Master's/PhD positions in human rights, branding, and place (second posting)

Funded Master's and PhD Research Positions in the Geography/Sociology of
urban branding, human rights, and place

Seeking students for January, 2013 (start dates are flexible)

A research team led by Drs. Jeff Masuda (Department of Environment and
Geography, University of Manitoba), Sonia Bookman (Department of Sociology,
University of Manitoba), and Audrey Kobayashi (Department of Geography,
Queen's University) is seeking qualified graduate students interested in
research in the areas of urban geography or urban sociology.

Student research will contribute to a three-year SSHRC-funded project
entitled "Revitalizing Japantown? A unifying exploration of human rights,
branding, and place in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside." The project aims to
chronicle the lasting legacy of human rights activism in the neighbourhood
as set within the context of its ongoing sociospatial transformation.
Through a combination of archival reclamation, community dialogues, and
arts-aligned knowledge mobilization, we seek to contribute a human rights
narrative to ongoing urban branding schemes taking place amidst the
neighbourhood's revitalization.

We will fund students interested in pursuing studies in the disciplinary
areas of historical geography/sociology, urban geography/sociology, and/or
cultural geography and with a substantive focus on one or more of the
following topics: revitalization, social justice, urban branding, human
rights, participatory action research, and arts-aligned research. Depending
on students experience and interest, enrolment will be in either a graduate
program in Geography or Sociology, with supervision tailored to student
interests.

Applicants must have an appropriate background in Human Geography,
Sociology, or a related discipline that meets the entrance requirements of
the graduate programs of our respective institutions. Applicants with
previous research experience or interest in participatory action
research and/or archival research will be particularly competitive as will
those who are capable of contributing to the project deliverables while
also articulating independent but complementary research goals,
particularly at the PhD level.

At least two Master's level students will be guaranteed a minimum stipend
of $12,000 for their first year of study. One PhD student will
be guaranteed a minimum stipend of $16,000 per year for the first year of
study. Funding for subsequent years will be contingent on
performance and on receiving external scholarships. Numerous entrance
awards, scholarships, and assistantships are also available for
competitive applicants.

The deadline for a January, 2013 admission to the Faculty of Graduate
Studies at the University of Manitoba is September 15. Interested
applicants should send a two-page letter of interest and updated CV for
review by the research team no later than August 31st. Positions will be
filled as exceptional applications are received, therefore interested
students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applicants from
geography are encouraged to contact Dr. Jeff Masuda (
jeff_masuda@umanitoba.ca) and those from sociology contact Dr. Sonia
Bookman (sonia.bookman@ad.umanitoba.ca**) for further information.

More information can be found at the following links.

Project Website: www.revitalizingjapantown.ca

Department of Environment and Geography:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/**environment/departments/**
geography/index.html<http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/environment/departments/geography/index.html>

Department of Sociology:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/**arts/departments/sociology/<http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/departments/sociology/>

Dr. Jeff Masuda:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/**environment/departments/**
geography/staff/Masuda.html<http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/environment/departments/geography/staff/Masuda.html>
(see also www.cehe.ca)

Dr. Sonia Bookman:
http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/**arts/departments/sociology/**
facstaff/3025.html<http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/departments/sociology/facstaff/3025.html>

Dr. Audrey Kobayashi:
http://geog.queensu.ca/**faculty/kobayashi.asp<http://geog.queensu.ca/faculty/kobayashi.asp>