How the Programme is Taught
Professional Doctorates at the Institute for Cultural Practices aim to support the development of cutting edge, original and high quality research relevant to diverse fields of cultural practice, by engaging with experienced professionals and helping them translate their knowledge and experience into lasting research outcomes.Professional Doctorates are taught by a combination of active, cohort-based learning, individual supervision, and professional mentoring. This pedagogical approach enables students? professional context to become a primary research resource. Research problems are identified from ?real life? complex and unpredictable contexts of practice and explored as part of a structured programme of action and reflection.
Active, cohort-based learning is supported by students? attendance at two long residential weekends a year, running from Thursday morning to Sunday lunchtime at the University of Manchester. During these weekends, students from each of the Professional Doctorate programmes work together and separately to explore individual research projects, and take part in a range of practical exercises, group discussions, research skills activities and seminars.
Dates for the residential weekends for academic years 2010/11 and 2011/12 are as follows:
Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th November 2010
Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th April 2011
Thursday 3rd to Sunday 6th November 2011
Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th April 2012
In addition to attendance at the residential weekends, students meet their individual academic supervisors at least six times a year, to discuss specific areas of progress and difficulty.
A dedicated e-learning space enables easy access to all learning materials and provides an interactive environment for ongoing reflective conversations and research skills exercises.
After completion of an initial period of study each student is also assigned a 'professional mentor'. The professional mentor will help students identify the professional and practical significance, and wider non-academic implications of their research.