Retired education adviser David Staples is taking on a new
challenge as he embarks on a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Northumbria
University.
The 69-year-old’s last on-campus university experience was in 1972
when he studied for his degree in Economic and Social History at York
University.
After gaining his professional teaching qualification, David was a
history teacher for 11 years before working for several local authorities in
education management roles. He then worked as an advisor for the UK Government,
under Tony Blair, where he worked on a strategy for raising standards across
schools.
David studied part-time for a master’s in history from
Huddersfield University and after running his own company for a period, decided
to retire. But it wasn’t long before he started looking to add another string
to his bow.
“I was looking for something to do,” he said. “And then along came
this opportunity to work with Dr Connal Parr, an academic in History at Northumbria University, and I was immediately interested.
“I have a longstanding interest in the Northern Ireland conflict,
in which Connal is a renowned expert. I was thrilled to have my PhD application
accepted and to be able to study with Connal as my supervisor. It’s very
special to be working under his guidance as he is a young and forward-thinking
expert on history, politics and society in Ireland.”
David began his PhD about Music and The Troubles in Northern
Ireland between 1969 and 1998 at Northumbria University, in October last
year. The three-year fulltime doctorate will examine how musicians,
particularly rock and folk musicians, tackled the Northern Ireland Troubles and
how Irish communities came together for music concerts, despite the
longstanding grievances between Catholics and Protestants who held deeply
opposing views on Northern Ireland’s relationship with Great Britain.
Having been a student at Northumbria for six months up to now,
David is full of praise for the University’s, staff, facilities and fellow
students.
“I would recommend Northumbria as a comfortable, stimulating and
welcoming place to study, with opportunities to take part more widely in
subject-related events,” he said. “The other students here treat me as an
equal, not ‘the older guy’ and I find everyone to be warm and openminded here.
“I find the library staff at Northumbria to be particularly
helpful. There is a superb collection of books on Irish history, and great
opportunities to use online resources as well as obtain books from other
libraries in the UK and overseas.
“The idea behind doing this PhD was always to enjoy the research
and combine it with detailed on-the-ground research in Ireland. I want it to be
fun, and so far, it has been. Now that I’m approaching 70, it feels like I’m
living the dream.”
Northumbria’s
History PhD students are studying a diverse range of topics, enhanced by the
supervision of new research-active staff. The University’s Department of
Humanities offers a stimulating environment for discussions of research and
students participate in the full range of
on-campus research.
Click here more information about Northumbria’s postgraduate research.
