The PhD Programme in Philological and linguistic studies in oral and written records promotes the free availibility, mutual exchange, and improvement of scientific, didactic, and managerial skills in a competitive and international research environment, with an open, inclusive, and collaborative attitude, in the full respect of differences and individual attitudes.

The PhD Programme draws on the expertise of leading specialists in the field. Many of them are involved in national projects as the PNRR PE5 Project ‘Humanistic culture and cultural heritage as laboratories of innovation and creativity’ and participate in the activities of interdepartmental research teams as LICon ‘Languages, interactions and contexts’ , and SeSTAM ‘Seminar on late antique and medieval studies’.

During the Programme, PhD students are required to spend at least three months in a qualified research institution abroad, to assist or contribute to international conferences, and to take part in seminars that are coherent with their research projects.

The PhD Programme is divided into two courses (or curricula):
 

1. "Texts, writings, historical and cultural heritage"
   This course primarily aims at developing skills in textual scholarship and scientific edition of texts.  Philological research is embraced with a comparative approach and a transnational scope, focussing on Latin Middle Ages, Germanic and Romance written records and the role of literary texts and documents in the formation of European textual culture.
    
2. "Languages, oral and written interfaces"
   The course is primarily dedicated to the study of language documentation, language preservation, language education and the acquisition of language skills. Languages are investigated in both informal spontaneous and formal contexts. with a special focus on minority languages. Research strands include the dynamics of inter-linguistic contact, digital media, and the changing nature of language through the domains of everyday practice.

Transdisciplinary activities shared by the two curricula and collaborative work in Italy and abroad are key to complex skill acquisition. They aim at creating a coherent and resilient profile, capable to perform in challenging and competitive working environments.
 

Faculty members: are all leading figures in the relevant scientific domains of the PhD Programme, from Universities and National Research Institutes, both European and non-European. In their courses as well as in other activities of the PhD School, they contribute to scientific exchange in an open and positive way. They also contribute to create opportunities for further training, collaboration, and career planning with the purpose of projecting doctoral students and future young scholars into an international research and professional scenario.

The PhD Programme: Philological and Linguistic Studies in Oral and Written Records is specifically devoted to documentation, conservation and accessibility of primary data sources on languages and cultures; it offers a highly specific training programme that focusses on the study, preservation, and accessibility of oral and written records. Archival documents, manuscript and early modern printings, modern printed material, digital publications, audio, and video recordings are primary sources of data. Data are analysed using interdisciplinary research methodologies favouring a rigorous philological and linguistic approach. Texts and objects are analysed and made accessible to different audiences using appropriate intermedial and transmedia technologies, with the aim of disseminating their knowledge and preserving them.

Key learning outcomes are the following:

• in-depth knowledge of the methodologies of the relevant scientific domains involved in the PhD Programme;
• development of new interdisciplinary tools and methods best suited for the study of oral and written records;
• critical analysis of texts and linguistic data and of their material or digital source;
• development of the digital skills best suited for protection, storage, cataloguing, analysis of oral and written records;
• improvement of communicative skills and dissemination competences, including the preparation of conference papers and written contributions to scientific journals and collective volumes;
• development of organizational skills through the involvement in planning and management of scientific events and teamwork;
• participation of PhD students in the scientific community, in the planning of national and international seminars and colloquia, and in the life of Italian and foreign scientific associations.

Duration: three/four years
 

Scholarships: Six grants are to be awarded in 2024, of which one is to be financed by the 'Sources et technologies pour l'histoire du paysage monégasque' and PNRR-CHANGES projects and one by Cerulli-Arena law firm.

Admission: All admission information is provided on the dedicated page.

Employment opportunities: include all working environments that require advanced knowledge of languages, multi-language and multi-cultural skills, rigour and accuracy in the treatment and interpretation of oral and written sources. Sectors that offer further opportunities are highly qualified public and private institutions seeking employees with a specific scientific training, as universities, national and international research centres, public and private cultural foundations in Italy and abroad. Journals, publishing houses, libraries, archives, museums, and public and private cultural centres can offer further career prospects.