The Centre for Islamic & West Asian Studies (CIWAS)

Call for Applications

Application Deadline: June 15, 2017

Applications are invited for eight studentships to be awarded for a Masters by Research Programme in Islamic and West Asian Studies. These studentships are attached to the Centre for Islamic and West Asian Studies (CIWAS) at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Royal Holloway, University of London is based in Egham, Surrey in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London. The Masters by Research Programme in Islamic and West Asian Studies is a 12- month research-based postgraduate programme which is assessed entirely on the research dissertation (maximum 40,000 words). It is intended to give you scope to explore your area of interest in depth, test out a possible research topic, and learn the skills of extended scholarly writing.

This is an attractive advanced qualification which is particularly suitable if you are seeking a career in academic research and as a first step towards a PhD. In addition to one-to-one supervision, MRes students will have access to skills training and all of Royal Holloway’s facilities and postgraduate support, including the many events and facilities that London has to offer, including the British Library and Senate House. Dissertation supervisors will be drawn from RHUL faculty members affiliated to CIWAS from a wide array of the university’s departments, and will include scholars from the Departments of Politics and International Relations, History, Economics, English, Geography, Music, and the School of Management.

The studentship covers tuition fees and a contribution towards maintenance. A summer Arabic-language programme in Beirut will be available for some students, as will Farsi language instruction in London.

Entry Requirements:

• A minimum of a 2:1 UK honours degree or overseas equivalent.
• Applicants for whom English is not a first language need an IELT of 6.5 overall with 7.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in all other sub scores.
  • Students from overseas should visit the International pages for information on the entry requirements from their country and further information on English language requirements.
• A research proposal that relates to this year’s theme (see below).
• Two letters of reference. Closing Date for applications is 15 June 2017.

Theme for this year’s studentships and details of how to apply:

We are seeking applicants whose proposed research focuses on the broad theme of Islam, the West, and Extremism. Relevant historical and contemporary issues might include:

1. Islam and the West (the Muslim Diaspora, its coexistence with ‘others’ in the West),
2. Islamic Responses to Radicalism,
3. Islam and Ethics (Human Rights; Ethics, Medical Ethics and Islamic Jurisprudence, Women’s Rights),
4. Spirituality in Islam (Islamic arts, Rituals),
5. Islamic authority in an age of Western Dominance

We welcome, in particular, proposals that focus on under-researched Islamic approaches, such as that of the Twelver Shiites.

Please email Sandra.Halperin@rhul.ac.uk with any questions.

Source: ciwas.net