News and Events

News and Events

CIRCL News and Events

• News
• Visiting Fellows
• The Annual Tony Watkins Lectures
• Past Events
• Seminars
• Publications: see under individual staff pages
• Thesis Abstracts

Latest posts:

• Retirement Dr Sue Walsh
  Dear CIRCL-ites,Dr Sue Walsh has asked me to let you all know that she is retiring from the University of Reading as of the end of this academic year (formally September 2025). As you all know better than anyone, Sue has been the most fantastic teacher for CIRCL’s Children’s Literature programmes both at BA, M(Res)… Read more: Retirement Dr Sue Walsh
• Closure M(Res) in Children’s Literature
  We must share the very sad news that the University of Reading has decided to close the M(Res) in Children’s Literature so that we can not accept any new students for next year (2025-26). Anyone who has already applied will be formally informed by the University of the closure. We want to thank from the… Read more: Closure M(Res) in Children’s Literature
• Dr Rebecca Lindsay’s career blog
  Children’s Literature (MRes) Graduate: Rebecca’s Career – Careers Blog
• Professor Lesnik-Oberstein in new documentary
  Wicked: A new documentary on Amazon Prime about stage musical, ‘Wicked’, has been released to coincide with the new film version. This features an interview with Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein (CIRCL; English Literature) and items from the University archive, relating to the work of L. Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz books.
• Graduation Dr Krissie Hunt
• 
  Unveiling of Lecture Theatre sign in honour of Mr Tony Watkins, founder of the MA in Children’s Literature
  On 20th November 2024 at 1 pm we held an event to ‘unveil’ the sign naming Edith Morley Lecture Theatre G27 in honour of (the late) Mr Tony Watkins, who founded the MA in Children’s Literature here forty years ago (in 1984) as the first MA in the UK (and probably the world) to teach Children’s Literature from cultural and critical studies’ angles rather than from an educational or library studies perspective.

Visiting Fellows

CIRCL has a very long-standing history of being frequently delighted and honoured to welcome CIRCL Visiting Fellows from all over the world! CIRCL Visiting Fellows are academics who come to stay with us for any period of time from one-day-visits to one-term-stays to more than one year to discuss their research with CIRCL staff and/ or attend our research seminars and M(Res) in Children’s Literature seminars.

For further information about applying for a CIRCL Visiting Fellowship please contact Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein (k.b.lesnik-oberstein@reading.ac.uk).

From January 2024 to December 2024 we are delighted to have as our Visiting Fellow Dr Qi Tongwei, an assistant professor in the Department of International Chinese Education of Hangzhou Dianzi University Zhejiang province of China, whose area of interest is children’s picture books.

• 
  2016 – 2017 Visiting Fellows
  In 2016-2017 we were delighted to have had the following visiting fellows.
• 
  2019 Visiting Fellow
  In 2019 we are delighted to have visiting with us Wang Xinrong, Lecturer in the Department of Preschool Education at Yancheng Kindergarten Teacher’s College in Yancheng, Jiangsu, China.
• 
  2018 Visiting Fellows
  2018 Visiting Fellows

News

• Retirement Dr Sue Walsh
  Dear CIRCL-ites,Dr Sue Walsh has asked me to let you all know that she is retiring from the University of Reading as of the… Read more: Retirement Dr Sue Walsh
• Closure M(Res) in Children’s Literature
  We must share the very sad news that the University of Reading has decided to close the M(Res) in Children’s Literature so that we… Read more: Closure M(Res) in Children’s Literature
• Dr Rebecca Lindsay’s career blog
  Children’s Literature (MRes) Graduate: Rebecca’s Career – Careers Blog
• Professor Lesnik-Oberstein in new documentary
  Wicked: A new documentary on Amazon Prime about stage musical, ‘Wicked’, has been released to coincide with the new film version. This features an… Read more: Professor Lesnik-Oberstein in new documentary
• Graduation Dr Krissie Hunt
• 
  Unveiling of Lecture Theatre sign in honour of Mr Tony Watkins, founder of the MA in Children’s Literature
  On 20th November 2024 at 1 pm we held an event to ‘unveil’ the sign naming Edith Morley Lecture Theatre G27 in honour of (the late) Mr Tony Watkins, who founded the MA in Children’s Literature here forty years ago (in 1984) as the first MA in the UK (and probably the world) to teach Children’s Literature from cultural and critical studies’ angles rather than from an educational or library studies perspective.
• Former MA student on CoP29
  Read about the experiences of our former MA student Gurpreet Kaur at the CoP29 Summer Camp in relation to teaching children about the environment… Read more: Former MA student on CoP29
• 
  Viva success Ting Fang (Grace) Yeh!
  CIRCL PhD student Ting Fang (Grace) Yeh passed her viva on 31-10-2024 with her PhD thesis on “Art History and Textual Return: Reading Self-portrait, Geometry and Paint” Supervisor: Dr Neil Cocks; External Examiner: Professor Daniela Caselli of the University of Manchester; Internal Examiner: Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein. Many congratulations, Ting Fang (Grace)!
• Viva success Xiaoyu Hou!
  CIRCL PhD student Xiaoyu Hou passed her viva on 22-07-2024 with her PhD thesis on ‘‘‘It Can Point to the World”: A Close Analysis of Representation in (Children’s) Literary Criticism, Psychology and Pedagogy’. Supervisor: Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein; External Examiner: Professor Dr Stefan Neubert of the University of Cologne (Germany); Internal Examiner: Dr Neil Cocks. Many congratulations, Xiaoyu!
• Viva success Krissie Hunt!
  CIRCL PhD student Krissie Hunt passed her viva on 09-05-2024 with her PhD thesis on ‘Reading Bodies and the Fairy Tale Gaze’. Supervisor: Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein; External Examiner: Professor Erica Burman of the University of Manchester; Internal Examiner: Dr Neil Cocks. Many congratulations, Krissie!
• Congratulations to CIRCL PhD Lana Theodoulou!
  CIRCL PhD student Lana Theodoulou (supervisor Dr Neil Cocks) was awarded the ‘People’s Choice’ prize at the 2024 Doctoral Conference for the presentation of a ‘research object’: a crystal from Pokemon.
• Viva success Alex Hellens!
  CIRCL PhD student Alex Hellens passed his viva on 25-06-2024 with his PhD thesis on ‘No Man is an Island: Dethinking Island Methodologies’. Supervisor: Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein; External Examiner: Dr Wendy O’Shea-Meddour of the University of Exeter; Internal Examiner: Dr Sue Walsh. Many congratulations, Alex!
• Viva success Soma Das!
  CIRCL PhD student Soma Das passed her viva on 03-12-2023 with her PhD thesis on ‘Reading Time and the Time of Reading’. Supervisor: Professor Karin… Read more: Viva success Soma Das!
• New! Extra Masters Scholarships available for 2024-2025, click here.
  New! Extra Masters Scholarships available for 2024-2025, click here. https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/fees-and-funding/masters-scholarships
• Viva success Natthavimol (‘Sai’) Wangsittikul!
  CIRCL PhD student Natthavimol (‘Sai’) Wangsittikul passed her viva on 05-10-2023 with her PhD thesis on ‘What is Manga? Reading Representation and Culture’. Supervisor: Professor… Read more: Viva success Natthavimol (‘Sai’) Wangsittikul!
• PhD success Ian Mulholland!
  CIRCL PhD student Ian Mulholland passed his PhD on 10-10-2023 with his PhD thesis on ‘The Word Is All That Is The Case: A… Read more: PhD success Ian Mulholland!
• Prize for CIRCL PhD Student!
  Congratulations to CIRCL PhD student Lana Theodoulou (supervisor: Dr Neil Cocks) for winning the ‘People’s Choice’ award for the ‘Research in an Object’ competition!
• New CIRCL Publications
  See the link for new CIRCL articles published in a 2023 special issue of the journal Humanities guest edited by CIRCL’s Dr Neil Cocks
• CIRCL Seminar
  CIRCL PhD student Grace (Ting Fang) Yeh will speak on ‘Reading on a Loss of Children’s Theatre’, Wednesday March 8th 2023 at 1 pm… Read more: CIRCL Seminar
• New article Dr Bonnie McGill
  New ‘Textual Practice’ article by Dr Bonnie McGill on ‘Time, Mourning and Pedagogy in DEVS (the tv series), on reading ‘sight’ also in physics
• Viva success Liz Harris!
  CIRCL PhD student Liz Harris passed her viva with flying colours on 18-10-2021 with her PhD thesis on ‘”Never Too Rich or Too Thin”:… Read more: Viva success Liz Harris!
• Blog on ‘Myth and Folktale’
  by Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein. A children’s publishing house, Lantana publishing, specialising in diversity kindly asked me to write a blog for them about the… Read more: Blog on ‘Myth and Folktale’
• New CIRCL Publications Website
  Dr Neil Cocks and Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein have founded a new website to publish CIRCL thinking and reading: The Age of Anti-Psychoanalysis
• Masters Scholarship
  Masters’ Scholarship from the University of Reading
• Congratulations to CIRCL PhD student Rebecca Lindsay
  Congratulations to CIRCL PhD student Rebecca Lindsay on her successful viva on 20-01-2021, with her thesis ‘Psychoanalytic Readings of Language, the Unconscious, and the… Read more: Congratulations to CIRCL PhD student Rebecca Lindsay
• Government has approved a new scheme of MA and PhD study loans
  Please note that the Government has approved a new scheme of MA and PhD study loans under favourable terms!
• Congratulations to CIRCL PhD student Yuna Nam
  Congratulations to CIRCL PhD student Yuna Nam on her successful viva on 03-07-2020, with her thesis ‘Reading Differences from Children’s Picture Books: Constructing and De-constructing Images and Texts‘!
• A second new book out by CIRCL member Dr Krissie West
  And a second new book out by CIRCL member Dr Krissie West: Reading the Salem Witch Child: The Guilt of Innocent Blood (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2020)!
• New book by CIRCL member Dr Krissie West
  New book out for pre-order by CIRCL member Dr Krissie West: Louise May Alcott and the Textual Child: A Critical Theory Approach (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2020)!
• Dr Yuko Ashitagawa awarded a Distinguished Volunteer Award by the University of Reading
  In October 2019, Dr Yuko Ashitagawa, a former CIRCL MA and PhD student, was awarded a Distinguished Volunteer Award by the University of Reading in the UK for her efforts since 2005 on behalf of CIRCL Japan!
• ‘Proms Plus’ series discussing Kipling’s “The Jungle Books”
  CIRCL’s Dr Sue Walsh was recently (August 2019) in conversation with Anindya Raychaudhuri and Frances Hardinge in the ‘Proms Plus’ series discussing Kipling’s The Jungle Books.
• CIRCL’s Dr Neil Cocks has a new book out!
  CIRCL’s Dr Neil Cocks has a new book out! Higher Education Discourse and Deconstruction: Challenging the case for Transparency and Objecthood
• 
  A visit from Professor Zhu Ziqiang
  We were honoured to welcome for a visit and CIRCL research seminar on 7th December 2016, Professor Zhu Ziqiang, Professor of the College of Literature & Journalism of Ocean University of China and Head of the Children Literature Institute, who spoke about Key Issues in Contemporary Chinese Children’s Literature Theories.
• CIRCL PhD student Krissie West nominated as FAHSS Faculty PhD Researcher of the Year 2014-15
  CIRCL PhD student Krissie West was nominated as FAHSS Faculty PhD Researcher of the Year for 2014-15 for her research on childhood in the work of the American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson!
• CIRCL Korea came to visit CIRCL Reading again, July 2014
  CIRCL Korea came to visit CIRCL Reading again, July 2014! Now for a three-day CIRCL Summer School on Children’s Literature.
• University’s three-minute thesis competition
  Former CIRCL PhD student Dr Jess Medhurst won the University’s three-minute thesis competition on June 14th 2013
• 
  CIRCL Korea visits University of Reading
  CIRCL Korea visits University of Reading, July 7th 2010!
• 
  Faculty Student Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning
  Karin was awarded the Faculty Student Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning 2010 on 1st July 2010. A further University RUSU award for Outstanding Contributions as Personal Tutor was made in 2015.
• Publication of a new book by one of our former CIRCL Visiting Fellows, Dr Sandra Dinter
  Publication of a new book by one of our former CIRCL Visiting Fellows, Dr Sandra Dinter We are delighted to announce the publication of… Read more: Publication of a new book by one of our former CIRCL Visiting Fellows, Dr Sandra Dinter

Thesis Abstracts

• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Ting Fang (Grace) Yeh
  “Art History and Textual Return: Reading Self-portrait, Geometry and Paint”
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Xiaoyu Hou
  ‘‘‘It Can Point to the World”: A Close Analysis of Representation in (Children’s) Literary Criticism, Psychology and Pedagogy’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Alex Hellens
  ‘No Man is an Island: Dethinking Island Methodologies’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Krissie Hunt
  ‘Reading Bodies and the Fairy Tale Gaze’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Soma Das
  ‘Reading Time and the Time of Reading’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Ian Mulholland
  ‘The Word Is All That Is The Case: A reading of Wittgenstein’s “Tractatus Logico Philosophicus”‘
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Natthavimol (‘Sai’) Wangsittikul
  ‘What is Manga? Reading Representation and Culture’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Haleemah Ziarab
  ‘Shakespeare and Narration: Feminism, Structure, History’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Liz Harris
  ‘”Never Too Rich or Too Thin” Readings About the Fat Body’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Rebecca Lindsay
  Psychoanalytic Readings of Language, the Unconscious, and the Desire for the Object
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Yuna Nam
  ‘Reading Differences from Children’s Picture Books: Constructing and De-constructing Images and Texts’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Bonnie McGill
  ‘Reading a formula(ting) of space(,)time and Quantum Mechanics’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Anindita Roy
  ‘Reading Child[ren] of Words and Pictures in Picture Books for Children: Three Essays on Picture Book Research’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Krissie West
  ‘”To Be Boy Eternal”: Locating the Child in the Literature and Criticism of Ralph Waldo Emerson’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Chris Milson
  ‘On Translation: Reading, Representation, and the Desire to Know’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Jessica Medhurst
  ‘The Child in Charles Dodgson’s Photographs and Their Criticism: Subject, History, Body and Archive’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Kia (Evdokia) Michalopoulou
  ‘The Case of the Purloined Child: Detective Fiction and Criticism’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Yu-Kuan Chen
  ‘Objects of Vision: Text, Colour, Gesture’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Charlie (Charlotte) White
  ‘The Child in Gothic’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Kirsty Pennicard-Wood
  ‘Plotting the Plot: The Plot Unravelled’.
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Catrin Edwards
  ‘Psychoanalysis Reading Psychoanalysis: Questions of Resistance and Interpretation’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Hilary Fraser
  ‘”Small Points of Difference”: the Child in Evolutionary Narratives’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Helen Ainslie
  ‘”Why Autism?” Perspectives, Communication, Community’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Elisabeth Eldridge
  ”In the Beginning was the Word”?: Quoting God and constructing the Child Reader in contemporary retellings of biblical narratives for children
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Louise Tondeur
  ‘Reading Hair Queer’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Sarah Spooner
  Knowing its Place? Language and Landscape in Arthur Ransome
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Hannah Smith (now: Anglin-Jaffe)
  ‘Signs, Text, Truth: Constructions of Deafness’
• Abstract PhD Thesis Dr Yuko Ashitagawa
  Reading and Writing the Primitive: Written Oralities and Fairy-Tale Studies.