Ruth Hawthorne - PhD in English Literature

I completed my undergraduate degree in English Literature at Glasgow in 2006 and, like a lot of students here, I enjoyed the experience so much that I stayed on to undertake postgraduate study.

There is a vibrant and inclusive research community with over 50 PhD students, working on topics ranging from Romantic women writers and 19th Century American Poetry, to Virginia Woolf and Irish Fantasy Literature. There are regular “Work in Progress” seminars where staff and postgraduates present on their current research. These sessions are organised and chaired by postgrads and they are a great way to get feedback on your project, meet other people and find those with overlapping interests.

There are numerous reading groups, including “Literary Theory”, “Proust”, “Finnegan’s Wake” and “Gravity’s Rainbow.” They are informal, lively sessions, and give you the chance to socialise and to expand your research interests. Students involved in these groups have often taken the initiative to organise symposiums and events, which have attracted distinguished keynote speakers, including Prof. Jean-Michel Rabaté, Prof. Adam Piette and Dr. Stephen Ross.

Since my second year of researching, I’ve also had the opportunity to teach 1st and 2nd year modules, which I have learned a lot from and thoroughly enjoyed. There is always so much going on here, and my research experience has been full, varied and stimulating throughout.