University of Hull PhD Scholarship: Place-attachment, Storytelling and Creativity for Environmental Stewardship

Collective climate action movements have long been criticised for being the preserve of the educated middle classes who are said to have vested interests, assets and socio-economic privileges that enable them to focus upon the environment. By contrast, underserved urban communities, namely poorer and working-class communities, are largely (though often wrongly) framed as disinterested in environmental action and are therefore under-re-presented in the research evidence. This PhD project therefore attempts to address this important misconception. In particular, it will seek to understand place-attachment and community connection in underserved communities, including relationships with the commons by drawing upon sociological, historical and geographical concepts and approaches. Importantly, the PhD will utilise place-based storytelling, creativity and participatory arts-based approaches as both process (methods) and product (outcomes).  It will foreground learning about how and why people attach to their communities and how this can be mobilised into environmental action and place-based stewardship by harnessing creativity in a range of forms.

The project will involve working with urban communities and arts-based partners and is underpinned by an ethos of knowledge exchange that promotes learning from and with its members. A key dimension of the project will be to consider how communities can not only contribute to this research, but can also access and ‘own’ such knowledge. 

The project will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team including academics from education and the environmental humanities.

Supervisors:

Dr. Lisa Jones; Prof. Briony McDonagh; Dr. Gill Hughes

Funding:

• The successful applicant will receive a fee waiver and a maintenance grant / stipend for three years (full-time) or six years (part-time), which covers the research period of the PhD. The fee waiver for 23/24 is £4712 (Home fee) and the maintenance grant is £18622 per annum. This rises each year in line with the UKRI’s recommended stipend allowance.

• If you need to move into a fourth year (full time) or seventh year (part-time) to complete your thesis, please note that you will not receive a tuition fee waiver or maintenance grant during this period and you will be required to pay a continuation fee.

Entry Requirements:

Applicants should have a minimum 2:1 degree in a related subject. A taught MA/MSc or Masters by Research in a relevant subject would be an advantage.

For more details on our entry requirements please visit the postgraduate admissions webpage.

This scholarship is available for full-time and part-time study.

International applicants:

This opportunity comes with a Home fee waiver only, which will not cover the full International fee. You will therefore need to pay the difference between the Home fee and the International fee and will need to provide evidence that you have sufficient funds to cover this.

How to Apply:

You will need to supply a personal statement when applying for this scholarship position. Find out more about writing a personal statement.

Closing Date for Applications: 15^th February 2024

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