PhD Interdisciplinary Study of Culture (RICC/SOSS): The University of Manchester

Course description

The Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures (RICC) was established in 2007. RICC comprises four recently appointed Research Chairs, six RCUK postdoctoral fellows, a Leverhulme postdoctoral fellow, a RICC postdoctoral associate, and numerous members of academic and postgraduate staff in the Faculty of Humanities at The University of Manchester. RICC provides a framework for scholars at Manchester to collaborate with international researchers through the examination of the distinctive features of contemporary cosmopolitanism. Providing the context for an ongoing and open debate about the meaning and significance of this term, both historically and for contemporary culture, lies at the heart of the aim of this Institute.

The Research Institute for Cosmopolitan Cultures responds to a world in which global restructuring and growing inequalities are fuelling religious and ethnic conflicts and growing national anxieties, as well as movements for social justice, reconciliation, interconnection and the development of common perspectives. There is a strong commitment to examining the precedents of cosmopolitanism, and its global variants, so that current developments are understood in a historical and geographical context. Anchoring debates about the transformation of the human within particular institutional locations and across gender and race divides, our goal is to develop knowledge that combines local and transnational perspectives.

Establishing a research culture where academic staff and postgraduates work collaboratively, RICC seeks to provide a stimulating and dynamic environment for intellectual and political exchange around the highly contested notion of cosmopolitanism. In pursuing a range of integrated inquiries into these issues, this Centre will also involve existing research strengths in order to place the University of Manchester as a leading international centre.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview:

Candidates must hold a first or upper second class UK honours degree and a M.A. degree at a leval equivalent to a UK average of 60%, or equivalent qualification gained outside of the UK, in an appropriate area in the humanities or the social sciences.

English language:

Applicants whose first language is not English must attain one of the following:

• IELTS - Overall 7, writing score  7
• TOEFL - Overall 623, TWE 5 (PBT)
• TOEFL - Overall 263, TWE 5 (CBT).  This test is no longer available but results less than 2 years old can be submitted.
• TOEFL  - Overall 100, with 25 in each of the 4 sections (IBT)

Applicants with scores below our requirements may be eligible to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Duration will be confirmed when an official result has been received.

Exemption to the requirements is at the discretion of the School.  Applicants who have been taught and assessed in English on previous degrees may still be required to show proof of English proficiency via TOEFL/IELTS.

TOEFL Certificates - please designate the University of Manchester as a recipient of your result.  The code is 0757.  Results must come directly from ETS (TOEFL).