Just a quick reminder that the Post Grad Café will be meeting tomorrow at 5 pm in the Glamorgan Building coffee shop (please note change of venue). The theme for this meeting is ‘Ethics: Institutional and Everyday’ and Alex Hillman and Paul White will be talking about their research and experiences of ethics committees.
This should be a very interesting meeting, which offers the opportunity to discuss some salient issues, particularly in light of the newly operational Social Research Ethics Committee in SOCSI.
Wine, juice and snacks as usual...
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Apology
It has been brought to my attention that the use of the term ‘balkanised’ in the Network article (posted below) about the café carries certain implications regarding essentially negative perceptions of the Balkan region.
I apologise for this.
Thanks to Andy Aitchison for highlighting this.
I apologise for this.
Thanks to Andy Aitchison for highlighting this.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Graduate Research Presentations Day
Congratulations everyone who presented at the graduate research presentations day yesterday. Once again it was a great success and an excellent platform for the showcasing of the high quality doctoral research that’s undertaken in the school.
The school have announced that these presentation days will become a regular feature in the future, hopefully occurring three times per year. The café team are encouraged by this development, which will continue to raise the profile of doctoral research in the school.
The school have announced that these presentation days will become a regular feature in the future, hopefully occurring three times per year. The café team are encouraged by this development, which will continue to raise the profile of doctoral research in the school.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Network Article
Here is the text of the article about the cafe that appeared in 'Network: newsletter of the British Sociological Association', No. 90, Spring 2005, p. 29.
Café Culture – The shared experience of the PhD
David J Mellor – Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences
A sense of community can be difficult to create and sustain amongst doctoral students. Many of us find working towards a PhD an isolated existence where the sharing of ideas and experiences about work with peers is transient and hard to sustain. In large departments, like the School of Social Sciences in Cardiff, it is possible to become so balkanised as to never meet whole groups of people who are undergoing the same academic apprenticeship. Perhaps it is no surprise that many find it daunting to take that first step and present their work to an audience, whether at a conference or at a departmental seminar. Work shared only with supervisors can be difficult to articulate to unfamiliar faces without practice.
Here in Cardiff we’ve tried to overcome these problems with the creation of a ‘Post Grad Café.’ The café is the new hub of the shared intellectual and social culture of the research students. We meet every month to discuss a range of topics related to academic research, current affairs, culture, politics and controversy. The café benefits from funding from the school, but is organised and run by doctoral students. Our central concern is the fostering of dialogue and the sharing of thoughts and experiences, both common and distinct, which makes the café a unique space for diversity and camaraderie. We share food and drink together so that each meeting becomes an act of collective identity.
Our basic format is the themed meeting, where a broad topical subject is chosen for discussion. For example, the December meeting was themed ‘Conspicuous Consumption’, whilst the first meeting of the New Year carried the theme ‘Beginnings/Endings.’ At every meeting 3 speakers ‘talk to’ the theme for approximately 10 minutes each in relation to their own current research interests. This is followed by a general open discussion that encompasses theory, methods and methodology, reflection on everyday practices of academia, and ‘tales from the field.’ All presentations are informal and the ground rules specify support and encouragement. Also, guest speakers are occasionally invited to talk, some from within the university and others from further a field (we welcome offers from interested speakers).
The ‘Conspicuous Consumption’ theme illustrated the cafés strengths. To begin, Richard Watermeyer discussed the 'Disaffiliation to the Technocratic Society' epitomised by the counter-cultural movements of the twentieth century. Following this, Alison Elderfield, asked, ‘The Mobile Phone: A Status Symbol?’ and talked about her work on the changing nature of people’s ‘enchantment’ with mobile technologies. Finally, Pamela Robinson introduced us to ‘The Discourse of Shopping,’ discussing the identities and moralities of both shoppers and retailers and the complexities of ethical consumption. The open symposium generated by these presentations focused on cultures of consumption, ethics, group identity, responsibility, citizenship, and political activism. In this meeting then, commonality and diversity became potent in the deliberation of important socio-political issues.
Undoubtedly the café will have the long term advantage of helping everyone speak in front of different audiences and to people who do not share specialist knowledge, whether theoretical, methodological or otherwise. This is surely of great benefit within the social sciences, but also important if our generation of scholars is to become engaged with various ‘publics.’ Following Michael Burawoy’s recent work on ‘public sociology’ there has been much debate concerning the public role of the social sciences and its dialogue with particular publics concerning social and cultural values. As can be seen from our ‘Conspicuous Consumption’ meeting, the café enables research students to articulate their work in various voices that address important issues of value, whilst retaining rigorous scholarly standards. I anticipate that the skills gained in the café will profit those involved in their future professional, public and policy engagements.
I hope that in sharing our experiences here at Cardiff that postgraduates in other departments will be interested in our ideas and might organise their own cafés or similar activities. Please contact me if you would like to know more details about the café, its ground rules and future activities. MellorD@Cardiff.ac.uk
Café Culture – The shared experience of the PhD
David J Mellor – Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences
A sense of community can be difficult to create and sustain amongst doctoral students. Many of us find working towards a PhD an isolated existence where the sharing of ideas and experiences about work with peers is transient and hard to sustain. In large departments, like the School of Social Sciences in Cardiff, it is possible to become so balkanised as to never meet whole groups of people who are undergoing the same academic apprenticeship. Perhaps it is no surprise that many find it daunting to take that first step and present their work to an audience, whether at a conference or at a departmental seminar. Work shared only with supervisors can be difficult to articulate to unfamiliar faces without practice.
Here in Cardiff we’ve tried to overcome these problems with the creation of a ‘Post Grad Café.’ The café is the new hub of the shared intellectual and social culture of the research students. We meet every month to discuss a range of topics related to academic research, current affairs, culture, politics and controversy. The café benefits from funding from the school, but is organised and run by doctoral students. Our central concern is the fostering of dialogue and the sharing of thoughts and experiences, both common and distinct, which makes the café a unique space for diversity and camaraderie. We share food and drink together so that each meeting becomes an act of collective identity.
Our basic format is the themed meeting, where a broad topical subject is chosen for discussion. For example, the December meeting was themed ‘Conspicuous Consumption’, whilst the first meeting of the New Year carried the theme ‘Beginnings/Endings.’ At every meeting 3 speakers ‘talk to’ the theme for approximately 10 minutes each in relation to their own current research interests. This is followed by a general open discussion that encompasses theory, methods and methodology, reflection on everyday practices of academia, and ‘tales from the field.’ All presentations are informal and the ground rules specify support and encouragement. Also, guest speakers are occasionally invited to talk, some from within the university and others from further a field (we welcome offers from interested speakers).
The ‘Conspicuous Consumption’ theme illustrated the cafés strengths. To begin, Richard Watermeyer discussed the 'Disaffiliation to the Technocratic Society' epitomised by the counter-cultural movements of the twentieth century. Following this, Alison Elderfield, asked, ‘The Mobile Phone: A Status Symbol?’ and talked about her work on the changing nature of people’s ‘enchantment’ with mobile technologies. Finally, Pamela Robinson introduced us to ‘The Discourse of Shopping,’ discussing the identities and moralities of both shoppers and retailers and the complexities of ethical consumption. The open symposium generated by these presentations focused on cultures of consumption, ethics, group identity, responsibility, citizenship, and political activism. In this meeting then, commonality and diversity became potent in the deliberation of important socio-political issues.
Undoubtedly the café will have the long term advantage of helping everyone speak in front of different audiences and to people who do not share specialist knowledge, whether theoretical, methodological or otherwise. This is surely of great benefit within the social sciences, but also important if our generation of scholars is to become engaged with various ‘publics.’ Following Michael Burawoy’s recent work on ‘public sociology’ there has been much debate concerning the public role of the social sciences and its dialogue with particular publics concerning social and cultural values. As can be seen from our ‘Conspicuous Consumption’ meeting, the café enables research students to articulate their work in various voices that address important issues of value, whilst retaining rigorous scholarly standards. I anticipate that the skills gained in the café will profit those involved in their future professional, public and policy engagements.
I hope that in sharing our experiences here at Cardiff that postgraduates in other departments will be interested in our ideas and might organise their own cafés or similar activities. Please contact me if you would like to know more details about the café, its ground rules and future activities. MellorD@Cardiff.ac.uk
Next Meeting – Ethics: institutional and everyday
The next post grad café meeting will be on Wednesday 27th April at 5pm and will be on the theme ‘ethics: institutional and everyday’. If you are interested in talking to this theme then please get in contact. As usual, the theme can be interpreted in any way you wish with relation to your research experiences, theory, methods etc. Due to interruptions and noise (mostly from the coffee machine) we are moving the café back to the original venue in the Glamorgan coffee shop – a reminder will be sent out beforehand!
In other news, the café has been widely promoted in an article in spring edition of the BSA newsletter ‘Network’. The editorial notes that ‘the postgraduate café at Cardiff… highlights a very positive and interesting initiative, which the school should be commended for’. The team would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has contributed to and participated in the café and made it such a success. As a result of the article, we have been contacted by post grads at several other universities who plan to set up similar ventures, and we wish them the best of luck in doing so.
Looking forward to seeing many of you at the graduate research presentations day on Tuesday 12th April (details below).
In other news, the café has been widely promoted in an article in spring edition of the BSA newsletter ‘Network’. The editorial notes that ‘the postgraduate café at Cardiff… highlights a very positive and interesting initiative, which the school should be commended for’. The team would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has contributed to and participated in the café and made it such a success. As a result of the article, we have been contacted by post grads at several other universities who plan to set up similar ventures, and we wish them the best of luck in doing so.
Looking forward to seeing many of you at the graduate research presentations day on Tuesday 12th April (details below).
Graduate Research Presentations Day
The next graduate research presentations day is Tuesday next week. Here are the details:
CARDIFF SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Graduate Research Presentations Day
Tuesday 12th April 2005
10.00am - 3.15pm
COMMITTEE ROOM 1 - GLAMORGAN BUILDING
10.00-10.10am
Welcome and ground rules from
Dr. Jane Salisbury – Co-ordinator of Graduate Studies
10.10-10.30am
Rodrigo Ribeiro
Knowledge Transfer
10.30-11.00am
Sarah Lloyd-Jones
Mapping Transition in the South Wales Valleys
11.00-11.30am
Comfort and Coffee/Tea break – Committee Room 2
11.30-12.00noon
Sally Lau
A Mandatory CPD Scheme in Pharmacy
12.00-12.30pm
Andrew Aitchison
Security Between the Second and Third Pillar: EU, Police and State in Bosnia and Herzegovina
12.30-1.00pm
Kate Moles
Positioning Liminality : Representations of Post colonialism in Phoenix Park, Dublin
1.00-2.00pm
Buffet Lunch – Committee Room 2
2.15-2.45pm
Wei Zhao
Ownership Transition and Its Impact on
Workers: Case study in Chinese White Goods Industry
2.45-3.15pm
Rebecca Drennan
Towards a Learning Country: The Characteristics, Qualifications and Skills of Further Education Teachers in Wales
This will undoubtedly be a great day and an opportunity to support and encourage all the presenters. See everyone there.
CARDIFF SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Graduate Research Presentations Day
Tuesday 12th April 2005
10.00am - 3.15pm
COMMITTEE ROOM 1 - GLAMORGAN BUILDING
10.00-10.10am
Welcome and ground rules from
Dr. Jane Salisbury – Co-ordinator of Graduate Studies
10.10-10.30am
Rodrigo Ribeiro
Knowledge Transfer
10.30-11.00am
Sarah Lloyd-Jones
Mapping Transition in the South Wales Valleys
11.00-11.30am
Comfort and Coffee/Tea break – Committee Room 2
11.30-12.00noon
Sally Lau
A Mandatory CPD Scheme in Pharmacy
12.00-12.30pm
Andrew Aitchison
Security Between the Second and Third Pillar: EU, Police and State in Bosnia and Herzegovina
12.30-1.00pm
Kate Moles
Positioning Liminality : Representations of Post colonialism in Phoenix Park, Dublin
1.00-2.00pm
Buffet Lunch – Committee Room 2
2.15-2.45pm
Wei Zhao
Ownership Transition and Its Impact on
Workers: Case study in Chinese White Goods Industry
2.45-3.15pm
Rebecca Drennan
Towards a Learning Country: The Characteristics, Qualifications and Skills of Further Education Teachers in Wales
This will undoubtedly be a great day and an opportunity to support and encourage all the presenters. See everyone there.
Juggling Identities – meeting report
Thanks to everyone who came along to the Juggling Identities meeting last week at the Funky Buddha. This is a great venue for social meetings and we hope to go there again in the not too distant future. Some of the issues discussed emerged as important concerns and we hope to address them in further detail through future café activities.
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