President

Eligibility: The President of the AGS will normally have already served for three years as Vice President. They will normally have professorial status and good knowledge of the intellectual and political issues pertinent to the broad field of German Studies in the UK and Ireland.

Period of service: Three years without the option of re-election.

Role description

  • support and chair the AGS executive committee in guiding the Association’s mission and activities,
  • attend the annual conference and chair its business meeting;
  • support AGS members professionally when it is appropriate;
  • liaise with relevant national and international organisations on behalf of and in the best interests of the AGS;
  • represent the AGS within the Alliance for Modern Languages in the UK (AMLUK), on which the University Council for Modern Languages (UCML) and the Institute for Modern Languages Research (IMLR) are also represented;
  • to liaise as with the IMLR and UCML on research and policy matters, and to further and support German Studies in the UK and Ireland.
  • to lead AGS responses to relevant formal consultations and topical issues as appropriate

Vice President

Eligibility: The Vice President of the AGS will normally have professorial status and good knowledge of the intellectual and political issues pertinent to the broad field of German Studies in the UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of service: Three yearsnormally followed by three years as President.

Role description

  • support the work of the AGS executive committee in guiding the Association’s mission and activities
  • attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee
  • deputise for the President when required;
  • advertise and administer the award of AGS funding schemes, in liaison with the AGS Treasurer.

Treasurer

Eligibility: The Treasurer will normally have teaching and/or research experience in the broad field of German Studies, as well as an interest in the intellectual and political issues pertinent to that field, especially as they play out in UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of service: Three years, with the option of re-election for a further three years.

Role description

The Treasurer is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members

  • To plan and manage the Association’s finances, including the setting and collection of membership fees, the financial planning and organisation of the conference, and the payment of book and travel grants;
  • to prepare and present the annual statement of accounts;
  • to serve as a member of the AGS executive committee in guiding the Association’s mission and activities;
  • to attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee.

Secretary

Eligibility The Secretary will normally have teaching and/or research experience in the broad field of German Studies, as well as an interest in the intellectual and political issues pertinent to that field, especially as they play out in UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of Service: Three years, with the option of re-election for a further three years.

Role description

The Secretary is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members, guiding the Association’s mission and activities, and is expected to:

  • collect agenda items and write the minutes of AGS committee meetings and the business meeting at the annual conference;
  • collect members’ news of appointments, promotions, retirements and deaths for announcement at the annual conference;
  • maintain the membership database;
  • encourage new members to join the AGS, oversee administration of membership, and monitor membership fees in conjunction with the Treasurer;
  • attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee.

EDI Officer

Eligibility: The EDI Officer will normally have teaching and/or research experience in the broad field of German Studies, as well as an interest in the intellectual and political issues pertinent to that field, especially as they play out in UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of service: Three years, with the option of re-election for a further three years.

Role description

The EDI Officer is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members, guiding the Association’s mission and activities, and is expected to

  • support the Executive Committee in developing a strategic approach to diversity action planning and progress reporting, ensuring it reflects our values of equality, diversity and inclusion,
  • support the work of the committee in meeting our collective responsibility to embed equality, diversity and inclusion in the work of the Association;
  • liaise with the President, and with the support of the committee, to formulate responses to EDI-related issues as appropriate
  • lead responses to consultations from governmental and other bodies
  • serve as a member of the AGS working group on EDI, attend online working group meetings (currently roughly monthly), and act as a liaison point between that group and the AGS committee
  • attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee which take place approximately twice a year.

Note that, with the exception of the AGS conference meeting, the executive committee and the working group meet online and/or transact business by email.

Publicity Officer 

Eligibility: The Publicity Officer will normally have teaching and/or research experience in the broad field of German Studies, as well as an interest in the intellectual and political issues pertinent to that field, especially as they play out in UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of Service: Three years, with the option of re-election for a further three years.

Role description:

The Publicity Officer is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members, guiding the Association’s mission and activities, and is expected to

  • run the AGS website
  • keep the website updated with AGS minutes and reports in liaison with the President;
  • keep the website updated with AGS funding opportunities in liaison with the Vice President;
  • keep the website updated with AGS conference information in liaison with the Conference Officer.
  • run the AGS social media feeds, including e.g. supporting live-tweeting of the AGS conference
  • serve as a member of the AGS executive committee in guiding the Association’s mission and activities;
  • attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee.

Conference Officer

Eligibility: The Conference Officer will normally have teaching and/or research experience in the broad field of German Studies, as well as an interest in the intellectual and political issues pertinent to that field, especially as they play out in UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of Service: Three years, with the option of re-election for a further three years.

Role description:

The Conference Officer is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members, guiding the Association’s mission and activities, and is expected to

  • handle the organisation of the conference in collaboration with the conference hosts;
  • write and circulate the Call for Papers, in collaboration with the conference hosts
  • liaise with panel convenors and draw up the conference programme and information for the conference notes;
  • work out the conference fees with the Treasurer and conference hosts
  • provide details of the programme and fees in time for the invitation to be sent out to members;
  • liaise with publisher representatives and invited delegates such as the President’s Guest;
  • coordinate the registration of delegates;
  • be contact person for delegates prior to and during the conference;
  • attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee.

Postgraduate and Early Career Officer

Eligibility: The Postgraduate and Early Career Officer should be registered for a postgraduate degree or be within three years of having completed their PhD at the time of election; it is understood that during the period of service on the committee they may complete the PhD and have postdoctoral/early career status.

Period of service: Three years, without the option of re-election.

Role description

The Postgraduate and Early Career Officer is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members, guiding the Association’s mission and activities, and is expected to

  • liaise with PG and early career members of the AGS, and to present a short report on their views and needs to the committee at committee meetings, and a report on the year’s activity to the AGS membership at the annual business meeting (at the conference);
  • to represent the views and needs of the PG/EC community in committee discussions via email;
  • to liaise with British Academy and UCML early career network leads and represent AGS PG and early career members in any discussions
  • to assist and support the Publicity Officer in the design and maintenance of AGS social media;
  • to attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee.

Schools Networking Officer

Eligibility: The Schools Networking Officer will normally have Higher Education teaching experience and have an interest in the intellectual and political issues pertinent to the broad field of German Studies in the UK and Ireland.

The role-holder should already be a member of the AGS and should normally be able to commit to their role for a full period of service.

Period of Service: Three years, with the option of re-election for a further three years.

Role description

The Schools Networking Officer is part of a small executive committee of volunteer members, guiding the Association’s mission and activities, and is expected to

  • assist local conference organisers in setting up a school networking panel at the annual AGS conference
  • liaise with and support the German Networks and AGS members in Great Britain and Ireland in their work with schools (sharing best practice and experience, linking initiatives where possible)
  • support sharing of information with schools about funding for different activities (DAAD, Goethe Institut, Embassy)
  • attend the annual conference and its business meeting, as well as committee meetings of the executive committee.