PhD Study : Modern Craft and Modern Conflict

Apply and key information  

Summary

There is a long and distinguished history of representations of war veterans in art history but interest in the visual and material practices of veterans themselves has been very much limited to combatants of the First World War.   “Trench art” continues to be widely studied but other local and global conflicts, such as the Northern Irish Troubles, for example, have attracted little, if any, material culture scholarship.  Recent studies of the pedagogic and professional foundations of modern craft as emanating in occupational therapy in post-conflict societies, in treating conditions from neurasthenia to PTSD, have revealed the intertwined histories of craft and conflict.

This PhD project will consider craft and conflict not as fixed, easily defined concepts but as contingent processes continually making, unmaking and reshaping identity (communal; societal; psychological; corporeal) and that are often interconnected and interdependent in modern history.  It will also draw on a hybrid range of methodologies – supplementing research in public archives and museum collections with oral history, interviews and workshops, for example – to generate new insights into the politics of making in modern society and the forgotten role of conflict in shaping the identity of modern craft.

Proposals should focus on the history and theory of craft’s intersections with particular conflicts and should ideally be located in disciplines such as art history, design history, archaeology, material culture studies or other comparable humanities subjects.

This PhD is thesis-based and practice-based proposals will not be considered at this time.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

  • Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
  • A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
  • Research proposal of 2000 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

  • For VCRS Awards, Masters at 75%
  • Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
  • Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
  • Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
  • Work experience relevant to the proposed project

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

  • Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
  • Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
  • Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

  • Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
  • Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
  • Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
  • Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

The Doctoral College at Ulster University

Key dates

Submission deadline
Monday 28 February 2022
12:00AM

Interview Date
week commencing 11 April 2022

Preferred student start date
mid September 2022

Applying

Apply Online  

Contact supervisor

Dr Joseph McBrinn

Other supervisors