HAP 2016
Introductory Information
Hunterian Associates Programme, 2016
The University of Glasgow is home to Scotland’s oldest public museum, The Hunterian,
one of the leading university museum and gallery facilities in the UK. Holding vast
collections of art and artefacts together with natural, scientific and medical history that
has been recognised as a Collection of National Significance to Scotland, the Hunterian is
a rich resource for postgraduate research. The University of Glasgow is also fortunate in
its Special Collections and Archives, which offer another strand of potential connection
for our doctoral researchers. The Special Collections Department has been built up over a
period of more than 500 years by purchase, gift and bequest, containing more than
200,000 manuscript items and around 200,000 printed works, including over 1,000
incunabula. These combined facilities offer an important channel for bringing
postgraduate research to a broader audience.
The Graduate Schools and The Hunterian are collaborators on the Hunterian Associates
Programme for postgraduate research students, offering opportunities for PGR students to
undertake knowledge exchange and public engagement activities in conjunction with The
Hunterian. Hunterian Associates will use their doctoral research to offer new
interpretations of the collections, exhibitions, or even the spaces of the museums /
galleries themselves. They will propose creative ways to present their ideas to the broader
public. At the same time, Hunterian Associates will broaden their perspectives on their
own research-in-process, by seeing the ways in which their topics connect to the
collection strategies of past and present, as well as garnering immediate feedback through
discussion and debate with a public audience.
Projects: content and duration:
The Hunterian Associates Programme is an opportunity for postgraduates to be creative
in their approach to applying and disseminating their research beyond the confines of
traditional academic discourse. Proposals may take the form of gallery talks and tours,
online resources focusing on particular artefacts, web-based exhibitions, interpretive
performance or installation, or other forms that would engage the public effectively. The
projects may vary in duration from a one-off event that might require a few weeks of
intensive work to a more sustained engagement programme that would take a modest
weekly commitment over a number of months, with the overall project aiming to be well
underway by November, and complete by end of the second Semester 2017. Proposals
may be geared broadly to the Hunterian’s public audience, its student body or might be
designed to engage a particular sector of the population, whether defined by age group,
cultural affiliation, interest and occupation, or some other feature (for example, schools
and associations).
Note re subject matter for 2016: Due to preparations for the upcoming move of
collections to Kelvin Hall, The Hunterian is unable to make its stored collections
available for research or photography during 2016. Project proposals relating to
Hunterian collections will be restricted to items on display, or will need to make use of
existing images.
HAP 2016
Introductory Information
At the core of the Hunterian Associates Programme is the idea that the cutting-edge
research being carried out by postgraduates will connect in exciting and unexpected ways
with the University’s extensive collections of human and scientific history; while the
exact content of a given thesis may not be represented directly in the Hunterian
collections, there may be aspects of the methodology or theoretical framework that can
nonetheless be applied in the programme. The breadth of research across the University
will allow for the construction of new narratives surrounding the collections of The
Hunterian, Archives and Special Collections, and their interpretation to and reception by
the public. Working on individual or collaborative projects, Hunterian Associates will
apply their research in the museum or gallery setting, create innovative dissemination
strategies, design and manage a project to carry out these strategies, and evaluate and
reflect upon their success.
Application Process
The HAP is open to all postgraduate research students. Postgraduate researchers in their
final year of study are encouraged to think carefully about the time implications of
participating in HAP. It is recommended that the project should be completed within one
calendar year from March. Supervisors are requested to confirm their support of each
student’s participation in HAP and students should ensure that they forward their
applications to supervisors well in advance of the final submision date. (Forms can be
submitted as hard copy with the supervisor’s signature, or emailed from the supervisor’s
University Email account – contact details below)
Any queries about any of the relevant collections, exhibitions, spaces, or other issues
regarding the application should be directed to The Hunterian’s Student Engagement
Officer, Ruth Fletcher, who will forward these questions to relevant curators or other
staff.
Submitted applications will be reviewed by a committee that that will include the
Director or Deputy Director of the Hunterian; the Student Engagement Officer of the
Hunterian; and the relevant Dean or Deputy Dean of Graduate School. The review panel
may also consult other staff members with subject-specific or other relevant knowledge
on particular projects. All recommended projects will also be reviewed by relevant
members of The Hunterian curatorial team in order to assess the logistical feasibility of
the proposal. The review panel will endeavour to respond to all applicants within one
month, so proposed projects may have starting dates of about six weeks after the
application deadline, or thereafter.
Ruth Fletcher
Student Engagement Officer
The Hunterian
Univeristy of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
0141 330 6660
Ruth.Fletcher@glasgow.ac.uk
HAP 2015
Application form
Hunterian Associates Programme 2016
APPLICATION FORM
Please complete the following application form and forward to your supervisor for
completion of the final section. Supervisors should then send applications to Ruth
Fletcher, Student Engagement Officer, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, University
Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QQ (or email to Ruth.Fletcher@glasgow.ac.uk )by Friday 12
February, 2016.
If your proposed project is collaborative, each collaborator should complete an individual
form, though the project details may be the same.
Name:
College:
School:
Subject Area:
Year of Study:
Full-time/Part-time:
PhD / Masters Research Title:
PhD / Masters Research Abstract:
Details of collaborator(s), if applicable: Collaborator Name(s)
..and subject area(s)
HAP 2015
Application form
Proposed Hunterian Associates Project: 750 words max.
You should include in this section:
a) what you intend to explore from the collections of The Hunterian, Archives or
Special Collections (e.g. a particular artefact or collection; a particular space
within the Museum or Gallery building; etc);
b) how this relates to – draws on, contributes to, extends – your PGR study; this
relationship may or may not be based on the actual topic of your research, but
might also/instead be related in terms of method, theoretical frameworks, etc;
c) project objectives: your anticipated outcome(s) or activities, intended mode of
dissemination, and projected end-point user;
d) an estimated time-scale of your proposed research project (e.g. 1 afternoon a week
x 10 weeks; 1 week full-time). Note that it is preferred that projects should be
completed within a calendar year from March, though longer projects may be
considered if a convincing argument is made.
e) the proposed commencement and completion date for your project;
f) your proposed methodology;
g) anticipated value to The Hunterian, Archives or Special Collections;
h) indication of how the project will contribute to the development of your
researcher skills, with reference to the Researcher Development Framework
(http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_196037_en.doc);
i) details of any materials or resources that you will need.
HAP 2015
Application form
Signature of supervisor, confirming that:
a) The project ties in with your research project, whether in terms of content,
methodology, theoretical approach, or informs your understanding of public
engagement with research in ways that will be useful for your planned career
goals.
b) You are on track to submit your thesis within the permitted time scale.
Name of Co- or Primary Supervisor:
Signature:
Date:
[Please either print document, sign, and send hard copy; or email electronic copy from
your University email account in lieu of signature.]