The University of Leicester and the Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester, and Rutland are pleased to invite applications from outstanding postgraduates with an interest in archival studies for an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award PhD studentship, to commence October 2012. The studentship will pay full-time University UK/EU tuition fees and include an annual tax free stipend at standard AHRC rates (currently £13,590 a year). 

Research Areas and Supervision
This collaborative doctoral project will investigate networks of correspondence and creativity in the Midlands in the 18th and 19th centuries, with particular emphasis on women writers who were religious Dissenters.

The project will begin with a focus on a specific archival collection in the Record Office: the works of two local writers, Elizabeth Heyrick and Susanna Watts, women who, through their poetry, letters, and pamphlets, contributed to many of the major debates concerning human (and indeed animal) rights in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This study will be a starting point for the student's own exploration of other communities and creative practices, analysing the role of women in industrial culture, circles of provincial writers, and the importance of religious affiliation. One of the long-term aims of the project will be to engage schools, community groups and the general public with archival holdings and current research.

While the project should have a strong literary focus, it will be of interest to applicants with backgrounds in gender studies, cultural/religious history, and/or archival work as well as English literature.

The successful applicant will be supervised by Dr Felicity James (School of English, University of Leicester), with Professor Roey Sweet (School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester), and Jess Jenkins (Record Office for Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland).

Entry Requirements
Applicants must have a first-class or high upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in English or other relevant discipline and meet the University's standard English language entry requirements. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a committment to interdisciplinary research and it is expected that applicants should also have a Masters degree with merit or distinction in English or other relevant discipline or be able to show evidence that they will achieve this before October 2012.

The studentship is only available to applicants who are eligible to pay the UK/EU tuition fee - i.e., those who are permanently resident in the UK or another EU country. Please note that applicants from the EU (excluding the UK) must have been resident in the UK for at least three years prior to commencing the studentship to receive both the stipend and fee components of this award; EU applicants who do not meet this criteria will receive the fee waiver component only.

Applicants from outside the EU are not eligible for the studentship unless they have been granted permanent UK residency/citizenship. For more advice on applicable eligibility criteria, please see the AHRC Guide to Postgraduate Funding.

The studentship is for full-time study only and applicants must be able to commence their studies in October 2012.

Informal Enquiries
Informal enquiries are welcomed - please contact: Dr Felicity James, [log in to unmask] +44 (0)116 252 2199. Further details available at: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/english/people/felicityjames/

Apply Now
To apply, please go to http://www2.le.ac.uk/study/research/funding/womens-writing and follow the instructions to apply online.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 18:00 01 August 2012. It is anticipated that interviews will be held w/c 20 August 2012 and applicants should be available for interview at that time. Interviews will take place at the University of Leicester, but interview by telephone/Skype may be possible.

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