The primary objective of this PhD project is to work with young people, teachers and youth workers on understanding the needs of recipients and providers of formal and informal Sex and Relationships Education in Scotland.
Sex and Relationships Education in Scotland and the wider UK is informed by the notion of ‘healthy relationships’ and strongly aligned with health education more generally. While the need to raise awareness of abusive and exploitative relationships is self-evident and links with ideas of self-ownership and mandatory consent in sexual encounters, it is less clear how the focus on long-term, monogamous couple relationships, which is prominent in Sex and Relationship Education, links with health outcomes or reflects the lived experiences of young people who are more likely to have shorter-term relationships and to experience sex outside of relationships. Furthermore, the romantic bias of Sex and Relationships Education which favours committed couple relationships over friendships, which may or may not have a sexual element to them, needs to be queried in order better to understand how Sex and Relationships Education can prepare and support young people to form a spectrum of healthy relationships.
This project is interdisciplinary in the sense that it combines a structured social-sciences approach to participatory research methodologies with creative expression of participants to offer safer modes of disclosure than singular reliance on questionnaires or interviews. It will address the conventional shortfalls which occur when these approaches are taken separately. These are a lack of appreciation for the aesthetic craft and nuance of creative expression from the perspective of social sciences, and limited understanding of a systematic approach to participatory research and its evaluation common in some creative writing approaches to community engagement.
We anticipate that the postgraduate researcher will spend considerable amounts of time in the field working in school and youth-work settings and engaging with the providers and recipients of Sex and Relationships Education.
Possible outcomes of this participatory research may be an exhibition or print publication as well as toolkits for SRE educators in formal and informal settings alongside a thesis for submission to examination.
Dr Mei Lan Fang is an expert in participatory research methodology. Her past research has focused on progressing community-based participatory research concepts, theory, and methods for working with and for older people to enhance age-related health and social outcomes.
Professor Michael Gratzke is professor of comparative literature and a world-leading researcher into love and relationships. He has previously worked with community groups using creative writing and practice-as-research methods to examine complex emotions.
This PGR project will enhance the skills of the successful candidate by offering a dual perspective on community engagement and practice-as-research which is more than the sum of its parts. The successful PGR will develop enhanced skills as a social-sciences researcher in the field of participatory research and as a creative in the area of community engagement.
For informal enquiries about the project, contact Professor Michael Gratzke ([Email Address Removed])
For general enquiries about the University of Dundee, contact [Email Address Removed]
Our research community thrives on the diversity of students and staff which helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for postgraduate research. We welcome applications from all talented individuals and are committed to widening access to those who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education.
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants must have obtained, or expect to obtain, a UK honours degree at 2.1 or above (or equivalent for non-UK qualifications), and/or a Masters degree in a relevant discipline. For international qualifications, please see equivalent entry requirements here: www.dundee.ac.uk/study/international/country/.
English language requirement: IELTS (Academic) overall score must be at least 7.0 (with not less than 7.0 in reading, listening, speaking or writing). The University of Dundee accepts a variety of equivalent qualifications; please see full details of the University’s English language requirements here: www.dundee.ac.uk/guides/english-language-requirements.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Step 1: Email Professor Michael Gratzke ([Email Address Removed]) to (1) send a copy of your CV and (2) discuss your potential application and any practicalities (e.g. suitable start date).
Step 2: After discussion with Professor Gratzke, formal applications can be made via our direct application system. When applying, please follow the instructions below:
Candidates must apply either for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in English or for the PhD in Nursing and Health Sciences (as discussed with the lead supervisor).
Please select the study mode (full-time/part-time) and start date agreed with the lead supervisor.
In the Research Proposal section, please:
- Enter the lead supervisor’s name in the ‘proposed supervisor’ box
- Enter the project title listed at the top of this page in the ‘proposed project title’ box
In the ‘personal statement’ section, please outline your suitability for the project selected.
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