Dr James Hodkinson and Professor Karen Leeder (Oxford) launch a creative writing competition on Monday 25 Sept.

The Department of German Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures played host to British and Irish-based Germanists of all backgrounds last week, from 5-7 September. A brief preview follows.

Congratulations to Merryn Everitt (French) on passing her PhD viva. Her thesis, entitled 'Travelling Saints and Religious Travellers in Twelfth- to Fourteenth-Century Francophone and Occitan Literary Texts’, was supervised by Dr Emma Campbell and Professor Linda Paterson.

Dr James Hodkinson's touring exhibtion has now opened in schools in Surrey. It will be touring educational institutions in the UK over the next 12-18 months.

The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through representations of Islam in German-speaking culture from the late Enlightenment to the Great War of 1914-1918. Looking at texts and images, it tracks the shifting values and functions attributed to Islam in German and Austrian society, culture, thought and politics, highlighting both the Islamophobia and Islamophilia of the age and asking visitors to reflect on how these patterns are still with us today.

Congratulations to Elio Baldi in Italian Studies, who will be awarded his PhD after a successful viva on 26th January!

Congratulations to Matt Coneys in Italian Studies, who will be awarded his PhD after a successful viva on 19th January!

On Wednesday, 25th January, we will have this year’s first event in the SMLC Lunch-Time Seminars.

Nick Hewlett and Oliver Davis (French) have agreed to give two papers on the topic: 'Policing Mai 68: theories, techniques, legacy’.
Please join us for this very interesting event.

Details: 1:00-2:00, H5.45, Wed. Week 3 (25th January). All welcome. Bring your own lunch.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Warwick welcomes expressions of interest from early-career researchers who would like to apply to the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme in 2016-17. Closing date for proposals: 16th September 2016. 

More information

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Warwick invites applications for two PhD fellowships from outstanding Home/EU candidates in any area of research in French, German, Hispanic or Italian Studies in which the School is able to offer supervision. The fellowships cover fees and maintenance at RCUK rates for three years from October 2016. Successful candidates will be required to carry out some teaching or other academic-related duties for the School as part of the fellowship.

"Working as a Translator for the EU" by Mark Smith, Head of English and Irish Translation Unit at the European Parliament.
A wide-ranging presentation, covering all institutions, the institutional framework and legislative process, the need for multilingualism, the work of a translator and finally the recruitment process.

Respondent: Dr Mila Milani, Senior Teaching Fellow in Italian and former translation trainee at the EP.

12-13 (Graduate Space): informal Q&A session with Mark Smith, coffee/tea will be provided.

This event will be a unique opportunity to engage directly with translation experts at a highly professional standard and know more about the professional routes in translation available for Modern Languages students.

This year’s winners (and the conferences they will organise) are as follows:

 Rebecca Carnevali and Gloria Moorman (Centre for the Study of the Renaissance)

‘More than meets the page: Printing Text and Images in Italy 1570s-1700s’ 

Liam Lewis and Jane Sinnett-Smith (French)

‘Bodies in Flux: Rewriting the Body in Medieval Literature, Art and Culture 1000-1450 

Gianmarco Mancosu (Italian)

‘Trespassing the Borders: Redefining Postcolonialism from Peripheral Experiences’

The winners of the competition are each given a research budget of £400 and a conference budget of £600, and are invited to organise a one-day interdisciplinary conference during the following academic year.

The Warwick Latin American Film Festival, organized by Hispanic Studies PhD student Sofia Mercader, is going from strength to strength. Join Sofia and the team for our next showing and after-film discussion, Walter Salles's Central Station (1998), on Thursday 11 February @ 6pm in Ramphal 1.15.

Check out the full programme here.

The Cultural Engagement Fellowship is a three-month position beginning 15 February 2016, based in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University Of Warwick.

Many congratulations to Deirdre McMahon, student taking the MA in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference, who has had her translations of two poems by Austrian-Slovene writer, Maja Haderlap, published in Berlin-based journal, No-Mans-Land: see http://www.no-mans-land.org/issue10.htm.

Warmest congratulations to Kate Willman in Italian Studies, who had a very successful PhD viva on 26th November. Kate's thesis, entitled 'New Italian Epic: History, Journalism and the 21st Century "Novel"', was examined by Ann Caesar (Warwick) and Florian Mussgnug (UCL), who defined it 'a highly engaging, lively and critically alert piece of work'. The supervisors were Jenny Burns and Fabio Camilletti.

Philippe Le Goff had a very successful PhD viva on 17 November. The external examiner was Dr Jim Wolfreys, from King's College, London and the internal examiner was Dr Oliver Davis. The title of Philippe's thesis is The militant politics of Auguste Blanqui.

Dr Wolfreys and Dr Davis commented that the thesis 'is a major contribution to the political history of nineteenth-century France, as well as a substantial intervention in today's debates about equality'.

The thesis was supervised by Professor Nick Hewlett.

Dr. James Hodkinson of SMLC, currently researching Islam in German History, has been invited to take part in an event hosted by Woking People of Faith Interfaith forum, alongside prominent speakers in Woking on November 18th, 7pm.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/people/academic/jameshodkinson/

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures is shocked and saddened by the events on Friday 13 November in Paris. We send our solidarity and sympathy to all those affected. We ask all our students in Paris at the moment to verify their safety for us and to read this statement.

Professor Seán Hand, Head of School.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Warwick invites applications to the university’s annual funding competition for doctoral students, for entry in 2016-17.

Many congratulations to Warwick French Studies PhD students Hannah Grayson, Rebecca Pillière and Clare Siviter, who have received commendations in the Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence for Postgraduates who Teach (WATE PGR).