Reference: GL02154

Closing date: 06 January 2014

Applications are invited for two PhD studentships covering the period 1 October 2014 to 30 September 2017, working under the general supervision of Professor Christopher Young and Dr Mark Chinca in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages. Each student will also be assigned a co-supervisor from the University of Marburg, Germany. These awards have become available as a result of an AHRC Research Grant “Kaiserchronik: Literature and History in the German Middle Ages”.  Successful applicants are expected to begin PhD study on 1 October 2014 and will receive a student stipend sufficient to meet the fees and maintenance requirements in accordance with AHRC regulations The studentship provides a maintenance grant and tuition fees at the home/EU rate and applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements for the Home/EU fees rate. Due to funding restrictions non-EU nationals cannot be considered for AHRC funding.
 
The Project
 
The Kaiserchronik (c.1150) is one of the great monuments of medieval literature. Chronicling the reigns of Roman and German kings and emperors, from the earliest times to the twelfth century, it projects a magnificent historical sweep in which the German-speaking peoples and their rulers feature as actors on the stage of ancient history and heirs to the legacy of Rome as capital of the Christian West. It is the first verse chronicle to have been written in any European vernacular. Yet despite its importance for literary and historical studies alike, it has been surprisingly neglected. This project is intended to yield a complete understanding of the extraordinary cultural resonance of the Kaiserchronik, and offer a transformative reassessment of the place of history-writing in the development of German literature in the Middle Ages.¿ The project has attracted funding of c.£950,000 from the AHRC. The team is based in Cambridge and assembles experts in the fields of medieval literature, language and history, with special collaborations with the University of Marburg and Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Over its lifetime, the project will produce the first-ever complete edition of the Kaiserchronik, accompanied by English translation, full introduction and commentary. In addition, the project will research the historical and literary background to the chronicle: the twelfth-century context from which it emerged, and the reasons for its enduring appeal over the following four and a half centuries. The results will be presented through major events in Cambridge, international conferences, and special issues of academic journals.
 
The studentships
 
Applicants are invited to submit an advanced research proposal on a topic of their own choice, provided it falls within the general area of the project. Please see the Apply link below for more information on the two PhD studentships available. The descriptions there are intended as a guide to the kinds of topic that might be investigated, but applicants should not take them as restrictive.
 
Qualification requirements
 
Candidates should hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, with a specialization in medieval German literary and / or linguistic studies, and expect to attain or have attained a mark of distinction.
 
For further information, and details of how to apply, please visit: http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/faculty/jobs