Social Research | Arts Research

Birkbeck Institute for Social Research (BISR).

BISR Graduate Seminar in Social Research.

PhD Students – would you like:

an opportunity to meet other social research PhD students ?
to discuss your research, and present work in progress?
to explore issues of methodology, research design and epistemology?
to develop your reflective practice as a social researcher?
to choose interesting visiting speakers to invite to Birkbeck?
to explore key theoretical debates within contemporary social research?…in a supportive and intellectually challenging environment

The BISR Graduate Seminar is a fortnightly seminar open to PhD students from across Birkbeck who are working on social research theses in the School of Social Science, History and Philosophy, School of Arts or the School of Law.

The Graduate Seminar aims to support and enhance the supervision and training students already receive in their own Schools. This year we are particularly interested in applications from doctoral students whose research can loosely connect with our theme of ‘crossing borders’.

How to Apply

If you are interested in attending please complete the attached application form and return it to Madisson Brown (m.brown@bbk.ac.uk) by 19 October 2016

The Graduate Seminar is run by Dr Karen Wells, Acting Director of the Birkbeck Institute for Social Research. Each seminar will be divided into 2 parts and students are expected to attend both. From 6-7pm there will be an open discussion of the current issues faced by members of the seminar in their research. This discussion will aim to develop students’ reflective practice as social researchers, as well as providing a regular space for skills and information sharing and peer support. After a short break, the seminar will resume from 7.15-8.15pm with a structured programme of activities, including, over the course of the year:

Seminars on issues of methodology and research strategy, with particular reference to new methodologies (e.g. internet-based research; visual methodologies)
Presentations by students of their research to each other, for critical engagement and feedback
Seminars on key debates in contemporary social research based around close reading of key texts (e.g. exemplary texts of ethnographic/ interview-based research; epistemology and theory in social research etc)
Workshops on transferable skills (such as writing for publication; presenting conference papers)

The seminars will run for 12 weeks on the following dates: 3 Nov, 17 Nov, 1 Dec, 5 Jan, 19 Jan, 2 Feb, 16 Feb, 2 March, 16 March, 4 May, 18 May, 1 June.

Students are expected to attend all sessions of the Graduate Seminar.

Dr Madisson Brown, Manager.