Source: BISA List, Deadline: 13.07.2007.

Department of International Politics, University of Wales Aberystwyth, ESRC 3-year PhD Studentship in International RelationsThe Department invites applications for a 3-year ESRC fully funded studentship, to commence from September 2007, to work on an agreed PhD topic within the general theme of Legitimacy and Hegemony. Candidates are required to have a strong first degree in an aspect of International Relations, an appropriate RT Master's degree, and a good working knowledge of IR theory. A specialism in a particular region, or a major international organization, could be an advantage. The studentship forms part of a project directed by Professor Ian Clark who will be one of the student's two supervisors.

Candidates must complete an application, available at http://www.aber.ac.uk/pga/web/apply.htm, include two letters of reference, and submit a two-page statement of how their research interests fit the project.

Enquiries about the application process and general conditions of PhD students in the Department of International Politics should contact Sarah Whitehead (01970-622625; ssh@aber.ac.uk) or Dr William Bain (01970-622329; wbb@aber.ac.uk ) in the first instance. Applicants with queries about the specific research project should contact Professor Ian Clark (iic@aber.ac.uk).


Closing date: 13 July 2007


Further Information:

The studentship is part of the ESRC Professorial Fellowship awarded to Professor Clark for the period 2007-10. The award is subject to ESRC postgraduate training guidance notes and eligibility requirements, and to all other terms and conditions as set out in ESRC Postgraduate Guides. These may be downloaded from the ESRC website (http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk).


The overall project is entitled 'Legitimacy and Hegemony: The Social Bases of Contemporary US Primacy'. This will be a theoretical, historical, and policy relevant study that will examine how issues of legitimacy arise in the context of contemporary US hegemony. In part, this will be an international collaborative project, involving teams of scholars working on various aspects of the topic. There will be a series of international workshops looking at specific aspects, such as hegemony within a regional context, in specific international organizations, and in relation to NGOs. There will be an opportunity for the PhD student to attend some of these workshops, and to contribute to them. This is a unique opportunity for a student to become embedded in an existing research network.

Within this set of general themes associated with theoretical understanding of contemporary US international leadership, the successful candidate will be free to devise a PhD project of her/his own. It must address the general issues of how legitimacy and hegemony interact, and some specific policy dimensions of this interaction, but otherwise the candidate will develop the particular topic in accordance with her/his own interests, special skills and expertise, and under normal supervisory arrangements.

The Department would expect to make its selection of the successful candidate in July, and the process is subject to interview.