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Research Degrees

The Department of Dance, Film and Theatre provides a research environment in which to explore, interrogate and reflect upon contemporary and historical practices of dance, film and theatre in their dynamic cultural contexts.

As part of a vibrant research community, students undertake a wide range of projects, informed by current theories and methodologies drawn from areas such as popular cultural studies, critical theory, embodiment, new histories and cultural difference.

In addition to regular supervision meetings with highly qualified and internationally known academic staff members, students can expect to participate in research skills training opportunities, a research seminar series and biannual intensive research weeks that include student presentations, reading groups and guest speaker slots.

The Department has an excellent track record MPhil and PhD completions. The first PhD student graduated in 1986 and subsequently over 45 students have completed higher research degrees. In the 2009 Research Assessment Exercise, the Department was noted for its timely completion of PhD students with an impressive average rate of 2.3 per annum.

Students registered on the doctoral programme can expect to benefit from the following:

High Quality Supervision

All supervision is built on the Department’s highly regarded international reputation for research on dance, film and theatre. A full list of individual staff research strengths and current projects is available on the staff web pages. Each student works with a team of two supervisors who will meet with students on a regular basis to discuss the focus and direction of the PhD project, to offer feedback on work submitted and to ensure that the thesis is managed and completed on time.

Current supervisors and their research supervision interests are:

• Dr Stuart Andrews: Performing the past, site-specific performance, theatre and everyday life. Dr Andrews currently co-supervises 1 PhD student.
• Dr Melissa Blanco Borelli: black and Latin/o dance and performance, Cuban social and sacred dance, corporeality and theories of the body, identity politics. Dr Blanco currently co-supervises 1 PhD student on Jamaican dancehall culture.
• Dr Sherril Dodds: popular dance practice, dance on screen, cultural analysis. Dr Dodds currently supervises 5 PhD students, has completed 2 and acted as an examiner for 6 PhD theses.
• Professor Rachel Fensham: cross-cultural dance and choreography, feminist theatre and performance, audience research, utilising performance theory informed by corporeal and postcolonial perspectives. She currently supervises 8 PhD students, has completed 11 including in the US and Australia, and acted as examiner for 10 PhD theses.
• Dr Helena Hammond: Ballet history, dance theory, European arts history. Dr Hammond currently supervises 3 PhD students.
• Dr Helen Hughes: European cinema, particularly documentary film, German-language film, representations of work, performance, and the environment. Dr Hughes currently supervises 1 student, has completed 1 and acted as examiner for 1 PhD thesis.
• Dr Jean Johnson-Jones: Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), Labanotation (LN) and anthropological methods as effective tools for understanding and documenting movement as cultural code particularly in reference to African Peoples’ Dance. Dr Johnson-Jones currently supervises 1 PhD student.

Research Seminars and Training

An essential feature of the research training provided in the Department is the organisation of two week long seminars a year (in May and November) which are compulsory for all doctoral students. These intensive research weeks are vital in creating a lively international research community in which staff and students exchange intellectual ideas and share good practice in relation to doctoral research. The research weeks include student presentations of work in progress, staff seminars presentations, reading groups, research skills training sessions and guest speaker slots.

The two intensive research weeks are also complemented by a fortnightly seminar series of invited speakers, which is attended by staff, PhD and MA students and through a programme of research skills training sessions offered by the University’s Postgraduate Skills Development Programme: www.surrey.ac.uk/Skills/pgsdp/index.htm

Excellent Administrative Support

The admissions and registration process are managed within the Department by a dedicated administrator Mr Alan Smith: alan.smith@surrey.ac.uk

Students have access to the research support of computers, technology, office and studio space. Any formal matters regarding their programme of study are addressed at the Post-graduate Board of Studies which takes place twice a semester. Academic progress is formally monitored through an Annual Progress Report.

For further information, contact Doctor Sherril Dodds, Director of Graduate Studies (s.dodds@surrey.ac.uk).