PhD studenship (Lavoro all'estero)

Inviato da sml, Leeds, mercoledì, giugno 22, 2011, 10:37 (4903 giorni fa)

PhD Studentship in Italian at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds - School of Modern Languages and Cultures

The Department of Italian in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Leeds is offering a fully funded doctoral studentship within a European Research Council project.

The project, whose Principal Investigator is Professor Brian Richardson, will investigate how oral culture in early modern Italy (1450-1700) related to written culture and how far it was independent of writing. It will focus on four areas: social performance, politics, religion, and linguistic usage. Research will encompass spaces such as courts, council chambers, churches, academies, towns, the countryside and households; men and women of all social classes; and contexts including ceremonial and ritual events, oratory, public and private performance, and scripted and improvised entertainments. It will also study the cultural functions of the exceptionally wide spectrum of languages used throughout the peninsula.

The doctoral student will carry out research on an agreed aspect of the following topic in relation to early modern Italy:

* Performance and politics. The uses of spoken or sung performance, on its own or in conjunction with manuscript and print, in commenting on political topics in public and in private, and in communicating official proclamations and other texts concerned with politics.

The studentship is available from 1 October 2011 and cover full tuition fees (at standard UK/EU rates) and a maintenance award.

Applicants must have:

* An MA or equivalent qualification, obtained or due to be obtained by September 2011, in any relevant discipline (such as Italian, History, European or Comparative Literature).
* Experience of studying Renaissance / early modern Italian culture.
* Excellent communication skills, including a high standard of written and spoken English and of written and spoken Italian.
* The ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative team.

Research in the Department of Italian

The Department of Italian at the University of Leeds currently has 6.5 research-active members of staff providing a range of experience and knowledge in research into Italian studies (literature, cinema and language history) across all periods, from the Middle Ages to the present day: see http://www.leeds.ac.uk/italian/staff.htm for details. Our research activities range from the Leeds Centre for Dante Studies to the Italian Writers in the UK series: see http://www.leeds.ac.uk/italian/research.htm. The Department was awarded the highest accolade in both the 1996 and 2001 Research Assessment Exercises, an overall quality rating of 5*. In RAE 2008, the Department was also rated very highly indeed. All of its research publications and activities were considered at least 'internationally recognised' in terms of originality, significance and rigour, and 75 per cent of its work was classed as 'internationally excellent' or 'world-leading'. In terms of quality of research, the Department ranked second in the HEFCE table of eighteen Italian departments in the UK. Postgraduate students in the Department form part of a dynamic community of postgraduate researchers in the arts and humanities at Leeds, and they benefit from excellent training in research and professional skills run by the SMLC and the Leeds Humanities Research Institute.

How to apply

Please use the application form for admission to a Research Degree at the University of Leeds, which can be accessed at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/rds/prospective_students/apply/I_want_to_apply.html.

Applicants are asked to submit a CV and sample piece of written research work (about 2000-3000 words) together with their application form. They are also asked to propose a research topic for the PhD within the scope of the project. They should submit this proposal on one side of A4 paper.

For further information on the project and any queries regarding the research proposal, please contact Professor Brian Richardson (b.f.richardson@leeds.ac.uk).

For information on the application procedure, please contact smlcpgr@leeds.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications: 30 June 2011.