Overview
The English subject at Ulster University forms part of the School of English and History in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. It is a vibrant and diverse centre for the study of English literature and culture and hosts an active and thriving body of postgraduate researchers.
Individual scholars within the department are engaged in an extensive range of research fields which maintain and enhance the broader scholarly practice of English Studies across the globe, from Early Modern, Eighteenth Century and Victorian literature and culture, through to Modern, Contemporary, and Creative Writing, as well as Critical Theory.
Several of the researchers working in these areas also distinctively contribute to a significant focus on the study of Irish Literature, which is also strongly and widely represented in the department's teaching practice.
Summary
The value of the department's research as a whole is nationally and internationally recognised by the numerous monograph publications produced by English staff with scholarly presses, as well as the frequent output of articles in highly ranked academic journals. The department also regularly supports and hosts major conferences and symposia, as well as the appointment of eminent visiting scholars. This is most recently evident in the appointment of Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet, Paul Muldoon.
English encourages and sustains an energetic research culture and offers an inter- disciplinary environment to scholars working in a variety of different research areas. English is the base for the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies and the Ulster Literary Biography Research Centre. Postgraduate supervision in English is available from all staff in the department and within individual members' specialist areas of interest (research interests of staff can be viewed under each staff member's profile).
About
Facilities
Postgraduate research facilities in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences have recently been upgraded to include a dedicated and shared postgraduate office suite on the Coleraine campus. The Library in Coleraine has also undergone recent refurbishment to include extensive computing facilities, as well as a range of specific study areas. In addition, the library has valuable holdings relating to book history, as well as archival resources pertinent to Celtic Studies, Irish and local writing.
Research Training
Postgraduate researchers embarking on a PhD/MPhil in English will be allocated a supervisory team of at least two supervisors for the duration of their studies. As part of their course of study, PhD Researchers will also partake a range of development courses run through the Doctoral College. These are designed to provide an excellent grounding in developing the skills and capabilities needed for the successful completion of the doctorate and preparation for professional life beyond the degree.
Teaching Experience
In addition to this research training, all postgraduate researchers will be offered teaching experience in the second year (full-time) or fourth year (part-time) of their course of study. Those who take up this opportunity will be allocated paid teaching hours on modules run by the department. Much of this teaching experience comprises seminar tutoring on introductory first year modules, or second year modules which closely match the PhD Researcher's own research area.
Research Seminar Series
The department of English also runs an English Research Seminar Series throughout semesters 1 and 2. Postgraduate researchers are invited to join staff at these seminars in order to further familiarise themselves with the range of research interests within the department, as well as engage in informal scholarly debate and dialogue with scholars from both within and without Ulster University. Postgraduate researchers will also have the opportunity of formally presenting their work at these seminars.
Postgraduate researchers within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences are further asked to nominate representatives to serve on the Doctoral College PhD Researcher Forum. This provides all postgraduates with the opportunity of voicing any individual or collective concerns they might have relating to any aspect of their studies, as well as provide a forum for postgraduate researchers to comment on the broader research policies of the University which may concern them.
Comment
Research facilities and groups
Postgraduate supervision in English is available from all staff in the department and within individual members' specialist areas of interest (see Staff Research Areas).
Facilities
Postgraduate research facilities in the Faculty of Arts have recently been upgraded to include a dedicated and shared postgraduate office suite on the Coleraine campus. The Central Library in Coleraine has also undergone recent refurbishment to include extensive computing facilities, as well as a range of specific study areas. In addition, the library has valuable holdings relating to book history, as well as archival resources pertinent to Celtic Studies, Irish and local writing.
Research Training
Postgraduate students embarking on a PhD/MPhil in English will be allocated two supervisors for the duration of their studies. As part of their course of study, students will also partake in internally accredited Research Methods modules run through the Research Graduate School. These modules are designed to offer both training in specific research methodologies pertinent to individual students' research areas, as well as advice more generally on the practicalities of completing a higher degree by research. Students can, for example, opt to take modules which will assist them in writing up their thesis, preparing work for publication, presenting work at a conference, and preparing for their final viva examination.
Teaching Experience
In addition to this research training, all postgraduate students will be offered teaching experience in the second year (full-time) or fourth year (part-time) of their course of study. Students who take up this opportunity will be allocated paid teaching hours on modules run by the department. Much of this teaching experience comprises seminar tutoring on introductory first year modules, or second year modules which closely match the student's own research area.
Research Seminar Series
The department of English also runs an English Research Seminar Series throughout semesters 1 and 2. Postgraduate students are invited to join staff at these seminars in order to further familiarise themselves with the range of research interests within the department, as well as engage in informal scholarly debate and dialogue with scholars from both within and without Ulster University. Postgraduate students will also have the opportunity of formally presenting their work at these seminars.
Postgraduate students within the Faculty of Arts are further asked to nominate representatives to serve on the Postgraduate Student-Staff Liaison Committee and the Research Graduate School Board. This provides all postgraduates with the opportunity of voicing any individual or collective concerns they might have relating to any aspect of their studies, as well as provide a forum for postgraduate students to comment on the broader research policies of the Faculty which may concern them.