Why do research in Arts and Humanities?

Dr Tom Betteridge, Reader in English Literature 1550-1750, recently undertook a project on Henrician Court Drama, in collaboration with Professor Greg Walker (University of Leicester), AandBC Theatre Company, and the curatorial staff at Hampton Court Palace.

Arts and Humanities are a major strength at Oxford Brookes. We have an international reputation for its ambitious research programmes and diverse postgraduate courses. Master’s courses range from those with a strong focus on employability to those with dynamic links to research. For example, we have one of the most important centres of education for the theory and practice of publishing, not only in the UK but globally. Practice-based research in Art and Music is fostered at master’s and doctorate levels.

Our History Department is an internationally-recognised centre for research and teaching in both History and the History of Medicine. In the English Department, the Poetry Centre is supported by a range of highly regarded researchers and published academics. Such centres promote collaboration across our research community, providing a focus for your individual projects while encouraging wider participation through seminars, conferences, public events and lectures.

Craig Richardson from the Department of Arts recently curated the Museum ‘intervention’ ‘Ross Sinclair versus Sir Edwin Landseer’ which was launched in January 2007 at Aberdeen Art Gallery. Two years in the making, the intervention pitted the modern art of Ross Sinclair, one of Scotland’s leading visual artists, against the work of Victorian artist Sir Edwin Landseer in order to explore new representations of Scottish cultural identity and to create a model for new museum interventions.

Research in our Centres and Departments:

• Social Sculpture Research Unit
• Centre for Health, Medicine and Society
• Poetry Research Centre
• CESAR Project
• Sonic Art Research Unit
• Film Studies
• Fine Art
• Music
• Publishing

For a list of the research topics of our academic staff, please follow the link ‘Current research topics’.

What we can offer research students

• Supervision from top-class academics in their fields
• A vibrant cross-disciplinary perspective
• A wide range of support facilities and intellectual opportunities
• We have a number of research centres which run a lively programme of seminars, lectures, conferences and other events
• We provide training in theoretical and practical areas, and in transferable skills such as presentations, writing a CV and so on
• Our location provides access to some of the world’s best libraries and to research facilities in Oxford, and in London.
• We have nearly 300 post-graduate students in the School. 70 of these are undertaking research degrees, and our research students have an excellent completion rate.