[Commlist] Call for Applications - Twelve PhD positions at the Research Training Group "Configurations of Film"

The German Research Foundation has awarded funding to the Research 
Training Group “Configurations of Film” (GRK 2279) housed at the 
Institute of Theater, Film and Media Studies at Goethe University. 
Starting on July 1st, 2020, up to twelve

PhD positions
(E13, 65% part time)

will be financed. The positions are limited to 18 months (with a 
possible extension for another 18 months). The salary grade is based on 
the job characteristics of the collective agreement applicable to Goethe 
University (TV-G-U).

The Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main is one of the 
largest universities in Germany with around 48.000 students and with 
about 5.000 employees. Founded in 1914 by Frankfurt citizens and since 
2008 once again proud of its foundation status Goethe University 
possesses a high degree of autonomy, modernity and professional 
diversity. As a comprehensive university, the Goethe University offers a 
total of 16 departments and 100 degree programs along with an 
outstanding research reputation.

Tasks:
Scalable across a variety of formats and standardized in view of global 
circulation almost from the beginning, the moving image has always been 
both an image of movement and an image on the move. Over the last three 
decades, digital production technologies, communication networks and 
distribution platforms have taken the scalability and mobility of film 
to a new level. Beyond the classical dispositive of the cinema, new 
forms and knowledge of cinema and film have emerged, challenging the 
established approaches to the study of film. The conceptual framework of 
index, dispositive and canon, which defined cinema as photochemical 
image technology with a privileged bond to reality, a site of public 
projection, and a set of works from auteurs from specific national 
origins, can no longer account for the current multitude of moving 
images and the trajectories of their global movements. The term 
“post-cinema condition,” which was first proposed by film theorists more 
than a decade ago to describe the new cultural and technological order 
of moving images, retained an almost melancholic attachment to that 
which the cinema no longer was. Moving beyond such attachments, the 
concept of “configurations of film” aims to account for moving images in 
terms of their operations, forms and formats, locations and 
infrastructures, expanding the field of cinematic knowledge beyond the 
arts and the aesthetic, while retaining a focus on film as a privileged 
site for the production of cultural meaning, for social action and for 
political conflict in the 21st century. The applicants’ projects should 
address topics related to the program’s three research areas 
“Formation”, “Usage” and “Localization.” Further information about the 
program's research objectives can be found here: 
https://konfigurationen-des-films.de/en/.

Employment  requirement:
Applicants for Ph.D. scholarships must hold a master’s degree in film 
studies, media studies or one of the other participating or related 
fields and disciplines (above all American Studies, Musicology, 
Philosophy and/or Theater Studies). Applicants should have their 
master’s degree in hand by the start date of the contract (July 1, 
2020). Excellent written and spoken command of English is required. 
Applicants whose first language is not German must demonstrate 
proficiency in German (CEF C1), plus a basic knowledge (CEF B1) of one 
other language to be admitted to the program. Applicants should be 
capable of developing an original research question that contributes to 
the overall topic and concerns of the program. They should be 
self-motivated scholars who can conduct productive research and 
successfully complete a dissertation project based on their chosen topic 
within the three-year time frame of the contract.

“Configurations of Film” is a research collective and PhD candidates 
must complete their theses in residence in Frankfurt. We consider 
doctoral residency to be a substantial vehicle for community building 
and professionalisation that fosters sustained participation with peers 
and faculty in scholarly activities. PhD candidates take an active role 
in the day-to-day activities of the Kolleg. They will join committees 
and actively contribute to the organization of events such as 
conferences and workshops, reading groups and guest lectures, screening 
series and field trips. The residency allows PhD candidates to position 
themselves at the forefront of new original scholarship as well as 
within Frankfurt’s rich cultural scene.

We are committed to promoting the careers of underrepresented 
applicants. Women, individuals with disabilities, as well as applicants 
of underrepresented sexual orientations, minority groups and 
socioeconomic classes are especially encouraged to apply.

Applications should be submitted electronically (in PDF format) to 
(applications-configurations /at/ tfm.uni-frankfurt.de) 
<mailto:(applications-configurations /at/ tfm.uni-frankfurt.de)> by December 
19th, 2019. They should be addressed to the director of the program, 
Prof. Dr. Vinzenz Hediger, Institute of Theater, Film and Media Studies, 
Goethe University. More information on the program, application 
requirements and admission procedure can be found on our website: 
https://konfigurationen-des-films.de/en/.

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