PhD Opportunities for British Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Researchers in Communication, Media, and Film Studies

Applications are invited from UK Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates for a SHU Race Equity PhD Scholarship in all areas of communication, media, cultural, film and screen studies, commencing 1^st October 2023.

About the PhD Programme

The Centre for Culture, Media & Society (CCMS) is an exciting interdisciplinary environment delivering research that offers critical insight and real-world impact. 

We are interested to receive applications that relate to our areas of research expertise in:

Communication, Culture and Heritage

• European cultural studies
• Critical heritage studies
• Culture, identity and the body
• Folklore, contemporary legend and media
• Cultural institutions and their audiences, festivals and archives

Film, TV and Audiences

• Film and TV industries, infrastructures, ecosystems and governance
• Film, TV and visual culture
• Genre and narrative theory in film studies
• Nationalism, transnationalism and diaspora in cultures and cinemas of Europe, Asia and Arab world
• Screenwriting and adaptation

Representation, Resistance and Anti-Racism

• Postcolonial Studies
• Critical Race Theory, human rights, social justice and activism
• Textual and visual studies of protest and resistance in media and culture
• Critical explorations of intersectional identity-based inequalities and experience (including but not limited to gender, race and religion)
• Global media and global events coverage  

Media and Society

• Digital cultures (including fan cultures)
• Digital inclusion
• Social media (including social media interaction, platforms and culture analytics)
• Journalism and PR studies
• Virtual reality applications in health and wellbeing 

You will join a vibrant PhD programme with excellent student satisfaction scores. There are opportunities to participate in seminars, workshops and conferences, including SHU's innovative interdisciplinary postgraduate research conferences on the topics of research METHOD and research IMPACT. We offer training in research methods via modules on the M. Res in Social Research and access to specialist media and film production facilities including recording studios, edit suites and VR studio and screening facilities at 'The Void' film lecture theatre. You can read more about the PhD community and some past and current PhD projects here.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

GTA scholarships combine PhD study with professional development, to gain practical experience in learning, teaching and assessment in Higher Education. You will be able to work towards Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and as part of your training will be expected to support teaching related activities in either the Department of Media Arts & Communication or Department of Humanities, up to a maximum of 180 hours per academic year. For more information about GTA scholarships please visit Sheffield Hallam University PhD scholarships

Funding

Scholarships are available for 3.5 years (full-time) or 6 years (part-time) and include: 

• Tuition fees
• A maintenance bursary at the standard Sheffield Hallam PhD stipend rate. This is aligned with the net Real Living Wage; the current rate for full time study in academic year 2022/23 is £18,178 per annum. Part-time is paid at 50%.

How to apply  

Go to the online prospectus entry for PhD Media & Communication and click on the online application form at the bottom of the page. See How to apply for a research degree | Sheffield Hallam University (shu.ac.uk) for the list of documents you need to upload to your online application form and some guidance on what we expect to see in a research proposal. It will need to be clear and detailed, setting out the central aims of the enquiry, its context, current knowledge on the topic (referring to some relevant research studies), the proposed methods of data collection and analysis and any potential challenges or opportunities.   

See CCRI ‘How to Apply’ and Race Equity Scholarships for further advice on the application and selection process. 

For academic enquiries or advice, please contact Dr Kerry McSeveny, Postgraduate Research Tutor for Media, Communication & Film k.mcseveny@shu.ac.uk

For general enquires please contact the CCRI Postgraduate Research Team culture-creativity-admissions@shu.ac.uk

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The application deadline for SHU ASPIRE PhD Scholarships is 12.00 Noon on Friday 12 May

The application deadline for the GTA YCEDE scholarship is 12.00 Noon Tuesday 2 May 

Interviews are currently scheduled for Thursday 22^nd and Friday 23^rd June by videoconference.