Text, Practice and Research

This programme addresses one of our main aims at Kent, which is to enable research students to take risks and use cross-disciplinary techniques to explore research questions. This is the PhD that covers narrative non-fiction, as well as other forms of creative writing that are not poems or a novel. Our first student on this programme is exploring identity through hip-hop, and will be handing in an album alongside a piece of scholarly research. All the research programmes enable you to feel part of the vibrant University community, with access to a range of exciting events, research seminars and MA modules which you can take for no credit with the agreement of the convenor. Most PhD students are given the opportunity to teach from their second year.

As a research student, you meet regularly with your supervisor, and have the opportunity to take part in informal reading groups and research seminars to which students, staff and visiting speakers contribute papers. You also benefit from a series of research skills seminars that run in the spring term, which gives you a chance to share the research expertise of staff and postdoctoral members of the department.

As a basis for advanced research, you must take the School and Faculty research methods programmes.