PhD Studentship in collaboration

with the British Library

Open University - The Open University's Faculty of Arts

Based at The Open University and the British Library

One full-time, three year PhD studentship available from 1 October 2012

The Faculty of Arts of The Open University has a long history of innovative engagement with museums, libraries and galleries.  As a result of an exciting new partnership between the British Library and The Open University seeking to consider the theme of 'The Arts and their Audiences', we are able to offer an AHRC studentship for doctoral work in English Language and Literature.

While proposals will be accepted for any project seeking to utilise the British Library's collections to illuminate the relationship between literature and its reception/audience, we would be particularly interested in receiving applications for work drawing on the important, recently acquired archives of James Berry and Andrew Salkey. Both of these archives are rich in documentation illustrative of the impact of Caribbean writers on Britain. Proposals which seek to exploit the Library's collection of audio-recordings would also be welcome.

You will be supervised by a specialist team in the Department of English at The Open University headed by Professor Susheila Nasta and by curators in the Department of English and Drama at the British Library.

Further details of research in the Faculty of Arts at The Open University can be found at http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/research/index.shtml.

For details on how to apply, please see the further particulars at www3.open.ac.uk/employment. Applications are through the standard Open University research degree application form online at   http://www.open.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/index.php. For advice on the applications procedure, contact Lyn Archer in the Research Degrees Team (l.archer@open.ac.uk; 01908 653806) or the Department of English: 01908 652092 (Bronwen Sharp at b.m.sharp@open.ac.uk).

Please note that this studentship is subject to the eligibility regulations for AHRC awards: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Documents/GuidetoStudentFunding.pdf

Closing date: 31 March 2012. Interviews will be held during the week commencing 23 April 2012. It is expected that the studentship will start in October 2012.

Equal Opportunity is University Policy