The Doctoral Programme takes a minimum of three years, with students undertaking various strands:
Year One:
Students are encouraged to undertake the Master of Research qualification in their first year before embarking upon their doctoral work. Those who do not wish to do so will nevertheless undertake the same programme of multi-disciplinary research training in their first year, namely:
A: Multi-Disciplinary Studies in the Humanities
A sequence of five intensive courses to familiarise students with debates and procedures in a wide variety of humanities and social science disciplines, and enable them to move with confidence between them. From October 2007 the five courses will be:
- Catastrophe
- Godard’s Contempt: Text and Pretext
- Cultures of Collecting
- Flat Baroque: ‘Special Effects’ and the Rigging of the Whole Wide World
- St Paul
Students must submit an essay of 4,000 words for each course.
B: Research Methods in the Humanities / Research Development Workshops
At the beginning of the programme students are introduced to methods of pursuing and presenting research across the humanities and social sciences, using practical exercises to build confidence and expertise. In the Spring Term students prepare, present and debate their individual research topics at weekly workshops. These workshops are a key element, serving to instruct and help students to formulate and develop their PhD thesis topics. The workshops culminate in a series of Research Juries where work is formally presented to students and faculty. Marks for this element of the course are awarded according to student participation over the year and the final Jury presentation.Further information about the Research Methods course.
PhD Thesis
Students will work with their supervisors to refine their research outline during the first year and will be expected to submit the first 10,000 words of their thesis by 30 September, just before the commencement of their second year of the doctoral programme.
Years Two & Three
Students conduct their doctoral research under supervision, and are guided as they develop their research topic through the stages of thesis planning, data-collection and drafting. Students work independently in preparing their thesis, but also participate in the following two seminar series:
A: Doctoral Research Development Workshops
Students attend weekly supervised research workshops where they will have the opportunity to present their work as it develops. This course also encompasses further research training in advanced and specialised areas.
B: Optional Research Seminars
Students may choose to participate in research seminars offered by core and visiting faculty. Examples of recent research seminars are:V is for Violence (Summer 2007)Weber reading group (Summer 2006)Anagrammatic Bodies (Spring 2006)Transubstantiation and Becoming ‘Real’ (Spring 2005)Hearing Things (Summer 2004)Doctoral students are also encouraged to form their own reading groups and research groups to develop in common their understanding of writers and issues relevant to their research. Reading groups have recently been formed around the work of Nietzsche, Heidegger and Kittler. Support is also available for students who wish to develop or extend their command of languages relevant to their research.
