Media Arts (Research)

The Department of Media Arts runs a successful postgraduate research programme that is equally popular with British and international students. We offer MPhil and PhD programmes in any area related to film and television studies, cultural theory and media practice but prioritise proposals in those areas in which our staff have particular expertise. We also welcome applications from students who want to combine traditional research with creative practice. Doctoral candidates who pursue this route will submit creative work, such as a film or screenplay, alongside a significantly shorter PhD thesis.

Students work closely with their supervisory teams. In the case of practice PhDs, the team consists of a media practitioner and a member of staff with the relevant theoretical expertise. In addition to working on their research project, students are required to participate in a research skills training programme.

The research of the department includes specific interests in:
Television, history, technology and aesthetics;
Screen narrative and screenwriting;
Hollywood, Asian, European cinemas;
National, Transnational and Diasporic cinemas;
The representation of class, ethnicity, gender and sexuality;
Cultures of celebrity;
Modernist art practices;
Production of dramas, documentaries and installations;
These research interests blend into three main research clusters: Television Culture, Screen Narrative and Identity and Place.