2015 marks the 800th anniversary of a monumental document in British history, the Magna Carta (1215). To mark this anniversary, Royal Holloway, will be launching ‘The Magna Carta Centre for Individual Freedom’. This will include a Doctoral Scholarship Grant, offered by the Leverhulme Trust, worth £1 million. It will enable 15 post-graduate students to be funded, with the university offering a further 5 students the chance to pursue the course.
The charter issued by King John of England in the Runnymede Borough, is a symbolic cornerstone of the British constitution, it introduced for the first time the idea that everyone, including the King, was subject to the law. Students of the course will be given the chance to research the relevance of this document in contemporary politics with the aim of examining the legal, moral and technological dimensions associated with personal freedom in the digital age. Students will look into what can be done to preserve privacy using existing and emerging technology as well as seek new technological solutions to such issues.
Professor Paul Hogg, Vice Principal of Royal Holloway, said: “This investment confirms Royal Holloway’s reputation for world-changing research in digital technology and cyber security, along with our leading expertise in the arts and humanities.”