ESRC (CASE) COLLABORATIVE STUDENTSHIP

'Museum visits and social exclusion: the geography of school visits to 
museums'

Applications are invited for the above PhD studentship from postgraduate 
students who have completed or are in the process of completing an ESRC RT 
(Research Training) recognised Masters course or close equivalent in Human 
Geography or other relevant Social Science or Museum Studies degrees.


The Studentship

ESRC CASE studentships involve collaboration between Higher Education 
Institutions and non-academic bodies, which in this case is the Department 
of Media, Culture and Sports. The student will receive a standard ESRC 
maintenance grant (currently £14,000 per year), payment of the 
University's academic fees, an annual ESRC Research Training Grant 
(currently £750 per year) and a further payment of at least £2,000 per 
year from the Department of Media, Culture and Sports.


The Research Project

The student will be working with Dr Martin Phillips (Department of 
Geography) and Professor Eilean Hooper-Greenhill (RCMG) on a collaborative 
studentship supported by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports 
(DCMS) to conduct doctoral research examining relationships between museum 
education and social inclusion and exclusion. The studentship links to two 
major research projects previously undertaken by Professor Hooper-
Greenhill and Dr Phillips on 'National/Regional Museum Partnerships' and 
the 'Renaissance in the Regions' museum education programme both of which 
identified that high levels of museum visits were being undertaken by 
schools in areas recorded as having high levels of deprivation and child 
poverty. The student will have access to an unparalleled dataset produced 
by the two earlier studies, which together with their own original 
research will allow them to consider how museum visits by children might 
contribute to social inclusion and cohesion. The specific aims of the 
research are to:

Assess whether museums are more socially inclusive than is widely 
perceived.

Examine the social geography of school visits to museums and explain why 
high proportions of these visits are made by schools located in some the 
most deprived areas of England.

Explore the impacts that museums have on schools, teachers and pupils 
which might contribute to social inclusion.

The project will involve use of GIS analysis, questionnaire surveys and 
interviews with museum staff, teachers, children and parents.


The Applicant

We are seeking an applicant who has experience of conducting research at 
postgraduate level or equivalent. Completion or study on an ERSC RT 
recognised Masters course is highly desired, as is experience of GIS 
software and spatial analysis techniques. Awareness of one or more of the 
following are also desirable: social exclusion issues, museum studies, 
qualitative and quantitative research methods.


Application Process

Applications should include the following:

a) A completed 'Application for Admission to Graduate Studies' form, 
copies of which are obtainable from 
http://www.le.ac.uk/graduateoffice/pgprospectus/applying.html or by 
contacting Vanessa Greasley, Department of Geography, University of 
Leicester,

Leicester LE1 7RH ( 0116 223 1777; [log in to unmask]).

b) A current CV which includes the names of two referees

c) A letter outlining your reasons for applying and keys attributes and 
skills that you can bring to the project.

Applications should be sent to 
Vanessa Greasley, 
Department of Geography, 
University of Leicester, 
Leicester LE1 7RH by the 10th June 2005.

For further information and informal discussion, please contact either Dr 
Martin Phillips (0116 252 3886; [log in to unmask]) or Professor Eilean Hooper-
Greenhill (0116 252 3963 [log in to unmask]).

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