PhD Studentship in History Closing date: Sunday 15 th April 2018 Interview date: Tuesday 15 th May 2018 The Project The University of Worcester is seeking to expand its research strength in History. The subject has a long-established research record and has been submitted to every RAE/REF since 1996. In the government s last Research Excellence Framework (REF2014), Research Fortnight identified Worcester as the most improved university in the UK. The History submission was the most highly rated of all Worcester submissions with 50% of our publications being judged to be in the highest categories of 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent). The impact of our research was assessed as being internationally excellent (70%). There are currently nine students registered on research degrees in History at the University of Worcester in addition to others pursuing MRes. degrees. We are now seeking ambitious researchers to join this established group of research students who will benefit from that environment and who will, at the same time, enhance our existing research specialisms. To this end, the University of Worcester is offering a full time, fully funded PhD studentship to address, broadly, one of the following areas: Women and the Wartime Home Fronts in Twentieth-Century Britain The Role and Impact of Empire on Britain s Politics, Culture and Society since the late 19th Century. Politics, ideology and identities in Britain and Ireland, c.1688-1848. Religion and the supernatural in early modern England The Atlantic Slave Trade, Slavery and Abolition, c. 1700-1860. The USA, Global/Transnational Relations and the World War II Era
It is an important element of this studentship that the direction of the project should primarily be determined by the skills, knowledge and interests of the applicant. For general enquiries about the studentship, please contact Dr Paddy McNally (p.mcnally@worc.ac.uk). For enquiries around specific topics please contact the relevant researcher identified below. Topics 1. Women and the Wartime Home Fronts in Twentieth-Century Britain Supervisor: Prof. Maggie Andrews (maggie.andrews@worc.ac.uk) Proposals are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship exploring histories of women on the First or Second World War Home Front and the significance of wartime for women in the years that followed these conflicts. Projects relevant to the following themes are especially welcomed: Marriage and Sexuality Media and Leisure 1918-19 Spanish Flu Epidemic Charities, women's organisations and local politics Women and POWs The Home Front in the West Midlands Professor Maggie Andrews is currently supervising a group of post-graduates who are researching aspects of women s history in Twentieth-Century Britain. She is the author of The Acceptable Face of Feminism: The Women s Institute Movement 1915-1960 (Lawrence and Wishart 2015) and editor of The Home Front: Images, Myths and Forgotten Experiences (Palgrave Macmillan 2014). She is a member of the editorial board of Women's History Review and a Co-Investigator for the AHRCfunded Voices of War and Peace World War One Engagement Centre. 2. The Role and Impact of Empire on Britain s Politics, Culture and Society since the late 19th Century. Supervisor: Dr. Neil Fleming (n.fleming@worc.ac.uk) Proposals are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship on metropolitan imperialism. Proposals may cover any aspect of the role and impact of empire on Britain s politics, culture and/or society but projects relevant to the following themes are especially welcomed: Government and Parliament Foreign relations Unionism/Nationalism Propaganda Media Dr Neil Fleming has supervised two PhDs on imperial history to successful completion. He is the author of Britannia s Zealots, Volume I: Tradition, Empire and the Forging of the Conservative Right (Bloomsbury, 2018), The Marquess of Londonderry: Aristocracy, Power and Politics in Britain and Ireland (I.B.Tauris, 2005),
as well as other books, articles and chapters on aspects of British, Irish and imperial history. 3. Politics, ideology and identities in Britain and Ireland, c.1688-1848. Supervisor: Dr. Paddy McNally (p.mcnally@worc.ac.uk) Proposals are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship in the history of Britain and/or Ireland in the long eighteenth century. Proposals may cover any aspect of the history of Britain and/or Ireland in this period but projects relevant to the following themes are especially welcomed. Politics and Parliament National identities Crime and popular protest Religion Political thought Dr Paddy McNally has supervised four PhDs to completion on subjects ranging from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. He is author of Parties Patriots and Undertakers. Parliamentary Politics in early Hanoverian Ireland (Four Courts Press, 1997), co-editor of The Boulter Letters (Four Courts Press, 2016) and has published articles and chapters on politics and political thought in eighteenth-century Ireland. 4. Religion and the supernatural in early modern England Supervisor: Prof. Darren Oldridge (d.oldridge@worc.ac.uk) Applications are invited from students wishing to explore the interplay between English Protestant doctrine and the beliefs of the wider community, c 1560-1700. Potential themes include the application of the concept of divine providence, attitudes towards magic and witchcraft, the world of spirits, the Devil, and ideas about salvation and the afterlife. Prof Darren Oldridge has supervised three PhDs to completion. He has published widely on English religious history in the early modern period. His most recent book is The Supernatural in Tudor and Stuart England (Routledge: 2016). 5. The Atlantic Slave Trade, Slavery and Abolition, c. 1700-1860. Supervisor: Prof. Suzanne Schwarz (s.schwarz@worc.ac.uk) Proposals are invited for a fully-funded Ph.D studentship focusing on the Atlantic slave trade, slavery and abolition in the period c. 1700-1860. Proposals for research may address any aspect of these topics in Europe, West Africa, North America, the West Indies or Latin-America. Professor Suzanne Schwarz has published widely on the Atlantic slave trade and abolition in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. She is currently Principal Investigator for a British Library Endangered Archives Project in Sierra Leone, and was recently awarded a Georgian Papers Fellowship at the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle.
6. The USA, Global/Transnational Relations and the World War II Era Supervisor: Dr Wendy Toon (w.toon@worc.ac.uk) Applications are invited for projects related to studies of USA foreign policy, state diplomacy and 20th century global/transnational relations and histories. A key focus area will be USA-East Asian (ideally Japan, China or Korea) political relations pertinent to World War Two and subsequent peace processes. Projects that concentrate on propaganda, psychological warfare, media, race and gender are strongly encouraged. Dr Wendy Toon s research focuses on enemy discourses in USA foreign relations and intellectual culture in relation to World War Two and the subsequent German and Japanese occupations. She is writing a monograph, Images of the Enemy: American Constructions of the Germans and Japanese in World War Two (Routledge, 2018) and is a former Royal Historical Society Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research (UK). We now invite applicants to submit a research proposal in one of these areas [details of the proposal structure are on the application form]. Shortlisted applicants invited for interview will be asked to give a 10 minute presentation based on the structure of their project proposal. The Institute of Humanities History is located within the Institute of Humanities which is home to over 550 undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and academic staff. The Institute is a vibrant multi-disciplinary community encompassing subjects including English, History, Media and Culture, Sociology, Politics, Law and Criminology and makes a distinctive contribution to local public life and to international knowledge through our academic activities. The institute s broad discipline base gives students the opportunity to develop their creativity through inter-disciplinary research networks such as the Early Modern, International Studies, Green Voices, and Children s Literature Research Groups. Research School The Research School is a focal point for all our research students. It provides: day-to-day support for our students, both administrative and practical, through our dedicated team a Research Student Study Space with both PCs and laptop docking station a comprehensive Researcher Development Programme for students and their supervisors a programme of student-led conferences and seminars Details of the studentship During the period of your studentship you will receive the following: a tax free bursary of 14,553 for a period of 3 years a fee-waiver for 4 years a laptop use of the Research Student Study Space in Research School access to the Research Student Support Scheme to cover costs and expenses related to your research
You will be expected to play an active role in the life of both the Research School and of the Institute of Humanities. You will be given opportunities to gain experience in learning and teaching and other relevant activities within the Institute under the guidance of your Director of Studies Qualifications needed Essential: Applicants should have or be able to evidence: A First or Upper Second (2.1) Honours Degree or Masters Degree in History, or expect to receive one by October 2018; A sound understanding of, and interest in one of the areas of History outlined above; Computer literacy; Ability to organise and meet deadlines; Good interpersonal skills; Ability to work independently and contribute to a team; Commitment and an enthusiastic approach to completing a higher research degree. Desirable: Education to Masters Degree level in History; Experience of appropriate research methods and skills; Ability to contribute to research study design; Means of travelling independently to archives etc. The Interview The interview will provisionally be held in Tuesday 15th May 2018. All successful applicants will be interviewed. You will be asked to make a short presentation on a topic related to the study. You will also be asked to provide an example of your written work (e.g. a dissertation) ahead of the interview. Widening Participation: As part of its mission statement the University is committed to widening participation for its higher degrees. Although most candidates will have an undergraduate and/or a Masters degree, the University is happy to accept applications from candidates with relevant professional qualifications and work related experience. For further information or an informal discussion on the areas of interest outlined above, please contact the named Director of Study via telephone on +44 (0)1905 855500, or by email at the addresses given above. Application forms are available at: http://www.worcester.ac.uk/researchstudentships Completed application forms should be sent by email to: research@worc.ac.uk or sent via post to: Research School, Jenny Lind Building, Henwick Grove, St Johns, Worcester, WR2 6AJ