Medieval research degrees

Why study at Oxford?

Oxford has the largest concentration of Medievalists in any UK university, and has unparalleled resources for the study of Medieval literatures and cultures. There are in excess of 100 postgraduate students currently working on medieval topics around Oxford, creating a vibrant and dynamic research culture. Oxford libraries have unrivalled research facilities. The Bodleian Library provides access to incredibly rich manuscript and printed book resources and receives copies of all UK publications. The English Faculty also has its own library with over 100,000 volumes, including important holdings of pre-1800 material and several specialist collections, including the Turville-Petre and York Powell collections (Icelandic), the Napier collection (Old and Middle English) and J.R.R. Tolkien’s working collection of Celtic books. The Taylorian Library offers extensive holdings in continental printed books, while many College libraries (such as Christ Church, Magdalen, Merton, and St John’s) have important holdings of medieval manuscript and early printed books, as well as providing useful supplementary copies of primary and secondary reading materials. Oxford’s important collection of Anglo-Saxon and medieval antiquities are held by the newly redeveloped Ashmolean Museum.

What can I study?

Medievalists within the English Faculty cover an impressive range of interests and are able to offer supervision across a huge variety of subject areas, including Old English prose and verse, Old Norse literature, Chaucer, Langland, later medieval vernacular theologies, Older Scots writing, manuscript study and the history of the medieval book, literature and politics, historical and religious writing of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, medieval romance, late medieval intellectual history and English historical linguistics. Permanent post holders include: Laura Ashe; Helen Barr; Mishtooni Bose; Charlotte Brewer; Kantik Ghosh; Vincent Gillespie; Malcolm Godden; Mark Griffith; Sian Gronlie; Terry Hoad; Simon Horobin; Carolyne Larrington; Sally Mapstone; Heather O’Donoghue; Lucinda Rumsey; Helen Leith Spencer; Annie Sutherland; Marion Turner and Daniel Wakelin. For details of individual postholders, their areas of expertise and recent publications, see the list of Faculty Members. Although admission to graduate work is undertaken centrally, Faculty members are happy to receive enquiries from prospective research students. If you are unsure who would be the most suitable person to contact regarding your proposed research topic, email Professor Vincent Gillespie for advice.

To get an idea of the kinds of research currently being undertaken by Graduate students in Oxford, have a look at the following biographies of some of our current and recently-completed DPhil students here.

In addition to research pursued by individual postholders, the Faculty hosts several major Research Projects, supported by grants from UK-funding bodies.

What other training will I receive?

In addition to a wide-programme of reading and regular meetings with a supervisor, research students may take advantage of language courses aimed at Graduate students, covering Old English, Old Norse and Latin, as well as the programme of lectures on Ancient languages run by the Faculty of Linguistics.

Special manuscript masterclasses and seminars in Palaeography and the History of the Book are run by the Bodleian’s Centre for the Study of the Book.

Students in their second years and beyond are able to take on some undergraduate teaching to gain valuable experience as preparation for a future academic career. The Faculty runs preparatory teaching workshops aimed at postgraduate research students wishing to develop academic careers. Further training is provided by the Developing Learning and Teaching (DLT) course, which provides mentored teaching experience to graduate students. Students who successfully complete the elements of DLT are eligible to apply for Higher Education Academy Associate status. you can find further details at: http://www.humanities.ox.ac.uk/graduate_study/training_and_support_test/teaching/dlt

Social Life

Research students within the Faculty of English meet regularly with other graduate students and Faculty members at the weekly Research Seminar, at which a distinguished scholar presents a paper, followed by discussion and drinks. Recent speakers at the seminar include Ardis Butterfield, Helen Cooper, Michael Lapidge, Clare Lees and Paul Strohm. For a current list of seminars, including numerous other Medieval seminars running across Oxford, see http://www.medieval.ox.ac.uk/seminars.html.

In addition, there is a regular Graduate Medieval Discussion Group, an informal session run by students to provide space for a relaxed exchange of ideas. Recent topics have included ‘Sex, Sin, Sodomy, and Sanctity in the Romance of the Rose’, ‘Editing Piers Plowman’, ‘The conceptualization of space in Old English poetry’ and ‘Scottish Troy Book fragments’. This is an excellent opportunity to socialise with fellow medievalists across the faculties and either practice presenting in a friendly environment, run new ideas past your peers, or just share interesting brainwaves.

All graduate students within the Faculty are members of English Graduates at Oxford (EGO). EGO organises professional guidance and study skills sessions, as well as social events and student mentoring, and runs an annual Graduate Conference for all research students in the Faculty.

Medievalist Graduate students also organise their own interdisciplinary conference, which attracts an international audience and whose papers are published in the prestigious Medium Aevum monograph series; details can be found at: http://www.medieval.ox.ac.uk/oxgradconf.html

Oxford also plays host to numerous international conferences. Recent events include:
“Ryght as it is ymad in Fraunce” : Franco-English Poetic Translation(s), 1350 -1550 March 2010, St Hilda’s College, Oxford
Border Families and their Books in Northern England and in Scotland, c.1480-c.1620 April 2010, Merton College, Oxford
Editing Medieval Texts from Britain in the 21st Century May 2010, St Anne’s College, Oxford

Forthcoming events include:
Sleep: Aspects and Approaches April 2011, Lincoln College, Oxford
The Fifth International Piers Plowman Society Conference April 2011, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Facilities

Within the Faculty, Graduate students have access to computing facilities, a Graduate common room and the English subject library. All Graduate students are members of Colleges which provide accommodation, as well as various other forms of academic and pastoral support. MCR (Middle Common Room) membership also provides a lively, friendly, and interdisciplinary environment in which to meet and socialise with other Graduate students in a range of different subject areas. For information on Colleges see: http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/college_guide/index.html

How do I apply?

Full details setting out the application procedure for the DPhil can be found here: http://www.english.ox.ac.uk/prospective-graduates/admission
If you have any queries about applying for the DPhil, contact Professor Vincent Gillespie.