Based in the heart of the Welsh capital, Cardiff School of Welsh is one of the oldest departments of Welsh in Wales. Through its innovative and socially-relevant research, however, the School is playing a key role in the development of Welsh in the 21st Century. The School achieved a Grade 5 ranking in the most recent government-sponsored assessment of research quality (Research Assessment Exercise 2001), indicating research of international and national excellence and is also highly rated for the quality of its teaching.
Research in the School can be undertaken through the medium of Welsh or English. Staff research interests include the history and development of the Welsh language, Welsh literature, Welsh Ethnological Studies, Welsh American Studies, Dialectology, the social and international aspects of language planning and policy, and the Welsh diaspora. Students can study for the awards of MPhil and PhD and a limited number of part-funded bursaries are usually available.
The School of Welsh has a particularly strong reputation for its research in literary and cultural studies. Research on Welsh identity and cultural interpretation, both medieval and modern, is being used to address core issues facing Welsh society today. The School is also a consultant to the Welsh Assembly's Welsh Teaching Project in Patagonia, Argentina. In addition, the Cardiff Centre for Welsh American Studies was established in early 2001 in order to promote the study of the culture, language, literature and history of the Welsh in the United States, Canada and Patagonia.
In the field of language planning, the School’s work has had an impact not only on language planning in Wales, but also internationally, in countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Slovenia and Japan. Performance studies, translation studies, and popular culture and religion are also the focus of innovative research within the School. Creative writing is taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels by prominent, award-winning writers and literary critics.
Cardiff School of Welsh has excellent teaching and research facilities. Since 1886, Cardiff University has been the home of the Salisbury Library, a major research collection of over 50,000 Welsh and Celtic books, pamphlets and periodicals, and significant archival holdings, especially relating to the educational and cultural life of south-east Wales. Through its research and teaching, the School has forged close links with the community, including the Museum of Welsh Life and the growing Welsh-language media, which is centred in Cardiff.
Research Profiles: