Graduate School
Historical and Literary Studies research overview
The School of Social, Historical and Literary Studies (SSHLS) is based at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, housed in a grade II listed building of historic significance, at the heart of the Central University campus.
At SSHLS we are particularly proud of our well-developed research culture and strong commitment to scholarship and publication, which informs all our teaching and provides an up-to-date education in a research active learning environment. We offer excellent higher degrees supervision and Master's courses on a full time and part time basis in all of our subject areas.
Our researchers conduct their work under the umbrellas of the Centre for European Studies and International Research (CEISR) and the Centre for the Studies in Literature CSL) at the University of Portsmouth, and provide expertise in policy areas, research skills and knowledge transfer to a wide variety of partners in the United Kingdom and Europe.
For more information about how to apply please contact the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences using the Contact us page.
If you have any questions about studying for a research degree at the University of Portsmouth, please complete our enquiry form.
Key Facts
RAE Rating: Our researchers' work was entered to the Research Assessment Exercise 2008 (RAE) as part of the Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR) at the University of Portsmouth. CEISR is the largest centre of its kind in the UK and was rated top in the UK for research in European Studies RAE, according to the Research Power Index compiled by the journal Research Fortnight.
CEISR made the largest entry to the European Studies Unit of Assessment panel and achieved 5* 'international excellence' for its research on European history, politics, policy, culture and language, sociology, sociolinguistics and in the fields of Slavonic, francophone and French area studies.
Academic staff: 54, please see staff list webpage.
Postgraduate research students: 22
Internal links: The School of Social, Historical and Literary Studies has close links with the three research centres in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: the Centre for Studies in Literature (CSL), the Centre for European Studies and International Research (CEISR) and the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies.
External links: The School has strong research links with the University of Krakow, the University of Aachen, the University of Maastrich, the Hague School of European Studies (The Hague University) and the University of Trondheim.
Research Centres
Centre for Studies in Literature (CSL)
The Centre for Studies in Literature (CSL), funded in 2009, brings together scholars from different fields within literary studies. Our areas of special interest are Early modern writing, Nineteenth-century literature and culture, Twentieth and twenty-first century British and American literature and Nation, Iientity and the post-colonial.
Our researchers also have interests in related fields within film studies, cultural studies and American studies, and we maintain strong links with two other research centres at the University of Portsmouth: the Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR) and the Centre for Film and Media at the Faculty of Cultural and Creative Industries.
Centre for European Studies and International Research (CEISR)
The Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR) is a major interdisciplinary centre for research on Europe, its diasporas and its relations with the wider world. CEISR was established in 1997 and is now the largest centre of its kind in the UK. It brings together over 70 researchers from across the University including linguists, historians, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists and specialists in area studies.
Resources
Our postgraduate research students have full access to the University, Faculty and Departmental facilities, including the University Library's resources. We have a well-equipped computer laboratory with a wide range of statistical packages and qualitative data analysis software.
You, along with all the Faculty's full time postgraduate research students (pooled hot desk for part time students) will be based at the Postgraduate Research Centre in Park Building. This will allow you to immerse yourself in a thriving and vibrant research environment, where you will work in your own allocated research space with computer and printing facilities.
Our postgraduate research students take part in our regular research seminars and we hold an annual 'Postgraduate study half-day', where our students have the opportunity to present their research in progress to their peers as well as to academic staff from across the Faculty, and receive feedback on it. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences also provides many teaching opportunities to support the development of our postgraduate research students as future academics.
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Research Areas
History
Our nationally and internationally recognised researchers offer supervision in the fields of Early modern history and in Modern history. Our interests are broad- ranging and cover areas such as: Social and cultural history from the eighteenth to the twentieth century and topical histories around concepts such as Race, Gender, Imperialism and Post-colonialism.
Literary Studies
If your interests lie in this area, we can offer excellent supervision for a wide range of specialist fields in literary studies as well as critical and cultural theory. In particular, we welcome candidates whose topics of research fall within the Centre's research strengths: