFellow is under no obligation to organize any additional activities– they are to focus on their own writing and protect their time –we encourage the Fellow to make use of our proximity toPhiladelphia and engage with artists, activists, and intellectualsin the Greater Philadelphia area.

The fellow will have an office in the interdisciplinary VCAM(Visual Culture Arts and Media) building, the College's 24/7creative hub for students, faculty, staff, and the wider community.Home to Haverford's Visual Studies Program, the HaverfordInnovations Program, and the John B. Hurford '60 Center for theArts and Humanities, VCAM features a host of flexible spaces forteaching and making, including a Film/Media Edit Studio, Maker ArtsSpace, two Create Spaces, Artist Residency Studio, ObjectStudy/Media Production Classroom, and exhibitions spaces.

Questions about the position can be directed to Kelly Jung, at [e-mail] . For technical questions aboutInterfolio, please contact Interfolio directly at 1-877-997-8807 or [e-mail].

Haverford College is a leading liberal arts college located 9 milesfrom the center of Philadelphia. The idyllic residential campus ishome to over 1,400 exceptional undergraduate students who aremotivated by their deep intellectual curiosity, respectfullycollaborative spirit, and commitment to improving the world aroundthem. The diverse neighborhoods comprising the greater Philadelphiaarea are home to many cultural icons and recreational spaces, withdirect public transportation access from Haverford's campus andexcellent access to many cities on the East Coast. Theconcentration of higher education institutions in the regionprovides excellent opportunities for facilitating professionalconnections.

Haverford College strives to maintain an equitable, accessibleand welcoming environment where staff, faculty and students of allbackgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experience can work,learn, and thrive. Haverford College is an equal opportunityemployer and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity,religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin orancestry, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or anyother identity or characteristic protected by law. HaverfordCollege recognizes that we live and work on Lenape land.