Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies PhD Bursary Topics 2019 The Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (CCCMS) carries out world-class internationally excellent research on cultural and creative industries, communication management and public relations, film and media. The Centre aims to question, and to deliver innovative exploratory and reflective research, with direct application and relevance to culture, communities, policy and practice. We have three core themes under which we have grouped topics that we would be interested in receiving proposals for PhD research. Applications for a research training bursary (i.e. A PhD plus Doctoral Certificate in Researcher Enhancement and Development), commencing in September 2019, are invited on these topics which are detailed below. The successful applicant will receive: Full waiver of tuition fees An annual stipend of 15,000 lasting three years for full time study A research budget of 2,000 to cover project expenses and travel Successful candidates will also be enrolled on the Researcher Enhancement and Development (READ) programme, which has been designed to formally recognise the learning that accompanies the successful completion of the QMU PhD programme. Successful completion of the READ programme will allow candidates to receive a 60 credit Doctoral Certificate (DCert) in addition to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) award. The deadline for applications is Monday 25 March 2019. Details on how to apply can be found here. Research Topics: BUR19-10 BUR19-11 BUR19-12 BUR19-13 BUR19-14 BUR19-15 BUR19-16 Scottish media futures Media policy, public service and broadcasting in the UK Institutionalization of engagement Researching refugee cultural events in the UK Art-making for policy-making Cultures of Scottish screen comedy Developments in film genre 1. Media economies, industries and polices 1.1 Scottish media futures [BUR19-10] Proposals in this area will focus on the future of the Scottish media landscape and the evolution of digital media in Scotland. Combining perspectives from media industry analysis, digital journalism and media history, we welcome applications from candidates centred on (but not exclusive to) the following core questions and research perspectives. Post print media in Scotland Media start-ups
Comparative analysis of digital media in small countries The post 2014 media landscape and alternative media The future of media in the Scottish data economy The anthropology of media work in contemporary Scotland We particularly welcome proposals for research that will have a demonstrable impact on contemporary policy debates in Scotland or the potential to positively contribute to and inform the development of new media practice. Contact: Dr Dominic Hinde (dhinde@qmu.ac.uk) 1.2 Media policy, public service and broadcasting in the UK [BUR19-11] Proposals in this area will investigate UK media industries and policy with a focus on entertainment or news and current affairs audio and video content, in traditional broadcast formats, streaming platforms and combinations of both. Of particular interest are proposals that engage with notions of public service broadcasting, policies and strategy in the UK, at government level (UK, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland), and within the BBC and other broadcast organisations with a public service remit. Proposed projects might address: issues of national identity and representation; internationalisation and media systems; digital disruption; social media and public service broadcasters; radio, streaming and podcasting. Content areas may include: popular music; comedy; news and current affairs. Proposals would be expected to use a case study approach, but other methodological approaches may be considered. Contact: Dr Mark Percival (mpercival@qmu.ac.uk) 2. Communication and engagement 2.1 Institutionalization of engagement [BUR19-12] Proposals in this area will investigate engagement as an expert practice and design a research project to inquire into the ways in which this expertise is constituted and circulated, as well as the impact it exerts on institutions as well as individuals. Proposals may focus on particular fields, for example, public relations and communication consultancy, science/higher education; business, public sector, health, or others. Of particular interest are proposals ready to tackle more directly the question of public interest communication, typically focused around controversial issues in policy or planning. Proposed projects should inquire into how the sense of what is in the public interest is shaped by communication, including engagement, and its interaction with other public-interest practices, such as regulation, decision making, circulation of knowledge, formation of opinions, attitudes and routines/scripts for performing the public interest in public. Proposed projects are expected to use the case study approach. Contact: Dr Magda Pieczka (mpieczka@qmu.ac.uk)
2.2 Researching refugee cultural events in the UK [BUR19-13] This research examines the place of culture, and specifically cultural events, in disrupting and/or developing relationships amongst and between refugee and host communities. Refugees are faced with issues of shifting socio-cultural identities, potential hybridisation of traditions, and changes in the social and symbolic roles of traditional rituals in people s lives. Along with this, the systems of support that host communities can provide in diasporic festivals and events may not align with traditional systems, and this alters both production and consumption of socio-cultural events, which can change the symbolic meanings. Tying into political debates regarding tolerance through cultural exchange, othering in the media, and broader policy discourses surrounding migration, this innovative project has potential to contribute to understandings of cultural identity and social belonging through contemporary cultural and heritage events in an increasingly globalised and mobilised world. Additionally, there is little attention paid to the unique infrastructural necessities that are required to allow these kinds of festivals and events to flourish. It is anticipated that the research design will focus on two main aspects of production and consumption of cultural events for and by refugees. As such, there is the potential to apply a variety of different research approaches, including practice-led, artistic, and creative methodologies, along with traditional in-depth interviews, focus groups, and visual ethnography and storytelling methods. As this is a new mode of social science inquiry to address real world social problems, it is expected to make both scholarly (theoretical, methodological) and practical (political impact, artistic production, diverse community outreach and engagement) contributions to knowledge. By framing social, cultural, and political conceptualisations of forced migration in cultural event frameworks, which has not been previously explored rigorously, this PhD has the potential to take new approaches to advance understanding of the social world and suggest new solutions to real world social problems. Contact: Dr Rebecca Finkel (rfinkel@qmu.ac.uk) & Dr Anthony Schrag (aschrag@qmu.ac.uk) 2.3 Art-making for policy-making [BUR19-14] What is the relationship of creative practice to the process of cultural policy-making? As it stands, art and cultural practice is primarily understood as an object of policy, but does this mean that policy makers are failing to adequately consider creative practice as an alternative methodology for the creation of cultural policy? The participatory turn of the previous decades has seen art processes applied in various public contexts such as schools, communities, or factories. Here, the works have an instrumental approach that uses the art as a way to affect change within the specific contexts and individuals. Rarely, however, is the focus of such work the institutions, bureaucracies, and processes that have commissioned them. As such, we would be interested to receive proposals that would seek to explore the role that creative practice could have as an alternative methodology for cultural policy-making. Inspired by the history of the Artist Placement Group and their concept of the Incidental Person operating within institutions, this project would welcome those who wish to apply either traditional qualitative or practice-based research methodologies to explore this topic. For practice-based projects, we particularly welcome proposals from artists whose practice focuses on participatory approaches, filmmaking, performance, or the written word.
Contact: Dr Anthony Schrag (aschrag@qmu.ac.uk) & Dr David Stevenson (dstevenson@qmu.ac.uk) 3. Film, TV, and Screen Cultures 3.1 Cultures of Scottish screen comedy [BUR19-15] Proposals in this area will explore historical and / or contemporary screen comedy (cinema and television) which are broadly concerned with representing aspects of Scottish life and culture. They may also have been produced in Scotland, or may be created by Scottish writers and performers. The two main areas of focus (acknowledging that there would always be some overlap) would either be studies of texts, writers and performers or studies of the conditions and cultures of production. We would be interested in seeing studies of Scottish screen comedy that may depend on a specific sense of place and time, or on a more fluid sensibility of Scottishness. Equally, we are interested in the screen careers of particular Scottish writers, performers and creative teams. In the context of production, we are interested in comedy produced within the Scottish ITV regions and franchises, the BBC in Scotland and the Scottish film industry. There are a range of conceptual frameworks within which Scottish screen comedy cultures may be understood and analysed, and proposals which utilise a variety of frameworks will be considered - within that, proposals should be distinctly studies of comedy. Contact: Dr Jill Marshall (jmarshall@qmu.ac.uk) & Dr Mary Irwin (mirwin@qmu.ac.uk) 3.2 Developments in film genre [BUR19-16] Genre remains at the heart of global film cultures and film, media and cultural studies, and informs much of our theoretical and production practice. It is an area of deep historical resonance, great innovation, and countless pleasures. Genre also plays a key part in changing public and political spheres. Proposals in this area will take a special interest in a particular film genre or genres (feature length and fictional). It is expected that candidates will be interested in theoretical and methodological questions of genre and developments in this field. Alongside and in relation to this, these areas and questions will be of particular interest to the study (though this list is indicative and not exhaustive): Nation, post-nation, and transnationalism Adaptation and interculturalism History, memory, and politics Neo-liberalism, work, and precarity Journeying and exile Family and gendered identities and relations Melodrama, realism and affect Genre mixing
The study s primary approach will be qualitative textual analysis, but this will not exclude other potentially linked methods or areas of investigation e.g. production studies, industry studies, policy studies, archival studies, qualitative interviewing. Contact: Dr Michael Stewart (mstewart@qmu.ac.uk) & Dr Robert Munro (rmunro@qmu.ac.uk)