Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU) is a new international university jointly founded by Xi’an Jiaotong University China and the University of Liverpool UK as a joint venture. As an independent Sino-Foreign cooperative university, it captures the essence of both prestigious parent universities and is the first and only one of its kind approved by the Ministry of Education in China.

The University offers undergraduate degree programmes in the fields of science, engineering and management, and awards both its own Chinese degree and a degree from the University of Liverpool.

• IMPORTANT BEFORE SUBMITTING AN ONLINE APPLICATION: All PhD applicants are strongly encouraged to contact/identify a potential Supervisor and prepare a research proposal before submitting an online application.

Overview

• The PhD in English, Culture and Communication aims to help candidates produce academic results that contribute to the discipline and wider communities. We equip our students with theories and skills, provide academic support, and link them with industry, society and the globe.

• Students will become independent researchers in areas including English language and culture, linguistics and applied linguistics, literature, translation and interpreting, film, digital media arts, arts and technology, entertainment industries, and media and communication.

• The programme will be managed through collaboration between Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and the University of Liverpool. Upon successful completion of the programme, you will receive a degree from the University of Liverpool, which is recognised by China’s Ministry of Education.

• Pursuing a full-time PhD typically involves three years of conducting research and one year of writing a thesis, supported by subject-specific and general skills training and development. A full-time PhD student must submit their thesis within four years (or six years for part-time PhD students).

Why should I do my PhD in English, Culture and Communication at XJTLU?

Key benefits of this PhD programme:

• • The PhD degree is awarded by the University of Liverpool in the UK. The degree is recognised by the UK Department of Education as well as China’s Ministry of Education;
• • XJTLU provides every registered PhD student with an international conference fund of up to 16,500 RMB. The purpose of this fund is to support students’ academic experience, encourage the dissemination of research, and enhance XJTLU’s research profile nationally and internationally;
• • As a registered full-time PhD student, you have the opportunity to apply for a research visit to the University of Liverpool for up to six months. Your accommodation and travel costs will be covered by XJTLU and the University of Liverpool;
• • You will receive training in research methodology, engage in the research community at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Academy of Film and Creative Technology, and School of Cultural Technology; and
• • You will develop critical thinking skills to analyse complex, interconnected research questions across a variety of platforms and technologies. You will also have opportunities to disseminate your research within the University and beyond.

This programme aims to:

• • help students evaluate the existing literature and formulate relevant and original research questions;
• • equip students with research methodologies and help them design and implement new research projects;
• • help students apply rigorous standards of argumentation to their work;
• • develop students’ skills to evaluate their own work and argumentation, revise it where needed, and to defend it and understand its place in the context of the wider field of study;
• • make students cognizant of research integrity and ethics; and
• • support students in the planning, implementation, and completion of their research project.

Research areas:

• • Language and linguistics, including corpus linguistics, cognitive linguistics, discourse analysis, English linguistics, Chinese linguistics, historical linguistics, history of English, phonetics and phonology, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, semantics, pragmatics, syntax, and language and media.
• • Applied linguistics, including language and technology, language pedagogy, TESOL, multilingualism, and second language acquisition.
• • Literature, including Romanticism, Victorianism, modernism, twentieth-century and contemporary literature, environmental humanities, medical humanities, Gothic literature, cognitive literary studies, utopianism, literature and ethnicity, and literature and gender.
• • Translation and interpreting, including media translation, translation technology, translation and interpreting education, translation and culture, literary translation, theatre translation, translation history, comparative literature, translation ethics, and discourse analysis for translation.
• • Digital and new media, including citizen media, digital archives, digital ethics, digital sociology, mobile media content, new media and governance, online activism, online literature, and game studies.
• • Film, television and visual culture, including queer screen studies, ethnicity and celebrity culture, film aesthetics, film theory, European cinema, global media flows and televisual globalisation, television studies, and visual and intercultural communication.
• • Journalism, including global journalism, investigative journalism, journalism and public relations, news framing, news censorship, and political journalism.
• • Media and communication, including affect theory, attention economy, content development, globalisation and the media, global media and entertainment, intermedial studies, media and communication policy, media regulation and law, media systems and societies, media theory, political communication, and science communication.
• • Media and culture, including art history; cultural and creative industries; culture and media policy; cultural history; cultural studies; feminism studies; gender, sexuality and globalisation; gender and sexuality in popular and public discourses; grassroots publics; participatory practices; Orientalist and Occidentalist imaginaries; pop culture in Chinese, Sinophone and East Asian societies; posthumanism; transcultural audience research; digital heritage; and transdisciplinary research in the intersections of art and philosophy with publicly engaged practice.

Potential supervisors

Find a supervisor from

School of Humanities and Social Science

– • Department of Applied Linguistics
– • Department of Literary and Translation Studies
– • Department of Media and Communication

Academy of Film and Creative Technology

– • School of Film and TV Arts (Suzhou Industrial Park Campus)
– • School of Cultural Technology (Taicang Campus)

Why Choose XJTLU?

• Two Degrees: 1 from the University of Liverpool & 1 from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (Bachelor's students)
• The University of Liverpool degree (Master's and PhD students)
• All degree courses are taught 100% in English.
• No knowledge of the Chinese language is required to apply to XJTLU.
• Learn free of charge Chinese alongside your course.
• A friendly international community.
• International Opportunities: "2+2" study route to the University of Liverpool, UK for undergraduate students (more than 3,500 XJTLU students are now studying at the University of Liverpool, UK through "2+2")
• International Opportunities: Wide range of study abroad opportunities in partner institutions in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, the USA, South Korea, Russia, etc.
• International Opportunities: Partnerships with multinational companies in the likes of HSBC, Standard Chartered, Siemens, KPMG, Alstom, Schneider, ICBC, etc.

About Suzhou

You have the opportunity to live in one of the most culturally rich areas of China, with Suzhou’s UNESCO World Heritage gardens and canals famous around the world.

Suzhou combines its rich 2,500-year-old history with a drive to become one of the most modern cities in China. It has a population of more than six million and a GDP of a trillion RMB – far larger than those of many entire countries!

Alongside its beautiful tourist spots, Suzhou has many excellent learning resources and sports facilities, a great choice of shopping malls, cinemas and restaurants, and a variety of bars and nightclubs.

Today, the city’s canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens have contributed to its status as one of the top tourist attractions in China. The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000.

Suzhou is located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in eastern China. Within Suzhou is Suzhou Industrial Park, one of the most competitive development zones in China. This area also contains the Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District (home to XJTLU), which sits beside Dushu Lake, one of two lakes in SIP.

Central Shanghai can be reached from Suzhou in just 30 minutes by high-speed train.

Library

XJTLU students have access to a wide range of library resources, from books and journals to electronic databases and articles. The library plays a key role as a research support and learning centre for the University, developing its collection by focusing on subject development and research requirements.

The library currently holds over 500,000 books, which are added to and updated throughout the year in response to requests from academic departments. It provides 22,000 square metres of space, housing 300 PCs and 2,500 seats for studying, discussion and computer and studio work.

Campuses

North Campus

Full of striking, architecturally impressive buildings, our North Campus provides state-of-the art teaching, laboratory, research and support facilities. This includes the award-winning and iconic Central Building, which houses our library.

The campus also has sports facilities, world class-fully equipped science and engineering laboratories, International Business School Suzhou, and design studios, as well as a variety of catering facilities, including Subway, Pacific Coffee Company, and many canteen-style fast-food options.

Landscaped gardens complement pieces of modern art to create a campus environment that has become one of the striking features of Suzhou Industrial Park.

South Campus

The first phase of our South Campus was opened to the public on 26 July 2016, as a major part of the University’s 10th anniversary celebrations.

Architecturally it contrasts our North Campus and features modern designs that complement the surrounding area. Eventually, the South Campus will satisfy the learning and teaching needs of approximately 6,000 XJTLU students as well as the University’s academic exchanges and research development plans. It will consist of eight buildings and be developed over two further phases:

Phase II: International Business School Suzhou at XJTLU

This phase will see the completion of a new building for International Business School Suzhou, set to open by the end of 2017.

PHASE III: XJTLU-GF School of Film and Television Arts and XJTLU Gym

Phase III consists of two buildings – the construction of the XJTLU-GF School of Film and Television Arts and a gym. Both buildings are expected to open by the end of 2018. The development of the School, in collaboration with financial services provider Gold Finance Group, is a significant part of XJTLU’s academic development strategy. It will mix digital media arts and film and television production and technology with performance and acting. The gym will provide improved and diversified sports facilities for students and staff on campus.

Living in University

When you come to XJTLU, you will have the opportunity to try a whole range of different sports and activities as well as developing any existing skills you already have.

Student clubs and societies

Student clubs and societies play an important part of student life. XJTLU has many organisations with themes such as art, sports, music, entrepreneurship, dance to name but a few. Some of the more established groups include a Model United Nations and the Student Union.

Another society, Intercom, provides a platform for all international students to arrange activities and events, and share ideas and experiences with the wider student body.

Catering

3 canteens, 3 coffee shops, Bar, Restaurants

Sports 

Currently, 21 sports are offered through PE classes at XJTLU, including badminton, basketball, belly dancing, billiards, boxing, bridge, Chinese martial arts, football, free combat, body building, golf, popping, roller-skating, sport dancing, table tennis, taekwondo, tai chi, tai chi sword, tennis, Ultimate Frisbee and yoga.

We have outside sport facilities that include basketball and tennis courts as well as indoor facilities, such as a golf training venue, gym, dance room, and table tennis room. There is also a football field located next to the new South Campus.