NASSSblog: PHD: Sport and Citizenship (five offers)

Loughborough University

PhD Studentship in Sport and Citizenship: Supporters’ activism, nostalgia and the governance of modern football

Following the establishment of a ‘mini Centre for Doctoral Training’ (mini-CDT) in Sport and Citizenship at Loughborough University, applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by the University’s Graduate School to start on October 1st 2015. The Sport and Citizenship mini-CDT is a joint initiative of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and the School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences. It will research the diverse ways in which active citizenship is pursued by different individuals and social groups in and through sport.

The specific focus of this PhD is the area of football governance and supporters’ activism, with attention to the role of nostalgia and the communication networks of supporters. This PhD explores the extent to which football fans develop and articulate specific forms of social, cultural (and football) citizenship by participating in the activities of supporters groups at local, national or European level. This project will explore the motivations, strategies and outcomes of supporter activism in Europe. This PhD will explore the concept of ‘modern football’ and question the extent to which nostalgia for ‘older football’ is a motivator for supporters’ activism. The project will adopt an interdisciplinary approach with a threefold social scientific theoretical framework, comprised of theories of collective and cultural memory, communication networks, and approaches to sports governance.

This PhD will adopt a case study design, with a qualitative methodology for data collection and analysis. The research will benefit substantially from our external links with Football Supporters Europe (FSE) as the non-academic project partner. The PhD supervisors will be Dr Borja García, (Lecturer in Sport Policy and Management in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences), and Dr Emily Keightley (Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media Studies in the Department of Social Sciences). The PhD student will be based in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.

The studentship is for 3 years and is intended to start on October 1st 2015. The studentship provides a tax-free stipend of £13,863 per annum, plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate, for the duration of the studentship. International (non-EU) students may apply for this studentship, but will need to find the difference in fees between those for a ‘UK/EU’ and ‘international’ student themselves. For more information on fees, please see: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/finance/research/

Applicants will need to hold at least an upper 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in the areas of the social sciences related to the study, such as Communication, Media Studies, Sport Management/Policy or the social sciences of sport. Knowledge and/or strong experience of football governance and supporter activism will be considered an essential pre-requisite as well. A relevant Master’s degree and/or strong experience in the relevant areas will be an advantage. Applicants should also have excellent qualitative research skills. Finally, speaking a second European language will be an advantage.

General information about the school of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ssehs/

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Borja García (b.garciagarcia@lboro.ac.uk).

To apply, please complete the online application using the following link: https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1

The closing date for applications is 27th February 2015
Interviews will take place in week commencing 27th April 2015.

Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15SSEHS/M1

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PhD Studentship in Sport and Citizenship: Sport for Development

Following the establishment of a ‘mini Centre for Doctoral Training’ (mini-CDT) in Sport and Citizenship at Loughborough University, applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by the University’s Graduate School to start on October 1^st2015. The Sport and Citizenship mini-CDT is a joint initiative of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and the School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences. This mini-CDT seeks to research the diverse ways in which active citizenship is pursued by different individuals and social groups in and through sport.

This PhD is situated within the broad area of Sport for Development. The project will investigate how sport is used in developing societies to promote wider social benefits associated with active citizenship. The specific focus of the research is open to discussion between the supervisors and applicants. Possible research topics include but are not limited to the study of sport’s contribution towards achieving better educational outcomes, stronger social cohesion, improved health practices, or the empowerment of women. The project may also involve a comparative dimension, exploring the contribution of sport and non-sporting activities for achieving beneficial social outcomes. It is anticipated that the project will involve significant data-collection in at least one developing society on a case-study basis. The research will benefit substantially from close links with the British Council as the non-academic project partner, particularly in terms of offering research access to on-going work by the British Council in specific international locations. The PhD supervisors will be Professor Richard Giulianotti and Dr James Esson, and the PhD student will be based in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.

The studentship is for 3 years and is intended to start on October 1^st2015. The studentship provides a tax-free stipend of £13,863 per annum, plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate, for the duration of the studentship. International (non-EU) students may apply for this studentship, but will need to find the difference in fees between those for a ‘UK/EU’ and ‘international’ student themselves. For more information on fees, please see: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/finance/research/

Applicants will normally need to hold, or expect to obtain, at least an upper 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in sport studies or a relevant social science discipline. A relevant Masters degree will be advantageous.

General information on the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ssehs/

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Professor Giulianotti (r.giulianotti@lboro.ac.uk) or Dr Esson (j.esson@lboro.ac.uk).

To apply, please complete the online application using the following link: https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1

The closing date for applications is 27 February 2015

Interviews will take place in March 2015

Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15SSEHS/M2

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PhD Studentship in Sport and Citizenship: Representation and the experiences of minorities in football coaching and leadership in Europe

The broad focus of this PhD is on representation and the experiences of minorities in football coaching and leadership in Europe. More specifically, the PhD will examine the levels of involvement in the game amongst different ethnic, cultural and religious minorities as players, coaches and in leadership positions. It will also seek to examine the range of social, cultural and institutional factors which have both enabled and constrained minority inclusion across these tiers of the game. In doing so, it will explore a number of key issues including; the extent, shape and impact of overt and coded forms of racial stereotyping, and practices of conscious and unconscious systemic bias which underpin inequality of access, opportunities and outcomes and disadvantage citizens drawn from outside dominant (white) social and cultural networks. The PhD will utilise both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and will involve working closely with key stakeholders in the sport, including; national FA’s, the FARE network and UEFA.

The PhD supervisors will be Dr Steven Bradbury and Dr Mahfoud Amara and the PhD student will be based in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University. Additional guidance and support will be provided by Piara Powar, the Director of the FARE network. The PhD findings will substantially advance knowledge and understanding of processes of racialised exclusion in football and have significant transferability to wider sporting and social contexts.

Applicants will normally need to hold at least an upper 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in a relevant sports science or social science based subject. A relevant Master’s degree and/or experience of working to address issues of ‘race’ and discrimination in sport or other social settings would be an advantage. Applicants should also have excellent written and oral communication skills.

General information about the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences can be found at:http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ssehs/

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Steven Bradbury at s.bradbury@lboro.ac.uk

To apply, please complete the online application using the following link: https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1

The closing date for applications is 27 February 2015

Interviews will take place in March

Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15SSEHS/M3

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PhD Studentship in Sport and Citizenship: Physical Citizens: Positive youth development, ‘life skills’ and outdoor learning

The focus of this PhD is in the broad area of young people’s development through outdoor learning experiences. Specifically, it seeks to critically examine how outdoor learning and ‘wild’ environments are used by the Outward Bound Trust to facilitate the promotion of ‘active citizenship’ and the development of wide-ranging ‘life skills’ for young people. In this way, it aims to contribute to recent inter-disciplinary debates on youth, informal education and active citizenship. Furthermore, the project seeks to engage with concepts of embodiment, adventure and identity in the performance of citizenship through physical activity. We anticipate the project will utilise a predominantly qualitative research methodology and include an element of participatory and/or creative methods.

The PhD supervisors will be Dr Sarah Mills (Department of Geography) and Dr Rachel Sandford (School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences), and the PhD student will be based in the Department of Geography, School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences. The research will benefit substantially from our external links with the Outward Bound Trust as the non-academic project partner.

Applicants will normally need to hold at least an upper 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in a pertinent Social Science subject e.g. Geography or Physical Education/Sport Pedagogy. A relevant Master’s degree and/or experience working with young people and community/third sector organisations would be an advantage. Applicants should also have excellent written and oral communication skills.

General information about the Department of Geography and the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Sarah Mills (S.Mills@lboro.ac.uk) or for queries on the application process please contact Susan Clarke (S.N.Clarke@lboro.ac.uk)

To apply, please complete the online application using the following link: https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1

The closing date for applications is 27 February 2015

Interviews will take place in March

Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15SSEHS/M4

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PhD Studentship in Sport and Citizenship: Sexualities in Sport

Sports provide a crucial social field in which recognition and citizenship are pursued by diverse social organizations, actors and groups, notably along the lines of class, gender, ethnicity, region or nationality, and sexuality. This PhD studentship focuses on sexuality in sport and will examine the role of key stakeholders - notably fans, sports officials, clubs and administrators, non-governmental organizations, and pressure groups - with regards to the extent of discrimination, intolerance and prejudice. At the level of policy, sports such as football have recognized these struggles: for example, in its Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Action Plan, the English Football Association outlined a strategy ‘for addressing incidents of discrimination in English football and encouraging greater inclusion across the game’; likewise, the governing body of European football, UEFA, argues that social responsibility is a key tenet of its anti-discrimination strategy. Despite these policies, however, there is evidence to suggest that forms of exclusion, discrimination and intolerance continue to undermine the full recognition and participation of the LGBT community. The PhD study will substantially advance our knowledge of the politics of citizenship within sport and will benefit substantially from our external links with Stonewall as the non-academic project partner. Moreover, the study will facilitate deeper understandings of the role of sport and other fields of popular culture in shaping the wider politics of citizenship; of the roles of different political and social actors in shaping citizenship struggles; and, of how citizenship struggles over sexuality are occurring in contemporary society.

Applicants will normally need to hold at least an upper 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in a social science discipline. A relevant Master’s degree in the social sciences and/or experience in this area will be an advantage. Issued October 2014

General information about the school of Social Sciences can be found at:http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/socialsciences/

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Jamie Cleland: j.cleland@lboro.ac.uk

To apply, please complete the online application using the following link: https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1

The closing date for applications is 27 February 2015

Interviews will take place in March

Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15SSEHS/M5