The Division of Arts and Humanities is delighted to announce a number of new PhD completions. The following doctoral candidates have recently passed their vivas – a focused discussion giving students the opportunity to defend their PhD thesis in front of a panel of academic experts. Completing a thesis is a significant milestone, and we commend these researchers on their impressive achievement. Congratulations to our new Doctors!<\/p>\n
Siti Adenan’s thesis interrogates the exclusion of post-war British working-class writing from the canonical works of postcolonial scholarship, especially in the works of two prominent scholars in the field, Edward Said and Gayatri Spivak.<\/p>\n
“I<\/span>magine the joy I felt when I passed my viva. Sweet, sweet victory. It just felt like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. All the years of hard work paid off eventually”<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“Going into my viva, I told myself that I had worked seven years (including a year of major corrections and extensions due to the pandemic and two surgeries that I underwent in the process of writing and working on my corrections), so I was not going to go down without a fight. I was going to defend my thesis and my research\u2019s contribution to my field of study to my last breath. I took on board all the previous feedback that I received from my examiners when I had my first viva last year and read and re-read them carefully.”<\/p>\n
School of Arts<\/h2>\n
Frederick Hulbert’s <\/strong><\/span>thesis was a defence of moderate actual intentionalism which tried to account the presence of natural and unconscious meanings, whilst also defending a version of critical monism.<\/span><\/p>\n
“I have been at Kent for nine years in total and it is a truly special place. I feel very fortunate with the friends I\u2019ve made and the mentors that I\u2019ve had.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“I spent a great deal of time defining intentions and trying to restore an account grounded in the Linguistic Philosophies of Anscombe and Wittgenstein.”\u00a0 <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\nDepartment of Classical and Archaeological Studies<\/h2>\n
Giulia Frigerio’s<\/strong> <\/span>research dealt with divination procedures at the sanctuaries of Apollo in Classical and Hellenistic Greece.<\/span><\/p>\n
“While passing my viva has obviously been a huge relief, it also was quite a melancholic moment. I have greatly enjoyed my years as a PhD student, I loved my research topic and the academic environment at the University of Kent. Although I am happy to finally move on, I will miss both dearly.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“Within this study, I applied a methodology that is innovative and interdisciplinary, by merging neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral studies with the archaeological field. Firstly, this innovative approach allowed a new understanding of divinatory practices and the formulation of new hypotheses. Moreover, this research also offered a powerful tool to be used in the future to shed new light on further archaeological interpretations that nowadays remain open.”<\/span><\/p>\n
School of Cultures and Languages<\/h2>\n
Luke Allder’s <\/strong>experimental research investigated the impact of drama pedagogies with Key Stage 2 English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners on their oral fluency and expressive language production. The research demonstrates the importance of peer-to-peer collaboration, creative language production, and the development of confidence in younger learners through play.<\/p>\n
“The PhD experience was one of great growth and discovery. By working in an academic research institution but also on-site in UK schools, I was able to feel connected to the rigour of doctoral investigation whilst still fully connected with my practical field of interest.” <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“I was lucky to have incredibly supportive supervisors, especially during such an odd time globally, and it feels fantastic to complete this project and already be moving forward into exciting post-doctoral research.”<\/p>\n
Isabella Reichl’s <\/strong>research falls within the field of interpersonal pragmatics, which is concerned with interpersonal aspects of communication and interaction.<\/p>\n
“There\u2019s nothing quite like being welcomed back into the (virtual) room with a \u201cCongratulations, Dr!\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“In my thesis, I examine the role of people\u2019s power, knowledge, and subjective evaluations in the context of negotiating future courses of action. After 5 (!) incredibly tumultuous years, I could not have wished for a better conclusion to my PhD journey than my viva. Those two hours of discussing my project with my examiners were an incredibly rewarding and encouraging experience.”<\/p>\n
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Further Information:\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n