PhD thesis seminar in area studies

Thesis seminar in area studies organized by Professor Ljiljana Saric at ILOS. The thesis seminar is a compulsory component of the PhD programme. 

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Photo: Colourbox

Overview

The session runs as follows: PhD fellows presenting papers (about 10 pages) give an introduction (about 10 minutes) followed by a commentary (5-10 minutes) and then a general discussion. The papers are circulated in advance to make sure that everyone gets a chance to read them

You can sign up as a "presenter" and/or "commentator." There is also a possibility for registering as an "active participant": you should then read all of the papers more carefully with an eye to participating actively in the discussion throughout the seminar. You are also most welcome to participate without having a formal role. It is generally recommended that you participate in these seminars more often than the program strictly requires, as you will learn about style and argumentation and be better prepared to submit your final dissertation. Please also see the guidelines for a monograph or article-based thesis. 

The length of each seminar will depend on the number of presenters. 

Credits

  • Presenter: 2 ECTS
  • Commentator: 1 ECTS
  • Active participant: 1 ECTS

To register

ILOS runs the thesis seminars for PhD fellows in area studies in all departments at the Faculty of Humanities. Before you register to present, comment, or contribute as an active participant, please check the current status of how many people have already signed up in these roles, and, if you like, who has signed up for what. Each seminar has the following maximum number:

  • 3 Presenters
  • 3 Commentators
  • 2 Active participants
  • An unlimited number of additional, registered participants

Please sign up here by the end of 12 October

For those who sign up to present, the deadline for submitting texts is on the same date as the deadline for signing up: 12 October. Please send your texts to Professor Ljiljana Saric: ljiljana.saric@ilos.uio.no.   

The papers should be about 10 pages, and may consist of presentations of the PhD project, of single chapters, or of more specialized topics, theoretical or other. If you like, you can give some instructions on how to read the material presented, suggesting which aspects to focus on.

Feel free to volunteer as a commentator

The commentator does not have to be in the same field as the presenter. Often, someone from the "outside" will be more able to see the text presented as a text and to give valuable feedback on structure and argumentation. For example: are the aims and claims clearly stated at the outset? Does the writer indicate where he/she stands in relation to previous research or criticism and what his/her contribution consists of? Does the argument progress logically from one point to the next? The texts presented in these seminars are typically works in progress and commentary on how to improve the quality of the writing and the argumentation may therefore be especially welcome. We will discuss in English and/or Norwegian all depending. Remember: you can learn a lot about thesis writing from commenting on someone else's paper...

Questions? Feel free to contact Ljiljana Saric

Tags: PhD, PhD training
Published Sep. 20, 2021 9:35 AM - Last modified Sep. 22, 2021 1:52 PM