Black Studies PhD

Program Overview

The PhD in Black Studies at the University of Nottingham is the only program of its kind in Europe, exploring the history, culture, and activism of African descent through an interdisciplinary lens. Students examine topics such as race, class, gender, and sexuality while connecting with renowned research centers like the Center for Black Studies and the Institute for the Study of Slavery. Graduates pursue careers in academia, the arts, and other fields, leveraging their research expertise in the Black diaspora.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

PhD Black Studies is a place for the study of the history, literature and culture of black people (variously defined) in North America, as well as through their historical, cultural and political links to Africa, Britain, and other global sites. It is the only programme of its kind in Europe and is steeped in interdisciplinary methods and critical reflection to investigate the roles, lives, cultures, politics, representations, activism, art, histories and movement of people of African descent. The course is particularly relevant at this crucial time within the UK, as students, communities and institutions of higher education increasingly assess curriculum offerings in dialogue with the ongoing effort to consider the influence and experience of the black diaspora on both sides of the Atlantic. The PhD programme is closely aligned with the Centre for Black Studies and the Centre for Research in Race and Rights. The University also hosts the Institute for the Institute for the Study of Slavery (ISOS) and the Rights Lab, enabling students to expand their research networks across the university and beyond. The PhD is based in the Department of American and Canadian Studies, which has a long history of research in black studies, African diaspora studies and African American studies. However, we also welcome comparative research proposals that address issues across disciplines and national boundaries.

Outline:

You will complete a written thesis of up to 100,000 words. The topic will be agreed with your supervisors (usually two co-supervisors). You also take a verbal examination (viva voce) at the end of your thesis, where you explain your project in depth to an examination panel. As part of this course, you will attend research training sessions and weekly graduate work-in-progress seminars. The work-in-progress sessions are led by the research student community. They are an opportunity for everyone to present their ongoing research to their peers, supervisors and invited members of academic staff and research students. The idea is that you receive feedback and support from this community. Research areas By its very nature, the Black Studies PhD can cover a wide range of North American and transatlantic topics. These might include questions of racial systems, class formation, identity, creative expression, political futures, gender, sexuality and sexual expression, resistance, and power from the time of slavery to the era of mass incarceration. Current Black Studies PhD topics Afrofuturism Black communities and environmental justice in relation to national parks and heritage Black identity, photography and wellbeing Black working mothers Digital blackness Legacies of black arts and heritage centres (1980-present) Study abroad

Careers:

Our postgraduates go onto work in a range of fields, from university lectureships and post-doctoral fellowships to roles in the media, art councils and the creative industries. Many of our research students publish high-quality books and articles and have secured teaching positions in universities both in the UK and abroad. 100% of postgraduates from the School of American and Canadian Studies secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £31,000.

• HESA Graduate Outcomes 2019/20 data published in 2022.
The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology.

UK fees: £5,100

International fees: £21,500