UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING
SCHOOL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
COMMUNICATIONS, MEDIA & CULTURE
The School of Arts and Humanities is pleased to invite applications for this three-year, fully-funded AHRC PhD Studentship (fees and subsistence at current AHRC UK/EU rates). This studentship is part of a major project to research the transition between silent and sound cinema in Britain.
The successful applicant will work as part of a project team based at the University of Stirling, in partnership with De Montfort University, Leicester. The PhD will be supervised by Dr Sarah Neely. Additional supervisory support will be provided by Prof John Izod and Laraine Porter (Project Leader). Other project team members include Steve Chibnall (Professor of British Cinema), Senior Researcher, Geoff Brown (London), and a De Montfort PhD studentship who also be appointed. The Stirling PhD student will be based in Division of Communications, Media & Culture, housed within the School of Arts and Humanities.
The Stirling PhD Studentship will offer its own distinctive contribution to the project as a whole through its concentrated focus on exhibition within Scotland and the use of detailed case studies of cinemas throughout Scotland. This research, spanning 1927 to 1933, will offer an important insight into the Scottish industry in transition, vital to the overall project. Scotland saw asignificant amount of cinema exhibition activity, often distinct from that taking place in England, particularly in its large cinemas in major cities. By accessing specific, local cinema records, Aberdeen Picture House for example, this PhD will also provide insight into regional variations in Scottish cinema and cinema-going cultures in the context of its distinctive geography and demographics. Comparisons will also be drawn with the speed of the transition elsewhere in the UK and the specific ways in which the new technologies were deployed in Scottish cinemas.
The student will determine the specific research questions, but the research will likely include a focus on topics such as:
· business and economic infrastructures,
· film programming,
· audiences and reception
· cinema personnel; from musicians to cinema managers.
The Studentship is scheduled to commence 1 October 2014, though a later start date can be negotiated.
Entry Requirements
· First class or upper second class undergraduate degree or an equivalent overseas qualification in a relevant subject.
· It is expected that applicants will also hold a Masters degree in a relevant subject, or show evidence of achieving this by October 2014.
· Available only to applicants who are UK nationals or other EU nationals who are permanently resident in the UK. For full details on AHRC requirements see here.
· Available for full-time registration only
· Applicants must be able to start in October 2014
You will have a background in film studies, cultural studies, or historical studies, preferably with an interest in thebusiness and economics of cinema. Applicants will need to demonstrate an aptitude for scholarly research.
Further information on the studentship and on the application procedure is available here.
Potential applicants are welcome to contact Dr Sarah Neely (sarah.neely@stir.ac.uk) or Prof John Izod (k.j.izod@stir.ac.uk) with any questions they may have.
Deadline for applications: 4pm on Friday 18 July 2014.
Interviews will be held at the University of Stirling in mid-August.