White Rose Consortium Network PhD Scholarship: Classical Heroism in War and Peace 1914-24

Posted on 23 May 2013

The White Rose Consortium is pleased to offer a three-year doctoral scholarship at the University of York, with co-supervision from Classics at the University of Leeds, to begin in October 2013. To commemorate the centenary of the First World War, the scholarship will fund interdisciplinary research on the receptions of classical heroism in the war and its cultural legacies in communities across regional Europe.

The PhD is one of three related doctoral projects at the White Rose Universities of Leeds, York and Sheffield. The Network will analyse redefinitions and understandings of heroism in the modernist context and in the manifold legacies of WWI to the present. The network lead and co-supervisor is Dr Elizabeth Pender, Classics, University of Leeds (e.e.pender@leeds.ac.uk), in association with “Legacies of War 2014-18” (http://arts.leeds.ac.uk/legaciesofwar). The choice of individual topic for the York PhD will allow for the applicant’s own preferences and existing expertise in one of the four subject areas offered: English and Related Literature, History, History of Art and Philosophy.

In History of Art, supervision is offered by Professor Jason Edwards (jason.edwards@york.ac.uk) on classical influences in European public commemorative sculpture from the First World War period. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to the relationship between public sculpture and classicisms, the successful candidate will examine the overlaps between public memorial sculptures, associated aesthetic vocabularies of remembrance in public life and the depiction of heroism and classical imagery and iconography.

Possible research areas:

Classical influences in European public commemorative sculpture and art of World War I and its aftermath.
How public memorial sculpture functions as a complex site for the depiction of heroism.
Aesthetic vocabularies of remembrance in public memorial sculpture from the 18th century through the First World War and onwards.
How European artists adapted classical imagery and iconography in their public commissions to create permanent and fitting monuments for specific communities.

Award details

The studentship is tenable for three years from October 2013 and will provide Home/EU tuition fees and a stipend paid at standard Research Council rates (£13,726 in 2013-14) for the first year of study (renewable for a second and third year of study subject to satisfactory academic progress). International applicants will need to pay the difference between the UK/EU and Overseas tuition fees.

Eligibility

Awards are open to UK, EU and international applicants. The scholarship will cover the UK/EU tuition fees, an annual, tax-free maintenance stipend at the standard Research Council rate (£13,762 in 2013-14), and a Research Training Support Grant. International applicants will need to pay the difference between the UK/EU and Overseas tuition fees.

Applicants should have a first class or upper second class UK honours degree and have, or be expected to achieve, a good Masters degree or equivalent qualifications in an appropriate area of study.

Applying

The closing date for applications is 24th June 2013. Applicants interested in submitting an application for the History of Art subject area are advised to contact Professor Jason Edwards (jason.edwards@york.ac.uk) to discuss their application in the first instance.

For full details of the project (including possible topics in other subject areas), award, and application process, please see the White Rose University Consortium Network Studentships webpage:

http://www.york.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees-funding/postgraduate/white_rose/