Researching Media History at Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth has a strong record in the supervision of postgraduate research in the field of Welsh, British and wider media history, with former alumni going on to work in the mass media as well as in academia.

Successful PhDs supervised in the Department of History and Welsh History include studies of Welsh television, of cinema-going and the cinema industry in Wales 1918-1950, and of advertising in Britain in the Second World War.

Recent successful PhDs supervised in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies include studies of early Welsh language television, and the history of historical documentary on UK terrestrial television.

The Centre for Media History seeks to provide both a focus and a forum for developing further research opportunities in the field of media history, notably opportunities for PhD funding for students and external research funding for larger and collaborative research projects: building relationships with other institutions and individuals on both a national and international level who are conducting media history; applying for funding for the conduct of this research to research councils and other grant awarding bodies, singularly or with other academic institutions; and developing work that enriches academic and public understanding of the role of the media in history (in particular, building on the unique perspective on media provided by the Welsh experience). We welcome collaboration with other institutions, departments and researchers in developing research opportunities in this field.