Questions of access to citizenship and the rights and duties of citizens lie at the heart of studying citizenship. A complex political institution, citizenship is not only implicated in multiple legal regimes (e.g., national, international, supranational, regional, and human rights) but also involves questions of identity (e.g., race, gender, age, religion, and nationality). This complexity has given rise to an interdisciplinary and international field of citizenship studies, with rigorous theoretical and methodological foundations.
Students on the citizenship studies pathway will be expected to attend a series of advanced research training seminars introducing them to theoretical debates in citizenship studies; to methodological questions that ensue from these debates; and to tools for studying aspects of citizenship and citizenship-related issues.
The Open University is internationally recognised for its research leadership in citizenship studies, with partnerships with over a dozen international universities and a growing community of researchers and academics studying issues of citizenship from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. The OU’s interdisciplinary strengths are complemented by Oxford's disciplinary strengths in Politics and Migration Studies.
Potential applicants looking to apply to study the PhD at the Open University on the Citizenship pathway before submitting your application please contact Tim Hodey <tim.hodey@open.ac.uk> as soon as possible.
Students following the 1+3 route will undertake their core research methods training at Oxford through taking one of two full-time MSc courses before progressing to PhD study at The Open University:
Students on the +4 and +3 routes are based at The Open University. The +4 route at OU has the flexibility to accommodate students with no previous research training and those with Master’s level or professional experience but requiring additional research methods provision. Students with Master's qualifications that meet the 2015 ESRC Training Guidelines can be admitted as +3 students.
Potential applicants looking to apply to study the PhD at the Open University on the Citizenship pathway before submitting your application please contact Tim Hodey <tim.hodey@open.ac.uk> as soon as possible.
Students on the Citizenship Studies pathway will be strongly encouraged to complete a 1 — 3 month internship (either full-time or part-time) at a relevant organisation. Students with existing professional experience will be encouraged to sustain and develop these during their PhDs. As well as giving invaluable career development and practitioner links, internships will help students facilitate knowledge exchange and social change.
