Roz Warden
What would you recommend about studying at Cardiff?
The Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK is a fantastic place to be studying at as Cardiff is the site of one of the oldest and most diverse Muslim communities in Britain. The Centre provides a very supportive environment to be researching in with great expertise on conducting qualitative research in collaboration with British Muslim communities. The Centre also has strong and very valuable links with the local Muslim community and provides a welcoming atmosphere. The annual Public Lecture Series organised by the Centre brings a wide range of speakers to Cardiff whose talks have been inspiring and thought-provoking. The travel and fieldwork bursary which accompanies the scholarship is very generous has enabled me to present my research at a wide variety of national conferences, to network widely and to hear about other students’ research, which I have found very valuable.
How are your Cardiff studies helping you develop your future career choice?
I’m hoping to continue researching in the field of Religious Studies after my PhD finishes and my experience at Cardiff has been invaluable. The MA course provides in-depth training in research methods, enabling students to develop and practice these skills over the duration of the course. Also, the RSSDP course run by the Graduate Centre at Cardiff for PhD students provides extremely useful workshops and short courses in areas such as presenting academic research and using data analysis software. I hope that these skills will help me in my chosen career path. Alongside my PhD research, I’ve also been given the opportunity to teach undergraduate seminar classes which has allowed me to gain valuable teaching experience.
What do you enjoy most about your research?
I’ve enjoyed it that my research has allowed me to work closely with members of the local Muslim community and I hope that the research has focused on issues of relevance to the community. Everybody I’ve worked with over the course of my fieldwork has been very helpful and I’ve been very grateful for their assistance with the research.
I also enjoy working in such a supportive and encouraging environment and have really benefitted from working alongside the other Jameel Scholars and being able to discuss and debate ideas with them
What is the best thing about being a student at Cardiff?
It’s been great having such history on your doorstep. For example, whilst preparing a literature review I was reading about the history of Bute town, Loudoun Square and ‘Tiger Bay’ and then later the same month I attended an event held by the local community in Bute town. It’s fascinating being able to learn about the history and development of Muslim communities in Britain and to have part of it on your doorstep.
What opportunities do you feel have opened up to you as a result of being a Cardiff University Jameel Scholar?
I feel very grateful for the opportunity that the Jameel Scholarship programme has given me to develop my skills as a researcher. I hope that the experiences and skills developed during the course of my PhD will be useful in my future career. Without the Jameel Scholarship it wouldn’t have been possible to do this research and without this opportunity I wouldn’t have been able to aim towards my future career.
The Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK is a fantastic place to be studying at as Cardiff is the site of one of the oldest and most diverse Muslim communities in Britain.
