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MPhil/PhD with the Ruskin Centre

The Ruskin Library and Research Centre welcomes applications from students interested in any area of Ruskin-related research.

Click here to download our application handbook.

MPhil/PhD

The MPhil/PhD course is available on a full-time or part-time basis. They are substantial research degrees for students who have demonstrated potential for independent study (You would normally be expected to hold an MA or equivalent). Students will be assessed entirely on the basis of a research dissertation.

A research degree with us is suitable for those wishing to explore the multidisciplinary nature of the work of John Ruskin, with access to one of the world’s greatest collections of Ruskin material, held in the Ruskin Library.

Recent Theses and current research projects undertaken by our students include:

‘Some Contemporary Responses to John Ruskin’s Death’
‘John Ruskin and the Whitelands College May Day Tradition’
‘The diagnostic eye: Symptomatology and Landscape’
‘Ruskin on Gothic Skin: Embodiment in Health and Disease’
‘Carlyle’s Influence on Ruskin’
‘Ruskin’s Unpublished Materials’
‘Ruskin and Visual Media’

We enjoy links with the departments of English, History, Religious Studies, Sociology and Art. Other ideas could centre around or focus on many aspects of Nineteenth Century Studies, with relation to Ruskin such as:

Nineteenth Century Cultural Travel
Ruskin in relation to artists and art movements such as Turner or the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood or the Arts and Crafts Movement of the Nineteenth Century
Ruskin in relation to literary figures such as Sir Walter Scott
Ruskin and Social Thought
The Tourist Gaze
Ruskin and Drawing

Research with us would also be very suitable for those interested in library, museum and gallery studies, in relation to books, archives and picture collections.

We enjoy strong links with Brantwood, the historic home of Ruskin, situated in Coniston in the Lake District. We also have strong associations with other collections in the UK and abroad, such as the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, the Ruskin Gallery in Sheffield and the Ruskin Library of Tokyo in Japan

We are very happy to discuss an idea or research proposal with you before application stage. The above themes are only a guide. There are many interesting routes of research that can be undertaken in relation to Ruskin and our unique collection here at Lancaster.

Funding

For details please see the following link, or refer to our admissions page

Fees and funding

Research training and support

There are several opportunities to gain valuable training in research methods whilst studying. As well as the weekly Ruskin Seminar, students will also have the opportunity to attend specialist seminars run by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.