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About the award
The Department of Modern Languages is seeking to award a prestigious doctoral studentship funded by an Arts and Humanities Research Council grant, attached to the research project « Gossip and Nonsense: Excessive Language in Renaissance France », managed by Dr Hugh Roberts (University of Exeter) and Dr Emily Butterworth (King?s College London).
The studentship, open to UK and EU students only, includes tuition fees and a maintenance grant of approx. ?13,590 per year (maintenance grant available to UK students only, or those resident in the UK for the last three years).
The doctoral student will be a key member of the project team working on the grant. Registered at Exeter with Dr Hugh Roberts as first supervisor, the student will benefit from external second supervision from Dr Emily Butterworth at King?s College London. During the course of the grant, the student will have the opportunity to participate in a symposium and workshop for a group of national and international researchers, panel(s) at national and international conferences, and pathways to cultural impact, including a project website and collaboration with two artists.
The principal objective of the grant is to study gossip and nonsense as twin aspects of a culture of excessive language in Renaissance France. We plan to address questions including the function of gossip and nonsense in literary texts and how they relate to more reputable forms of Renaissance rhetorical excess.
Thesis topic
We welcome doctoral research proposals on a topic which is both within the field of French Renaissance literature and complementary to the main themes of the grant.
An example of a viable topic would be « Comic sexual euphemism in French texts, 1532-1616 », addressing questions of ancient and Renaissance rhetorical theories underlying the practice of euphemism, the literary techniques for achieving it, and the extent to which it subverts social and linguistic norms. Authors to be studied would include Rabelais, Montaigne and Béroalde de Verville.
Thesis topic
We welcome doctoral research proposals on a topic which is both within the field of French Renaissance literature and complementary to the main themes of the grant.
An example of a viable topic would be « Comic sexual euphemism in French texts, 1532-1616 », addressing questions of ancient and Renaissance rhetorical theories underlying the practice of euphemism, the literary techniques for achieving it, and the extent to which it subverts social and linguistic norms. Authors to be studied would include Rabelais, Montaigne and Béroalde de Verville.
Summary
Application deadline: 10th June 2012
Number of awards: 1
Value: Up to approx. ?17,440 (including tuition fees)
Duration of award: per year
Contact: Morwenna Hussey humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk
How to apply
Entry criteria
You should hold a Masters degree with at least a Merit, or international equivalent,or equivalent research experience in a relevant area of French Studies. Successful applications will normally also have a good first degree (at least 2.1 or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline. You are also expected to have native or near-native competence in both French and English. Please note that if English is not your native language then you will also need to satisfy our English language entry requirements.
To apply
To be considered for this doctoral award, you must complete an online web form where you must submit some personal details and upload a full CV, covering letter, transcripts, details of two academic referees and, if relevant, proof of your English language proficiency, by 10 June 2012
Your covering letter should outline your research interests and give a brief proposal for a thesis topic related to the grant (this may be identical to the topic outlined above).
In addition you must also ensure that your referees email their references to the Postgraduate Administrator at humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk by 10 June 2012.
More information
Informal academic enquiries can be made to Dr Hugh Roberts, H.G.A.Roberts@exeter.ac.uk, tel. +44 (0)1392 724226.
For more information contact:
Morwenna Hussey, Senior Administrator
College of Humanities Graduate School, University of Exeter
Queen’s Building, The Queen’s Drive
Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QH, UK
Visit http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/modernlanguages/ for more information.