PhD Scholarship in Interdisciplinary Areas at NUS

August 2010 in the following interdisciplinary areas:

- THE CHANGING FAMILY IN ASIA

- ASIAN MIGRATION

- RELIGION & GLOBALISATION IN ASIAN CONTEXTS

- CULTURAL STUDIES IN ASIA

- COLD WAR IN ASIA

- SUMATRA HERITAGE, ARCHAEOLOGY AND RECONSTRUCTION


The Asia Research Institute is pleased to offer Ph.D. research scholarships from

The PhD scholarship is to be taken up jointly with the appropriate discipline-based department. This would normally be with a department of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, but where appropriate could also be with the Faculty of Law, School of Business or School of Design & Environment at the National University of Singapore. Please note that some departments / Programmes only have one intake per year in August (Semester 1).

Interested applicants are required to submit their application by 15th November 2009, indicating clearly both which ARI interdisciplinary area they wish to join and which department they would be attached to. Application procedures and forms can be obtained from the NUS website via this URL: http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/edu/gd-applnres.html

Applicants must use the application forms in the respective Faculty websites depending on the Faculty to which they wish to seek admission. They should send their applications directly to their respective faculties, indicating their interest to be attached to ARI. Applicants should not send a duplicate copy to ARI.

The following interdisciplinary areas or “clusters” are offering scholarships:

1) The Changing Family in Asia (Research Leader: Prof Gavin Jones)
This cluster explores the dimensions of family change in the region, their causes and their implications. These dimensions include rising ages at marriage, declining size of the nuclear family, increase in one-person households and alternative family forms, changing gender roles within families, and changes in family structures. They are studied in the context of the changing political-economic structures and changing state/family roles in provision of services and support.

2) The Migration Cluster (Research Leader: Professor Brenda Yeoh) explores the issues arising from increased levels of human mobility in the region, both within and across national borders. Mobility of high-level professional and managerial personnel, labour migration, both documented and undocumented, and human trafficking all raise theoretical and methodological questions and major policy issues, as does the role of migration in urban change.

3) The Religion and Globalisation Cluster (Research Leader: Professor Bryan Turner) explores the changing patterns of religious practice, belief and identity in recent times, particularly in Southeast Asia, China and South Asia. The title implies a particular interest in transnational and diasporic interactions, the engagement with modern technologies and values, and new global or ‘glocal’ forms of identity.

4) The Cultural Studies Cluster (Research Leader: Professor Chua Beng Huat) consciously challenges disciplinary boundaries to address new topics, issues and concerns thrown up by the rapid globalization of contemporary cultures. ARI is interested in new understandings of the everyday life cultural practices of contemporary Asia, as in adaptations of older patterns in literature, and the performing and graphic arts, in rapidly changing contemporary conditions.

5) The Southeast Asia-China Interactions Cluster (Research Leader: Professor Anthony Reid) will welcome students in two project areas: The Cold War in Asia, relating particularly to relations between the two Chinas (CCP and KMT) and the parties, movements and governments of Southeast Asia; and issues of heritage recovery and archaeology in Aceh and Sumatra more generally.

6) The Asian Cities Cluster (Research Leaders: Prof Heng Chye Kiang & Prof Chua Beng Huat) is housed in School of Design and Environment (SDE), Department of Architecture (NUS). This cluster focuses especially on cutting-edges areas of rapid change and the identity of Asia cities, notably including: the impact of rapid urbanization, adapting and conserving heritage to a changing urban environment, and urban environmental planning. It will build collaborative and interdisciplinary connections among the colleagues from the Humanities and Social Science faculties in NUS.

ARI is a university-level institute formed in July 2001 as one of the strategic initiatives of the NUS. The mission of the Institute is to produce and promote world-class research on Asia. ARI engages the social sciences and humanities broadly defined, and encourages especially multidisciplinary studies. Now home to six research clusters with a strong team of resident and visiting scholars, ARI works closely with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, School of Business, Faculty of Law, and School of Design and Environment in NUS.

For enquiries, please contact:

Ms Kristy Won
Asia Research Institute
email: arisec@nus.edu.sg
Tel: (65) 6516 3810
Fax: (65) 6779 1428

Source: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/article_view.asp?id=10