Applications open for DHeritage, the Professional Doctorate in Heritage

DHeritage is a unique and flexible part-time doctorate aimed at professionals who work in, or desire to work in, the heritage field broadly defined, whether in the private or the public sector. It is hosted by the School of Humanities and the Heritage Hub at the University of Hertfordshire, UK.

DHeritage attracts students who are employed in tourism, planning, museums, archives, community history, archaeology, and social and cultural sustainability. It appeals to practitioners who want to reflect on and contribute to the latest thinking in what is a dynamic and ever-changing sector crucial to many economies and to local and national identities.

Our students follow the programme as part of a cohort, supported by research training and supervision shaped to their needs from across the disciplines of History, Education, Digital Humanities, Creative Writing, Creative Arts, Law, Business, and Tourism. Students select their topic and training according to individual needs and interests, and current developments in the field. Workshops cover interdisciplinary issues such as professional ethics, sustainability, cultural memory and heritage policy.

Applications are now open, with a deadline of Monday May 15th, 2017. Interviews are planned for Wednesday June 14th, 2017. How to apply:

• Read more about DHeritage on the University of Hertfordshire's website: http://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/doctorate-in-heritage 
• Look at some of our students' ongoing research on the TVAD Research Group blog http://tvad-uh.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/DHeritage
• Download and complete an application form: http://www.herts.ac.uk/apply/how-to-apply-for-a-course#directly 
• Prepare a 2000 word research proposal with your application. Guidance on preparing a DHeritage research proposal is available from the Programme Director, Dr Grace Lees-Maffei g.lees-maffei@herts.ac.uk
• Send your application, together with a research proposal, your qualifications and other supporting documents to the University of Hertfordshire's Doctoral College, research-degrees@herts.ac.uk

We are very happy to discuss applications, proposals and any questions you might have. We look forward to welcoming you to DHeritage!

'Archaeology of Mobile Film: Blink, Bluevend and the Pocket Shorts' in Compact Cinematics: The Moving Image in the Age of Bit-Sized Media

Bluevend: a Bluetooth-enabled film vending machine 2005

Watching film on tablets and mobile phones is now commonplace but just over a decade ago such experiences were still just an aspiration. In 2002, Nokia ran a ‘Future Applications’ advertisement featuring a woman sitting on a bus, watching a horror film on her phone. As she watches she gets more and more agitated, until in the end she lets out a scream and the ad ends with the tag line ‘One day you’ll be able to watch videos on your mobiles’.

Following cinema, television and computers, the last decade has seen the emergence of the ‘fourth screen’ and today watching films on mobile platforms has become a part of everyday life. Over this time there have been many initiatives to develop mobile film and whilst much of this material looks quite archaic now, it could be argued that these early prototypes should not just be consigned to a footnote in media history but should be regarded as the incunabula of new kind of film-making.  

In 'Archaeology of Mobile Film: Blink, Bluevend and the Pocket Shorts' in Compact Cinematics, Kim Walden (School of Creative Arts, University of Hertfordshire) undertakes an archaeological exploration of 3G phone technology to examine the technical affordances for both film making and film viewing. In the light of this  she goes onto consider the first generation of mobile film and her contention is that such experiments with mobile film illuminate the antecedents of compact cinematic forms which have become prevalent today.

Published January 2017: 'Archaeology of Mobile Film: Blink, Bluevend and the Pocket Shorts' in Compact Cinematics: The Moving Image in the Age of Bit-Sized Media

Available in hardback and Kindle format: Here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Compact-Cinematics-Moving-Image-Bit-Sized-ebook/dp/B01N68AJ1Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484664331&sr=8-1&keywords=compact+cinematics