The University of Limerick and NUI Galway this week launched a new four-year structured PhD in New Media and Film. Also announced at the launch was a Fellowship initiative to support the joint PhD through the award of a Doctoral Scholarship to the value of €15,000, to a student of the programme at each institution.
The development of the new PhD course is one of the initiatives to come out of the NUI Galway-UL Alliance recently launched by An Taoiseach Brian Cowen T.D and will start in September 2010. This structured doctoral programme is run jointly by the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway and the School of Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication at University of Limerick. It aims to promote research that integrates theoretical discourses on the impact of digital media on cultural and social expression with practical concerns and the media industries.
Dean of UL’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science, Professor Pat O’Connor, welcomed the announcement, saying: “This exciting development at fourth level exemplifies the way in which cross institutional collaboration can advance the Arts and Humanities in an innovative medium. The collaboration demonstrates that the combined strengths of universities can create innovative teaching programmes and move research to a higher level”.
Dr Rod Stoneman, Director of the Huston School of Film & Digital Media at NUI Galway, said: “Access to a wider range of complementary courses in a neighbouring university will enhance the possibilities for research in both institutions and build on our strengths”.
Contemporary work in this area is at the leading edge of study linking digital media to the traditions of narrative and image making. Whilst academically strong, the research should also lead to new concepts that are applicable to practice. It is based on the complementary nature of developed areas of teaching and research at both institutions. The above mentioned course scholarships are tenable for a maximum of four years
The NUI Galway-UL Alliance is an institution-wide alliance across all areas of activity including teaching, research, technology transfer, lifelong learning and the provision of services. The new Alliance will see NUI Galway and UL collaborate extensively in the area of teaching and learning. Exciting new initiatives include a unique ‘Link to Learn’ student exchange programme, which will enable students at either university to choose modules from the other institution as part of their programme.
