CHUSS Graduate School - College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Background

On the advice of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the government of Uganda divested itself from higher education generally, and University education particularly in the 1990s. Starved of funds by the government and anticipating revenue windfall from paying students, Makerere University and indeed many public universities in the region opened their doors to private students....Read More

Call for Applications: Inter-disciplinary PhD by Research Programme (2020)

Inter-disciplinary PhD by Research programme in the Fields of Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences (2020)

With funding from the Gerda-Henkel Stiftung Foundation, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences seeks to admit 10 students for the 2020 intake of the Inter-disciplinary PhD in Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences. The programme is by research and focuses on interdisciplinary topics in the Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences. This includes a cluster of subjects (disciplines) that study human society with a particular sensitivity to change over time, historical context, and the development of various kinds of evidence to support analyses about the causes, characteristics, and implications of such changes in human society.

The Inter-disciplinary PhD by Research is reconfigured as a research agenda with an explicit intersection between Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences. Preference will be accorded to projects that approach the study of the Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences with a clear and strong historical bias and/or focus in the following fields:

The Classics, namely, the study of literature, philosophy, epic, and drama
Prehistory/Early History of Africa
Archaeology
Historicising language, linguistics and creative arts in Africa
Historicising religion (Islam and Christianity) in Africa
Security, Society and the State
Islam, the Modern Nation State and Transnational Movements

Note
(For further clarification on the last two sub-themes (Security, Society and the State and Islam, the Modern Nation State and Transnational Movements) please visit our partner’s website:

General Requirements for Applicants

Practical research experience from working in Humanities and Social Sciences research projects at a University or a Research Institute and a strong foundation in writing and research methods is desirable. The successful candidates should have excellent oral and written communication skills. Although the programme is structured as a cohort system, which offers the opportunity and possibility of collegiality, and introductory foundational seminars in the first year that can build comradeship and companionship, it is particularly a PhD by research and is thus guided by the existing Makerere University Directorate of Graduate School Guidelines of a PhD by Research. This means that successful applicants should demonstrate the ability to work alone for long hours to achieve set targets. They should also have excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills. 2020 Application Process

Eligibility

Eligible candidates to an Inter-disciplinary PhD by Research programme in the fields of Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences.

Should be a Ugandan national or a national of a Sub-Saharan African country.
Should be a holder of Master’s degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from a recognised university. The Master’s degree must have been completed less than ten years ago at the time of application and must be in the discipline the applicant is applying for.
Should be a holder of Honours undergraduate degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from a recognised university.
Should be fluent or show proof of fluency in English Language
Provide two letters from two academic referees who are familiar with his/her work recommending his/her application. It is important that the referees, who have been named on the applicant’s application form, are the ones who supply a reference for him/her.
Confirm that s/he will be available from July 2019 to undertake a three-year full-time study leading to the award of a PhD in the fields of Historical Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences of Makerere University.
Applicants should be under the age of 40 years (male) or 45 years (female) by 30th June 2019. Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Funding

The programme is fully-funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation and is tenable at Makerere University. The scholarship will cover all costs of the PhD programme, including tuition and other university fees, living expenses, medical insurance, research and travel. The maximum value of the scholarship, commencing in 2020 is approximately UGX 40,150,00 or USD 11,000 per year. Each fellow will receive a laptop computer.

Timeline

This is a-three year’s programme, which starts in July 2020 and ends in June 2023.

July 2020 to June 2021: Proposal development
July 2021 to June 2022: Fieldwork
July 2022 to June 2023: Dissertation writing

How to apply

Completed application form and accompanying supporting documents must be submitted by Friday, 27 March 2020 to:
The Principal, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Makerere University,
7062 Kampala
+256414531909
graduate.college@chuss.mak.ac.ug with copy to principal@chuss.mak.ac.ug

Application Form

PhD by Research programme in Humanities and Social Sciences

Call for Applications