PhD Modern Languages & Cultures

We have expertise and supervision in language, culture, sociolinguistics, literature and history for the subjects of French, German, Hispanic, Italian and Slavonic Studies, alongside a strong postgraduate community in Comparative Literature and Translation Studies.

OVERVIEW

Postgraduate students have the opportunity to explore ambitious transcultural projects that cut across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, we invite applications in the areas covered by our five School research clusters:

Visual Culture

In collaboration with the Stirling Maxwell Centre and building on the expertise in text/image research within the School, this cluster explores visual culture in literature and the arts in a broad sense (e.g., Mexican photography, French architecture and art, or Brazilian film).

Histories and Subjectivities

This cluster brings together researchers in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures whose work engages with life histories and autobiography, the body and emotions, gender studies, working lives and professional cultures, history and memory.

Writing in Transit/Cultural Translations

This cluster brings together our expertise in Comparative Literature, Translation Studies and cross-cultural research, exploring topics such as transnational writing, migration, (un)translatability, ethics and world literature.

Critical Editions and Translations

In close collaboration with Special Collections and researchers in other Schools of the College of Arts, this cluster explores textual cultures, drawing on the School’s expertise and experience in critical editions, book history and translations.

Language and Society (SocioLang)

This cluster transcends disciplinary boundaries. It builds a dialogue amongst researchers, policy makers and practitioners to explore the dynamics of language, society and change in multilingual contexts.

A Doctor of Philosophy may be awarded to a student whose thesis is an original work making a significant contribution to knowledge in, or understanding of, a field of study and normally containing material worthy of publication.

Thesis Length:70,000-100,000 words, including references, bibliography and appendices (other than documentary appendices).