Global Cinemas/Cinemas of Diversity and Inclusion (Contemporary Screen Studies/Practices)

Summary

Contemporary Screen Studies and Practices at Ulster University is a new and vibrant area of research that combines theory and practice of moving image arts in the new digital media age. Applicants can propose cinema/screen studies or practice-based research topics and/or related research questions that unearth and celebrate diversity in new filmmaking voices, such as cinemas by Global South, women, LGBT+, neurodiverse, indigenous and people of colour.

The Contemporary Screen Studies/Practices PhD at Ulster University recognises long-held racial, gender-based and colonialist hegemonic and white-dominated prejudices in the study of neglected cinemas of diversity and encourages all interested applications to submit proposals to address the lack of scholarship in these areas: cinemas of the Global South, indigenous, black and MENA cinemas, i.e. study proposals beyond the dominant Western ‘global’ Hollywood and European economies of production, distribution and exhibition. Methodologies informed by post-colonial, critical race, Indigenous, feminist, and/or queer thought and the theory/history of moving image media and culture in the context of the Global South are particularly welcome.

Proposals are welcomed in a wide range of areas relating to staff research interests (including practice-as-research). With a combined experience of over fifty years in filmmaking, television production, animation and the creative industries, our experienced team of internationally established, research-active staff are able to offer supervision across a wide range of subjects and themes, from film history and national cinemas to contemporary filmcraft and emerging virtual reality technologies.

Where research proposals span various disciplines, a supervisory team can be assembled across schools and faculties to meet the needs of the projects. Our Contemporary Screen Studies/Practices PhD provides you with an opportunity to study a range of specialist topics within the areas of onscreen representation, themes and narratives; creative leadership in diverse film policy and analysis; study of the evolution of the screen industies and opportunities; and audience development in the age of streaming media.

Proposals are sought relating to the following areas of staff expertise: production studies/film industry studies; media platform studies/streaming media/emerging and immersive media; queer cinema/gender studies and film; transnational and global cinema/screens/cinemas of the Global South, film and digital humanities; avant-garde cinema/experimental film/expanded cinema; film festival studies; and political oppositional cinema and TV. Applicants are invited to make contact with potential supervisors in advance of application to discuss the feasibility of their chosen topic.

Our experienced team of internationally established, research-active staff have the critical theoretical experience required to lead the supervision of a research degree in Comtemporary Cinema/Screen. Rcent publications include: Boody Women: Women Directors of Horror (2022) and Alternative Media in Contemporary Turkey: Sustainability, Activism, and Resistance (2018). Research active staff also have significant professional backgrounds within the creative industries. They have held positions at Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television; BBC; Disney; International Cinematographers Guild; HBO; ITV; MTV, Northern Ireland Screen; RTÉ; and the Irish Film Board. Recent film practice-as-research outputs include Frictionless: A Virtual Reality Documentary (2020) and The Gift (2018, Best International Short Film at Dublin Silk Road International Film Festival).

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.

Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
Research proposal of 2000 words detailing aims, objectives, milestones and methodology of the project
A demonstrable interest in the research area associated with the studentship

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.

First Class Honours (1st) Degree
Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
Publications record appropriate to career stage
Experience of presentation of research findings
A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
Use of personal initiative as evidenced by record of work above that normally expected at career stage.

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

Full award (full-time PhD fees + DfE level of maintenance grant + RTSG for 3 years).

This scholarship will cover full-time PhD tuition fees and provide the recipient with £18,000 (tbc) maintenance grant 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.

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.

Vice-Chancellor’s Research Bursary (VCRB)

Part award (full-time PhD fees + 50% DfE level of maintenance grant + RTSG for 3 years).

This scholarship will cover full-time PhD tuition fees and provide the recipient with £8,000 maintenance grant 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.

Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fees Bursary (VCRFB)

Fees only award (PhD fees + RTSG for 3 years).

This scholarship will cover full-time PhD tuition fees 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.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £18,000 (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