Research in The Department of Modern Languages was ranked highly in the last assessment of national research performance, the 2015 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014), receiving a 3.04 overall GPA score, which ranks us second in London.
The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures conducts research in literary, visual and cultural history from the Middle Ages to the present. We collaborate closely with the Department of Comparative Literature and its members as we share many research interests with them.
The programme is normally a 3-year research only PhD programme (i.e., there is no mandatory coursework component).
Teaching opportunities for research students will be available from September 2020.
Applicants to our PhD programmes in Modern Languages and Cultures may be eligible for competitive funding awards managed by the university. If you wish to be considered for one of our funded studentships, you must apply before the end of January for admission the following September. For September 2020 entry, the application deadline for most awards is 19 January 2020. Students hoping to be competitive for funding awards should allow time to substantially revise their initial proposals following feedback from their potential supervisor(s). This means initial contact should be made before December of the year preceding the intended start date.
For 2020 entry, applicants are eligible to compete for the following QMUL-managed awards:
For application guidelines and assessment criteria, and summaries of each of the research themes, please visit: https://www.bl.uk/news/2019/october/ahrc-cdp-2019
3 years full fees + living stipend (PhD only) nationality and residency restrictions apply (contact department for details).
Note that applicants for this award must apply both to the department for acceptance and to the LAHP (link) for the studentship competition by the deadline.
We are holding open meetings for students and academics with Director, Alison Blunt (QMUL) and Deputy Director, Hugh Bowden (KCL), who will be there to tell you about what LAHP has to offer, and to answer any questions you may have.
3 years full fees + living stipend, open to residents/nationals of all countries.
3 years full fees + living stipend, open to nationals of all countries. Follow this link for further details.
4 years full fees + living stipend, nationality and sponsorship restrictions apply
Follow this link for further details.
Note that applicants must first apply to the department for acceptance and nomination for a CSC award. If successful, applicants then apply directly to the CSC in March/April.
In addition to the competitions named above, students may also be eligible for external PhD funding competitions (including Commonwealth Scholarships and those offered by other national funding agencies. See here for further information).
For more details about the department and studentship opportunities, please contact a prospective supervisor directly, or the department’s PhD Tutor, Professor Else Vieira.
MLC hosts or contributes to a number of flourishing Centres:
Seminar series:
Major yearly lectures:
Events and Projects
Publications
Training is available through these main routes:
Research staff in MLC collaborate closely with the Departments of Comparative Literature, Film Studies, and Linguistics as well as with the Schools of History, Politics and International Relations, and English and Drama.
They also have strong connections with external research centres, groups and institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Leo Baeck Institute, the Morphomata Centre for Advanced Study at the University of Cologne, the Ramon Llull Institut (Catalan Studies), the Camões Institute for Cooperation and Language, and the University of London’s Institute of Modern Languages Research.
Research in MLC takes place within subject areas and in interdisciplinary clusters and research centres. Our subject areas also run research events seminar series as well as occasional research events and major annual lectures.
Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations
Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
Centre for the History of Emotions
Centre for Poetry (co-directed with the School of English and Drama)
Seminar Series
Iberian and Latin American Studies Seminar
Medieval Hispanic Research Seminar
BASF Lecture Series on Anglo-German Matters
Anglo-German Research Colloquium
Queen Mary Catalan Seminars (Centre for Catalan Studies)
Translation, Transmission and Cultural Transfer, jointly organised with the Department of Comparative Literature
Visual & Material Forum, jointly organized with the School of History
Major annual lectures
The Angermion Annual Lecture (German)
The London Kleist Lecture (German)
The German Special Research Lecture (German)
The Camões Annual Lecture (Iberian and Latin American Studies)
The Catalan Annual Lecture (Iberian and Latin American Studies)
The Kate Elder Lecture (Iberian and Latin American Studies)
The Malcolm Bowie Lecture, held alternately at the Institute of Modern Languages Research (French)
Regular Events
Writers in Residence Programme
Queen Mary research students have access to training and development opportunities within the Research Development services, and outside QMUL.
External training via Doctoral Training Partnerships, Centres for Doctoral Training, or Doctoral Training Centres may be available to students who are not funded by the partnership/centre itself e.g. LAHP (AHRC-funded), LISS (ESRC-funded). Further information can be found here. It is also available through the University of London School of Advanced Studies.
Supervisors will be available to advise on discipline-specific issues related to academic career paths. Teaching opportunities are available for research students.
A PhD opens doors to a vast range of careers. Find out more about our Careers and Enterprise services:
In addition to high-quality supervision in French, German, Russian, Hispanic Studies (Catalan, Portuguese and Spanish), Visual Cultures and Translation, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures has particular supervision strengths in the following areas:
Cultural Memory/ Cultural Memory and Censorship: Adrian Armstrong, Jeremy Hicks, Else Vieira
Cultural Transfer: Astrid Köhler, Robert Gillett, Rüdiger Görner, John London, Emilie Oléron Evans
Performance: John London, Robert Gillett
Poetry and Poetics: Adrian Armstrong, Robert Gillett, Rüdiger Görner
20th/21st Century Literature: , Astrid Köhler, Robert Gillett
Gender and/or Queer Studies: Robert Gillett, , Else Vieira
History of Thought: , Rüdiger Görner, Angus Nicholls
Migration: Parvati Nair, Else Vieira
Minimum entry requirements for our PhD programmes are:
The first step as you consider applying to the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures for a PhD will be to look at the research interests of individual staff to see if we have a colleague who works in the area of your research interests. Our main research interests are set out here.
It is essential to contact a potential supervisor to discuss your proposed PhD project before you apply for admission. This is likely to be a draft proposal at this stage, and indicative of your interests rather than binding. It will help you to organise your thinking and will give any prospective supervisor the most essential information. Your proposal may be refined and redrafted after discussions with your prospective supervisors before you apply.
We normally do not accept students who have not yet secured agreement from a potential supervisor. If you are unsure who may be an appropriate supervisor for your project, have a look at the available supervisors below and/or contact e.vieira@qmul.ac.uk
Once you have applied online (How to apply), we also encourage applicants to send a complete zip archive of their application dossier to the PhD Tutor in Modern Languages and Cultures (e.vieira@qmul.ac.uk). This helps to ensure that applications are processed in as timely a fashion as possible.
If you have questions about the content of our PhD programme please contact:
Professor Else Vieira
PhD Tutor in Modern Languages and Cultures
Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8335
E-mail: e.vieira@qmul.ac.uk
