The School of Modern Languages and Cultures in the University of Leeds is offering one fully funded doctoral studentship within a European Research Council project on ‘Oral culture, manuscript and print in early modern Italy, 1450-1700' (http://arts.leeds.ac.uk/italianvoices/).

The project, whose Principal Investigator is Professor Brian Richardson, will investigate how Italian oral culture in this period related to written culture and how far it was independent of writing. Three postdoctoral fellows and one PhD student are already members of the project team, and we are seeking to recruit one further PhD student.

This student will carry out research on an agreed aspect of orality in early modern Italy. Preference may be given to a topic relating to political oratory and the uses of formal speeches in civic contexts.

The studentship covers full tuition fees (at standard UK/EU rates) and maintenance. It is available immediately, and the holder must commence study no later than 1 June 2012.

Applicants must have:

* An MA or equivalent qualification 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 Italian at Leeds

The Italian section in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures currently has seven research-active members of staff providing a range of experience and knowledge in research into Italian studies (literature, cinema, language history, book history) across all periods; see http://www.leeds.ac.uk/arts/info/20055/italian for details. Our research activities range from the Leeds Centre for Dante Studies to the Italian Writers in the UK series. Italian at Leeds was awarded the highest accolade in both the 1996 and 2001 Research Assessment Exercises, an overall quality rating of 5*. In RAE 2008, the section was also rated very highly indeed, ranking second in the HEFCE table of eighteen Italian departments in the UK. Its postgraduate students 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, together with their application form, a CV, a research proposal for the PhD (500-1000 words) that lies within the scope of the project, and a sample piece of written research work (2000-3000 words).

All students whose first language is not English are required to provide satisfactory evidence of a recognised English language qualification prior to registration for a research degree at the University of Leeds and must meet the University's minimum qualifications for admission (see http://www.leeds.ac.uk/international/entry_requirements_international.htm).

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

For enquiries about the application procedure, please contact smlcpgr@leeds.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications: 29 February 2012.