Focusing on the Humanities
York’s first Wolfson scholars start their studies
Three postgraduate scholars are beginning their studies at the University of York thanks to the support of The Wolfson Foundation.
York is one of just nine universities across the UK selected to take part in The Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarships in the Humanities which cover three disciplines - history, literature and languages.
Claire Canavan, James Morris and Jessica Wormald start their studies as the Foundation announces that it will fund the scholarships again from 2013. In total, the Wolfson Foundation allocated more than £2 million over the first year for 27 scholarships at the nine universities.
The scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who demonstrate the potential to make an impact on one of these fields and to be future academic leaders. They are awarded solely on merit to students aspiring to an academic career. The Foundation has a particular interest in supporting UK students in the light of increasing levels of domestic undergraduate debt.
Claire is working on a PhD on narratives of needlework in early modern England c1580-1680; James is focusing on Kenya, Oxfam and Development 1955-1997 while Jessica is investigating the influence of Punjabi on Punjabi-English.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Cantor said: “The University of York has invested very heavily in the humanities over the last ten years and the Wolfson postgraduate scholarships reflect our mutual and profound commitment to the humanities in these challenging times for higher education.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “High quality research in the humanities is of critical importance to British society. The announcement of these bursaries reflects our concern about the effect ofundergraduate debt on numbers of students continuing to postgraduate research. We are also acutely aware of pressures on funding in the humanities. The hope is that many of the students funded through this programme will become future academic leaders.”
The Wolfson Foundation has a long history of support for higher education and a commitment to the humanities. The Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarships in the Humanities are awarded in three disciplines that align closely with the Foundation’s interests: history, literature and languages. Twenty seven scholarships are being funded each year at nine universities across the UK with each worth some £75,000 over three years. The Foundation’s total commitment to this scholarship programme is now over £4 million.
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