PhD in French Studies (P-R1P2)
French Studies at Warwick is a broad-ranging, dynamic and intellectually ambitious research community. Fourteen members of academic staff offer supervisory expertise across a broad spectrum of French and francophone studies, from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to contemporary literature and culture, including intellectual history, politics and society, film, theatre, cultural policy and theory. Many colleagues have strong links with other research specialisms across the School of Modern Languages and Cultures and across the Arts Faculty. The library’s holdings can easily be supplemented by the libraries of Birmingham, Oxford and London, all reachable within under an hour by train. We invite prospective applicants to come talk to us and find out more about the department by participating in research seminars or events such as the Postgraduate Forum.
Doctoral students prepare, over the course of 3 years of full-time study, a dissertation of 80,000 words. There is no coursework involved, though students are expected to take advantage of relevant training and skills development opportunities. Doctoral researchers are initially registered as MPhil students and proceed to the PhD upon completion of work of good standard, typically by the end of their first year.
Students in French Studies receive guidance from a supervisory team (two supervisors) with complementary expertise. AHRC M4C-funded students may have a co-supervisor in another consortium institution.
In addition to students wishing to focus on French Studies, we also welcome applicants who would like to pursue cross- and interdisciplinary projects that align with other sections within the School (German, Hispanic or Italian Studies) or another department, for example, History, the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Studies, or Politics and International Studies. Students in French benefit from interdisciplinary research centres at Warwick, such as the Humanities Research Centre, the Yesu Persaud Centre for Caribbean Studies, the Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts, or the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance. Students working in relevant areas may be selected for the European doctoral network, PhDnet (Literary and Cultural Studies) (Gießen, Bergamo, Graz, Helsinki, Lisbon, Stockholm and Warwick), which offers an intense programme of jointly organised symposia, conferences and master classes.
Students in French Studies, in any case, form part of a larger community of some 30 research students (at present) across the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. For information on the SMLC’s research environment, click here.
Funding opportunities for PhD study are highly competitive and often worked with a staged process: applicants should make contact as soon as possible with a prospective supervisor in order to develop a sound and robust research proposal (in November/December for the January funding deadlines). An academic CV and draft research proposal may help us deal with your query more quickly.
For further details about areas of supervision, see our Staff research profiles
If you are uncertain who the best supervisor(s) for your project might be, please contact Professor Oliver Davis, Director of Graduate Studies, at o dot davis at warwick dot ac dot uk.
Applicants not looking for funding and/or interested in pursuing a PhD part-time are welcome to send in their enquiries at any time.
For further information about research in French Studies at Warwick, see here.