Doctoral Program in Political and Social Thought

Students going to class

About the PhD program

About the PhD program

At the Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy we bring the resources of political and social thought to bear on important challenges of our time – rethinking public value; investigating the relation between ethics and politics; and exploring intelligent, cooperative, and creative responses to change.

Our unique four year PhD in Political and Social Thought engages students in one year of advanced graduate coursework, fostering the intellectual quality and development of their supervised research thesis.

All Doctoral candidates participate in courses, seminars and supervisory relationships with outstanding academic staff working in the following research areas:

  1. Rethinking ‘the economy’ (reclaiming it as a site of politics; the integration of economic action with its human and more-than-human environments)
  2. Citizenship, cosmopolitanism & human rights
  3. The state and civility
  4. Subjectivity, ethics, and politics
  5. Freedom, practical reason, and identity
  6. Narratives of modernity and the human heritage
  7. Social criticism, social learning and social change
  8. Governments, jurisdictions and place
  9. Democratic theory and practice.

For more detailed information on these themes, select CCPP Research Program Areas.

Doctoral Program Coordinator

All enquiries should be to the attention of Professor Tim Rowse via email on ccpp@uws.edu.au.

Academic members of the Centre

For information on the research interests and expertise of our academic members, please select staff profiles.

Admission

Potential Doctoral candidates will be either International or Domestic (Australian citizens and permanent residents and New Zealand citizens). Each applicant must follow a two step process.

1. Expression of interest to the Centre for Citizenship and Public Policy

Potential applicants for the Doctoral Program in Political and Social Thought will be required to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) to ccpp@uws.edu.au. The EoI is to include the following documents:

  1. A copy of the applicants’ curriculum vitae
  2. A provisional thesis topic – title (no more than 20 words), summary (no more than 600 words
  3. A piece of writing – (between 7,000 and 8,000 words) that demonstrates the applicant’s academic ability
  4. Confirmation that applicants have successfully completed a piece of research for example an Honours degree or independent research project
  5. Official academic transcripts

2. Enrolment and Scholarship

Potential applicants will be advised by CCPP of the outcome of their Expression of Interest. If the Expression of Interest is supported by CCPP, potential applicants must then apply to the University of Western Sydney for admission and (if they wish) for a scholarship. University admission is via an on-line system which can be accessed at How to Apply for Research Degrees at UWS

Deadline for applications

Deadlines for the CCPP expressions of interest are:

— Monday, 1 August 2011 for International candidates
— Monday, 10 October 2011 for Domestic candidates

Deadlines for application for scholarships and admission to the University are:
— 31 August 2011 for International candidates
— 31 October 2011 for Domestic candidates

Scholarships and Fees

Research support, including conference assistance, is currently available at up to $AUD2000 per (full-time) candidate per annum. All enrolled PhD candidates will have access to a computer, office facilities and work space in the Centre.

Anyone who has had their Expression of Interest supported by CCPP can apply for enrolment and a scholarship. Domestic students who have their fees paid for are awarded a stipend. International students who pay fees are awarded a stipend, fee waiver and medical insurance for the period of their candidature.

Research Support

Research support, including conference assistance, is currently available at up to $AUD2000 per (full-time) candidate per annum. All enrolled PhD candidates will have access to a computer, office facilities and work space in the Centre.


The 2012 coursework program

Our distinctive PhD in Political and Social Thought begins with one year of advanced coursework, consisting of two courses per semester which will meet once a week for 3 hours.

The courses offered in 2012 are as follows:

For more detailed information on course descriptions, please select 2012 Course Outlines. UWS Higher Degree Research candidates in other programs can seek to enrol in one or more of these courses with the instructor’s permission. 

Candidate Participation in Centre Activities

The Centre has two strands of regular academic activity in which all members and students are expected to participate: a public seminar series and Work-in-Progress seminars (in-house only).

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