PhD East Asian Studies

Our PhD East Asian Studies programme enables you to carry out significant and original research into an area of interest concerning the East Asian region, broadly defined (including south-east Asia, especially when related to areas and cultures which use Chinese writing characters). You will do this while transcending specific cultural boundaries or seeking to utilise the academic specialism and guidance of scholars in East Asian Studies to engage with academic topics within the region. We have academics with a range of interests within Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies, as well as language teaching teams in Chinese and Japanese. Our staff can offer postgraduate supervision in a variety of areas related to religion, education, popular culture, art, history, gender studies, identity formation, literature, social dynamics, social and business networks, as well as medical history and policy, either in terms of specific East Asian cultures or relating to topics defined as crossing national and cultural boundaries within the wider East Asian context.

The PhD is the major postgraduate research degree. It involves three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study and the preparation of a thesis of not more than 80,000 words that makes a significant contribution to knowledge. A satisfactory PhD topic is one that a suitably qualified and properly supervised student can bring to completion within the permitted timeframe. Your research will normally be supervised by two members of staff at the University. Your supervisors will most likely be members of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, but if your research requires it, we may arrange for supervision by someone outside the School. Supervisory arrangements at Manchester are governed by a Code of Practice which is available on the University's website. Regular meetings will be held with the supervisors, and details of each of the meetings will be recorded.