CLOSED – PhD Scholarship in Early Modern English Drama

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time funded PhD scholarship affiliated to the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies at the University of Galway. This position is available from 1st September 2024 for four years, subject to satisfactory progress.

This scholarship is associated with the project ‘Foreign Geographies and National Identities in English Drama, 1560-1660’, led by Dr Maria Shmygol and funded by a Science Foundation Ireland – Irish Research Council Pathway grant.

About the Project

This SFI-IRC Pathway project explores how English drama from 1560 to 1660 invoked global locations as sources of suspicion, cultural interest, and colonial desire, focusing on a period in which England underwent significant political shifts and global ambitions pertaining to trade, colonisation, and imperialism. The project investigates how plays set in distant, ‘foreign’ places interrogate and codify emerging senses of national identity in early modern England. The project seeks to expand our understanding of how England’s cultural, commercial, and colonial interests in—and anxieties about—different kinds of ‘foreign’ places shaped conceptions of ‘Englishness’ while also stimulating key developments in drama and theatrical practice.

Main Duties

The successful candidate will be expected to develop their own area of research within the remit of the project’s focus, in consultation with Dr Shmygol (primary supervisor) and Prof. Daniel Carey (secondary supervisor). This may take the form of a doctoral research thesis or the preparation of a modernized edition of an early modern play (complete with a critical introduction, commentary, and collations) that falls within the project’s scope.

The candidate will also be expected to assist Dr Shmygol with work on several of the project’s work packages, carrying out duties such as:

  • Assisting with the construction of a project database.
  • Contributions to web publications and peer-reviewed articles arising from the project.
  • Organizing academic conferences, community and outreach events.
  • Presentation of papers at national and international conferences.

The Scholarship

This doctoral scholarship carries a tax-exempt stipend of EUR 22,000 per annum for a maximum duration of 4 years. A tuition fee waiver of EUR 5,750 (the rate for domestic, EU and UK candidates) is also included for the duration of the studentship.

The successful candidate will have access to a workspace in the Hardiman Research Building. The project budget provides for the purchase of a new work PC and/or laptop; EUR 1,500 per annum towards conference attendance and archival research (for the final three years of the studentship); and additional funding to pursue specialist training in book history and digital humanities at summer schools in the UK and US.

Academic Requirements

Essential:

  • A BA degree with a minimum grade of 2.1 (or international equivalent) in English Literature or a related field.
  • An MA (or equivalent) in English Literature or a related field, either completed or in progress.
  • Minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent (only applicable for students who have not earned a previous degree in an English-speaking context).

Instructions for applicants

Applicants are requested to submit the following documents:

  • A CV that includes details of all university degree awards, scholarships, relevant experience
  • Contact details of two academic referees.
  • A covering letter (3 pages max.) outlining the candidate’s education and research background, interest in the position, and a proposal for the doctoral research they would pursue if appointed.
  • An academic writing sample (e.g. an essay or dissertation).

Please combine these documents into a single PDF file, saved in the format ‘Surname_First Name_FPNI Studentship’. Application materials should be emailed to: CASSCSResearch@universityofgalway.ie

Start Date

The successful applicant is expected to start on 1st September 2024.

Award Duration

Four years, subject to satisfactory progress.  

Application Closing Date

The deadline for submitting applications is Monday 15th April 2024. It is anticipated that interviews will be held online in early May.

Informal Enquiries

Candidates are encouraged to submit informal enquiries about the post to Dr Maria Shmygol.