• Last application date: 2012-02-29 00:00
• Department: PP03 - Department of Pedagogy
• Contract: bepaald
• Degree: Master's degree of Education or History
• Occupancy rate: 100%
• Vacancy Type: wp

Job Description

As part of the research project "The logic of the market. Steiner/Waldorf education in a neoliberal context" Ghent University is looking for an excellent PhD candidate (full time / 2 x 2 year appointment).

Despite the rapid expansion of Steiner/Waldorf education in several countries all over the world, a critical scientific study of Rudolf Steiners pedagogics is still lacking completely. The study that we have in view will have 1) to pay attention to the educational ideas and philosophy of Steiner himself, 2) but also and mainly to examine in which way these notions were and are applied in daily educational practice, and 3) to question to what extent specific implementations of his ideas open up dominant ways of being; and so reveal certain possibilities that are not absorbed in the current logic of the market, but can offer a real alternative, and as such can be inspiring for regular education. Precisely the combination of these three research issues is the core ambition of this project. Although the focus is on the reception history of Steiner/Waldorf education in Flanders between 1954 (the foundation of the first Flemish Steiner/Waldorf school in Antwerp) and today, this should be placed explicitly in an international context, following on from the anthroposophical society, which presents itself constantly as an outstanding example of an international community.

Your tasks include:

• completion of a PhD within four years
• publication of the findings in peer-reviewed journals
• the co-organisation of workshops and a conference and limited amounts of teaching

The research will be conducted under the supervision of Pieter Dhondt

You will be working within the Department of the Foundations of Education; from October 2012 within the Department of Social Welfare, due to an upcoming reorganisation of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. The scholarship amounts to approximately 1600-1700 euro (net) per month. It also includes further training in the Doctoral School of Social and Behavioural Sciences.

Profile

• You possess a good master's degree of Education or History or will possess one by 30 September 2012
• You have a good knowledge of Dutch
• You are able to work independently, but at the same time interested in team work
• You will especially cooperate with another PhD student working on the history and the actual interpretation of Freinet education

Apply

Candidates are required to send a letter of application, a Curriculum Vitae and a motivation letter (in which they explain why they are attracted by the topic and by writing a doctoral dissertation in general) to: Pieter Dhondt, Ghent University, Department of the Foundations of Education, Henri Dunantlaan 1, 9000 Gent, Belgium

The closing date for applications is 29 February 2012

Anticipated interview date: 14 March 2012

The successful candidate can start from 1 May 2012 and before 1 October 2012

For enquiries, please contact Prof. dr. Pieter Dhondt
p.dhondt@ugent.be