The Department of Modern Languages and European Studies of the University of Reading invites applications from well qualified Home/EU students for Doctoral (PhD) studentships in Italian Studies to commence in October 2014. The two main schemes are outlined below.
SWW AHRC DTP Studentships
The University of Reading is delighted to be part of the South, West and Wales Consortium (SWW DTP), in partnership with seven other universities (Aberystwyth, Bath, Bath Spa, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Southampton). The DTP also involves an extensive network of prestigious, external partner institutions (further details on our website). Our Consortium has been awarded £14.2 million funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) over the next five years to deliver postgraduate training and development.
The funding will allow for innovative postgraduate support, including the development of broader skills such as partnership working and language skills, and will provide experience in working outside academia through industry and international placements.
The funding will also offer joint supervision of students, sharing of resources from across the consortium, further activities such as student events, placements, conferences and the fostering of peer support networks. For entry in 2014/15, the DTP is offering up to 50 fully-funded awards in a variety of subject areas, including French, Italian and German Studies, to UK/EU candidates meeting the academic and residency eligibility criteria. UK students are eligible for full UK fees at Research Council rates and a stipend at the AHRC rate (currently £13,726 for full-time study). EU students are currently only eligible for full EU fees at Research Council rates.
Please note that for SWW AHRC DTP studentships, you must first submit an expression of interest for the Consortium Open Day (held on 22 January 2014), no later than midday on Monday, 13 January 2014. Further information on deadlines is available on our website.
How to apply:
Full information on how to apply for these studentships, including eligibility and the process for application, is available at: www.reading.ac.uk/gs-ahrcdtpsww.aspx
University of Reading Research Studentships in Arts and Humanities
Also to commence in October 2014, the University is offering a number of full awards providing tuition fees and a stipend at the Research Council rate (currently £13,726 for full-time study). These are open to application from candidates from the UK/EU, normally holding or expecting to gain a minimum of a 2:1 Bachelors Degree (or equivalent) in the relevant subject.
Please note that the process for application for these studentships is separate to the SWW AHRC DTP competition set out above.
Deadline for applications for these studentships: Friday, 14th February 2014 (5pm)
How to apply:
Full information on how to apply for these studentships, including eligibility and the process for application, is available at: www.reading.ac.uk/gs-pgstudahss.aspx
Further Enquiries: For further details on either of the two schemes listed, please contact
Dr Daniela La Penna: d.lapenna@reading.ac.uk and the Graduate School: dro@reading.ac.uk
Italian Studies @ The University of Reading
Italian Studies at Reading supports applications from the most promising candidates, and therefore invites preliminary expressions of interest by the 10 January 2014. By that date, interested candidates should send to Dr Daniela La Penna (d.lapenna@reading.ac.uk), Director of Post-Graduate Studies, Department of Modern Languages and European Studies, the following materials in word format:
1) a detailed academic Curriculum Vitae, outlining previous qualifications (BA and MA equivalent), degree classification and grades, any relevant publications or awards, and teaching experience.
2) evidence of English-language proficiency (e.g. IELTS scores) for applicants whose first language is not English. The acceptable score is 7.0 with no less than 6.5 in the specified categories.
3) the names of two academic referees.
4) a detailed outline of the PhD proposal (in English): this will need to be 500-word long for the FAHSS studentship application. However, we would expect a longer version of around 1,500 words which would accompany the application for entry to the PhD programme. This document will clearly set out the project's aims, methodology, sources and contribution to the field and will be accompanied by a bibliography.
The successful candidates for the 2014-2015 AHRC-funded South, West and Wales Consortium and/or the Faculty-wide competition will join a friendly and highly supportive, intellectually driven and lively Modern Languages PhD community.
Some of the PhD students in Modern Languages have won AHRC and other prestigious awards to run high-profile seminar series in the UK and have organized several conferences, both in the UK and abroad.
Italian Studies at Reading is one of the largest departments in the UK with ten members of staff engaged in teaching at all levels. It has seven research-active members of staff and their expertise spans a wide range of disciplines:
· Dante studies
· Medieval literature and culture
· Medieval intellectual history
· Medieval ecclesiology
· History of the universities in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
· History of the Church (1600-)
· Renaissance literary culture and performing arts
· Cultural institutions of the Renaissance
· History of Italian language
· Italian socio-linguistics and dialectology
· Women’s history and women’s studies
· Italian cinema and history of the Italian cinema industry
· Modern Italian literature and culture
· Migration and minority studies
· Translation and trans-cultural studies
· History of the Italian publishing industry (1800-)
All of its members are actively engaged in collaborative research projects with academic partners in the UK, Italy, Spain, US, and beyond. Some of these projects are sponsored by the AHRC, Leverhulme, and other international funding bodies.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Dr Daniela La Penna
Associate Professor in Italian Studies
Director of Post-Graduate Studies
Department of Modern Languages and European Studies
School of Languages and Literature
HumSS Building - Whiteknights Campus
University of Reading
RG6 6AA
United Kingdom
Tel: ++44 (0) 118 378 6502
Fax: ++44 (0) 118 378 6797
