PhD/MPhil in Media, Communications and Culture

Media, Communications & Culture research at Keele has an inter-disciplinary research focus, with a history of collaboration with disciplines such as Sociology, English and Creative Writing, Politics, Film, and Music as well as subject areas such as Memory Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Science and Technology Studies and the Environmental Humanities. We also have a strong focus on practice-based research, which brings media theory and practice together in creative and critical ways.OverviewFacilitiesResearch students are supported through the provision of: shared office space, IT equipment and research funding to support some travel and other expenses.Our facilities include The University Library, which has access in paper and electronic form to a wide range of resources necessary in pursuing research in Media, Communications and Culture at postgraduate level. In addition, the Media Building has its own digital editing suite, exhibition and visual arts work space, and a technician to assist students with their audio-visual projects. We also provide access to industry-standard software for producing video editing, film production, photography and music production.Although we have a wide range of interests, the department is especially interested in the following themes:Cultural Politics, with a specific interest in: Cultural memory; digital and social media; news production; globalization; inequalities and exclusions within the media; feminist approaches to science and technology; human-animal relations; and critical cultural theory
Social Movements, with a specific interest in: Anti-capitalist, environmental, animal rights and food activism; social movements in India; relationships between on and offline activism; alternative media; and uses of digital media to gain visibility
Representation, with a specific interest in: Media representations of religious and ethnic minorities; self-representations of marginalized populations; the production and reception of news; refugee and migrant representation; class politics; and broader questions about audiencesWe also welcome MRes and PhD applications which engage with these themes, and can support both conceptually-focused and practice-based projects.Keele is a member of theNorth West Doctoral Training Consortium, which provides Arts and Humanities Research Council funding for excellent students in Media Culture and Creative Practice. We would, however, encourage all students who are applying for external funding to contact potential supervisors before submitting applications so that we can work together to develop a strong application.

PhD, MPhil and DMs usually require an Honours degree with a first or 2.1 classifications, or the equivalent if you have been educated outside the UK
IELTS - 6.5 with 6.0 in all components
TOEFL ibt -87 with 19 (writing), 19 (listening), 19 (reading) and 20 (speaking