The Post-Graduate Team cordially invite you to a Mid-Summer Party
All SOCSI Graduates, Post-Graduates and Staff Welcome
Wednesday 15th June 2005
6pm onwards
SOCSI Senior Common Room
Glamorgan Building
Delicious Food and Drink
Conversation and Music
RSVP - Wednesday 8th June 2005
RENTON@CF.AC.UK
Dress: Casual
Monday, June 06, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Intellectuals – speakers and presentation details
The next meeting of the post grad café will be on Wednesday 8th June and on the theme ‘Intellectuals’. The presentations will be:
Andrew Bartlett: How public are public intellectuals? Speculations on the scientist as a public figure.
Mark Connolly: Separating the wheat from the chavs: An investigation of culture and class.
David James Mellor: Methods! Theory! Action?
As noted in the previous email, a section of Frank Furedi’s book ‘Where have all the intellectuals gone?’ will be made available before the meeting as additional material for discussion. Follow these links for more details and reviews.
This meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the Glamorgan Building coffee shop.
Andrew Bartlett: How public are public intellectuals? Speculations on the scientist as a public figure.
Mark Connolly: Separating the wheat from the chavs: An investigation of culture and class.
David James Mellor: Methods! Theory! Action?
As noted in the previous email, a section of Frank Furedi’s book ‘Where have all the intellectuals gone?’ will be made available before the meeting as additional material for discussion. Follow these links for more details and reviews.
This meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the Glamorgan Building coffee shop.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Next Meeting - 'Intellectuals'
The theme for the next cafe meeting will be 'Intellectuals'. Details of speakers and presentations to follow within the week.
Recently there have been a number of books published relating to intellectuals and culture. Among these have been Frank Furedi's 'Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?' and Steve Fuller's 'The Intellectual'. Both these titles, written by social scientists, are controversial and engaging in equal measure. Copies of selected chapters from Furedi's text will be made available in time for the meeting.
This meeting will be on Wednesday 8th June. (Please note that this is a change from our usual slot of the last Wednesday of the month).
Recently there have been a number of books published relating to intellectuals and culture. Among these have been Frank Furedi's 'Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?' and Steve Fuller's 'The Intellectual'. Both these titles, written by social scientists, are controversial and engaging in equal measure. Copies of selected chapters from Furedi's text will be made available in time for the meeting.
This meeting will be on Wednesday 8th June. (Please note that this is a change from our usual slot of the last Wednesday of the month).
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Ethics
Many thanks to Alex and Paul for their presentations at the ethics: institutional and everyday meeting. The discussion was the liveliest yet seen at the cafe, showing how contentious certain issues can be and how important the cafe is in providing a space for debate.
News of the next meeting to be posted soon...
News of the next meeting to be posted soon...
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Meeting tomorrow – Post Grad Café
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...
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...
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.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Next Meeting - Juggling Identities: Who am I supposed to be?!
Hi everyone
The next meeting of the Post Grad Café will be on Wednesday 30th March. The theme for this meeting will be ‘Juggling Identities: Who am I supposed to be?!’ In a change to our usual arrangements, there will be no specific papers presented; rather, there will be an open discussion about the experiences of being a postgraduate who has to juggle a variety of identities – student, researcher, teacher, practitioner etc – and how different people find ways to cope with moments of difficulty. We also want to focus on how best to take advantage of the many positive aspects of occupying what can sometimes be contrasting roles.
We hope that by running a session of the café on this theme that people will be able to share in the diversity and commonality of their experiences in a relaxed and friendly environment. To help establish the right kind of atmosphere, this meeting will be the first to travel outside the school and will be held at the ‘Funky Buddha’ on Woodville Road in Cathays at 7 pm. We have booked space and will order wine for the group (and hopefully some nibbles too).
Looking forward to seeing many of you there
The next meeting of the Post Grad Café will be on Wednesday 30th March. The theme for this meeting will be ‘Juggling Identities: Who am I supposed to be?!’ In a change to our usual arrangements, there will be no specific papers presented; rather, there will be an open discussion about the experiences of being a postgraduate who has to juggle a variety of identities – student, researcher, teacher, practitioner etc – and how different people find ways to cope with moments of difficulty. We also want to focus on how best to take advantage of the many positive aspects of occupying what can sometimes be contrasting roles.
We hope that by running a session of the café on this theme that people will be able to share in the diversity and commonality of their experiences in a relaxed and friendly environment. To help establish the right kind of atmosphere, this meeting will be the first to travel outside the school and will be held at the ‘Funky Buddha’ on Woodville Road in Cathays at 7 pm. We have booked space and will order wine for the group (and hopefully some nibbles too).
Looking forward to seeing many of you there
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Graduate Skills Development Programme
By now, everyone should have received the Graduate Centre's Skills Development Programme for Research Students April-July 2005. The school would like to encourage doctoral students to attend courses on the programme and has asked the Cafe to advertise these.
Students are increasingly expected to keep a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) log across their candidature. To get a picture of who has done what, the Graduate Centre will provide SOCSI (and other schools) with an end of year printout which will be used in the Annual Review. The school will use these data to identify those candidates who are not using the courses sufficiently. Consequently, students are expected to up-skill themselves and participate and supervisors have been asked to include this in their next supervision agenda.
Extra copies of booklet can be obtained from Liz Renton, Research and Graduate Office, Room 0.16.
Students are increasingly expected to keep a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) log across their candidature. To get a picture of who has done what, the Graduate Centre will provide SOCSI (and other schools) with an end of year printout which will be used in the Annual Review. The school will use these data to identify those candidates who are not using the courses sufficiently. Consequently, students are expected to up-skill themselves and participate and supervisors have been asked to include this in their next supervision agenda.
Extra copies of booklet can be obtained from Liz Renton, Research and Graduate Office, Room 0.16.
Thanks to Rolland Munro – Post Grad Café Extra success
The Café Team would like to express their gratitude to Rolland Munro for coming and speaking with the Post Grad Café at the Extra meeting last Wednesday. Thanks also to everyone for coming along, it was great to see so many attending!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
First Visiting Speaker - Prof. Rolland Munro
Professor Rolland Munro from the University of Keele has very kindly agreed to be the first visiting speaker to talk with the Post Grad Café. This special meeting will be next Wednesday 9th March at 5pm in the Glamorgan Building common room. This is an important occasion and an encouraging development for the Café, and we hope as many people as possible will be able to attend what will certainly be a fascinating informal discussion.
In order to stimulate discussion Professor Munro has suggested that people should read either Punctualising Identity: Time and the Demanding Relations paper which is in Sociology (online - see below)
or
'A Consumption View of Self: Extension, Exchange and Identity'. In S. Edgell, A Warde and K. Hetherington (eds), Consumption Matters, The Sociological Review Monograph series, 1996, pp 247-272.
http://ejournals.cardiff.ac.uk/?V=1.0&N=100&L=KK8RV2GW7T&S=T_B&C=Sociology
Title: Punctualizing Identity: Time and the Demanding Relation
Author(s): Rolland Munro
Source: Sociology Volume: 38 Number: 2 Page: 293 -- 311
DOI: 10.1177/0038038504040865
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Abstract: Questions of identity, the nuance of self to context or culture, continue to dominate despite a fashion to imagine 'structures' of class, status and ethnicity as becoming less demanding and, hence, more fluid and open to choice. In contrast to a picture of individuals suspended in fluids of their own making, this article introduces the idea of identity being punctualized: a 'revealing' of each specified identity within the here and now; and in response to the 'demand' of others. Accepting there is a positioning effect, requiring those making demands to be in a position to make their specific reading on identity, the article draws on Henry James's novel The Ambassadors, to illustrate a timing effect, in which each 'call' demands a display of identity that annuls other 'calls' - precisely by overtaking these in the here and now. These demands arguably overlap with Heidegger's formulation, in which the demanding relation is general and is presented as the effect of technology: technology transforms everything in nature, including ourselves, into things 'standing in advance'. Relations are not attenuated, so much as it matters more what identity is being produced (and when).
© 2005 Sage Publications
Keywords: enframing; punctualize; relations; revealing; technology; time
In order to stimulate discussion Professor Munro has suggested that people should read either Punctualising Identity: Time and the Demanding Relations paper which is in Sociology (online - see below)
or
'A Consumption View of Self: Extension, Exchange and Identity'. In S. Edgell, A Warde and K. Hetherington (eds), Consumption Matters, The Sociological Review Monograph series, 1996, pp 247-272.
http://ejournals.cardiff.ac.uk/?V=1.0&N=100&L=KK8RV2GW7T&S=T_B&C=Sociology
Title: Punctualizing Identity: Time and the Demanding Relation
Author(s): Rolland Munro
Source: Sociology Volume: 38 Number: 2 Page: 293 -- 311
DOI: 10.1177/0038038504040865
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Abstract: Questions of identity, the nuance of self to context or culture, continue to dominate despite a fashion to imagine 'structures' of class, status and ethnicity as becoming less demanding and, hence, more fluid and open to choice. In contrast to a picture of individuals suspended in fluids of their own making, this article introduces the idea of identity being punctualized: a 'revealing' of each specified identity within the here and now; and in response to the 'demand' of others. Accepting there is a positioning effect, requiring those making demands to be in a position to make their specific reading on identity, the article draws on Henry James's novel The Ambassadors, to illustrate a timing effect, in which each 'call' demands a display of identity that annuls other 'calls' - precisely by overtaking these in the here and now. These demands arguably overlap with Heidegger's formulation, in which the demanding relation is general and is presented as the effect of technology: technology transforms everything in nature, including ourselves, into things 'standing in advance'. Relations are not attenuated, so much as it matters more what identity is being produced (and when).
© 2005 Sage Publications
Keywords: enframing; punctualize; relations; revealing; technology; time
Mixed Methods Success
Thanks to Katie and Michael for their presentations at the café last week. Once again the meeting was a great success - many thanks to everyone who came along. Our next regular meeting will be on Wednesday 30th March and will be our first off campus meeting. Details of venue, time and theme to follow shortly.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Speakers for Mixed Methods Meeting
The speakers for the first Mixed Methods meeting are now confirmed.
Michael Arribas-Ayllonm will be discussing Poststructuralism and critique: Genealogy, governmentality and subjectivity.
Katie Jones will talk about her on-going research with children about their use of public spaces.
And Merryn Smith will discuss the methodological aspects of her work.
This is sure to be a fascinating meeting so do come along if you can make it. See you all on Wednesday 23rd at 5pm in the Glamorgan common room.
Michael Arribas-Ayllonm will be discussing Poststructuralism and critique: Genealogy, governmentality and subjectivity.
Katie Jones will talk about her on-going research with children about their use of public spaces.
And Merryn Smith will discuss the methodological aspects of her work.
This is sure to be a fascinating meeting so do come along if you can make it. See you all on Wednesday 23rd at 5pm in the Glamorgan common room.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Next Meeting - Mixed Methods
Hi Everyone
The next meeting of the Post Grad Cafe will be on Wednesday 23rd February at 5 pm in the Glamorgan building common room.
The theme for this meeting - Mixed Methods - will be the first of what we anticipate will be regular meetings concerning methods and methodology.
We currently have two speakers who have agreed to talk about methods/methodology in relation to their own projects (details to follow) and welcome any offers from a third presenter. As usual, speakers will talk for ten minutes each about their work, and this session will be followed by an open discussion about the broad issues raised by the presentations.
In other news, we are hoping to arrange for selected speakers from the SOCSI spring seminar series to speak with the Post Grad Café on Thursdays before they present to the school. Please see details of the series at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/news/seminars.html and email the team with suggestions/requests for speakers who you would like to invite to speak to the café. These meetings will be in addition to our regular meetings and will be important in raising the profile of the café, so please get in touch.
The next meeting of the Post Grad Cafe will be on Wednesday 23rd February at 5 pm in the Glamorgan building common room.
The theme for this meeting - Mixed Methods - will be the first of what we anticipate will be regular meetings concerning methods and methodology.
We currently have two speakers who have agreed to talk about methods/methodology in relation to their own projects (details to follow) and welcome any offers from a third presenter. As usual, speakers will talk for ten minutes each about their work, and this session will be followed by an open discussion about the broad issues raised by the presentations.
In other news, we are hoping to arrange for selected speakers from the SOCSI spring seminar series to speak with the Post Grad Café on Thursdays before they present to the school. Please see details of the series at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/news/seminars.html and email the team with suggestions/requests for speakers who you would like to invite to speak to the café. These meetings will be in addition to our regular meetings and will be important in raising the profile of the café, so please get in touch.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Beginnings/Endings - Meeting Report
Thanks to everyone who attended the Beginnings/Endings meeting yesterday and made it such a success. Special thanks to Andy and Wen-Chuan for their engaging presentations which led to great discussion.
There were several matters arising from the meeting:
1. Joanna Latimer, who attended the first part of the meeting as an invited guest, has offered to try and arrange for selected speakers from the SOCSI spring seminar series to speak with the Post Grad Café on Thursdays before they present to the school. Please see details of the series at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/news/seminars.html and email the team with suggestions/requests for speakers who you would like to invite to speak to the café. These meetings will be in addition to our regular meetings and will be important in raising the profile of the café, so please get in touch.
2. MSc students in SOCSI who express an interest in research and would like to get a taste of what the doctoral experience is like in the school will be invited to attend meetings that interest them.
3. Doctoral students from JOMEC (and possibly elsewhere) will be invited to be involved in the café in addition to those from SOCSI and CPLAN.
4. A provisional calendar of meetings will be drawn up and placed here for further reference.
5. We will have regular meetings, every three months or so, entitled ‘Mixed Methods’, where presentations will be given about the methods/methodology employed in people’s projects. The February meeting will be the first with the Mixed Methods theme. One presentation has already been offered and we would like to have another two, so please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested.
6. Several people discussed how we could use this site for continuing debates from café meetings and how we could have ‘virtual’ café meetings. The site can be used to do this in two ways. Firstly, people can email us any posts they would like placed on the blog. We welcome the use of this facility for introducing new topics, asking questions, making enquiries etc. Secondly, by clicking on ‘comments’ at the bottom of each post, comments can be left on any topic and a chain of dialogue can be formed. The use of these facilities will generate a sense of community by making the site polyvocal and allowing people who have difficulties in attending meetings to be part of the e-café. So get in touch remember to check the site regularly!
If anyone would like to continue discussing issues raised at the Beginnings/Endings meeting then please comment on this post…
Many thanks for your continuing support!
There were several matters arising from the meeting:
1. Joanna Latimer, who attended the first part of the meeting as an invited guest, has offered to try and arrange for selected speakers from the SOCSI spring seminar series to speak with the Post Grad Café on Thursdays before they present to the school. Please see details of the series at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/news/seminars.html and email the team with suggestions/requests for speakers who you would like to invite to speak to the café. These meetings will be in addition to our regular meetings and will be important in raising the profile of the café, so please get in touch.
2. MSc students in SOCSI who express an interest in research and would like to get a taste of what the doctoral experience is like in the school will be invited to attend meetings that interest them.
3. Doctoral students from JOMEC (and possibly elsewhere) will be invited to be involved in the café in addition to those from SOCSI and CPLAN.
4. A provisional calendar of meetings will be drawn up and placed here for further reference.
5. We will have regular meetings, every three months or so, entitled ‘Mixed Methods’, where presentations will be given about the methods/methodology employed in people’s projects. The February meeting will be the first with the Mixed Methods theme. One presentation has already been offered and we would like to have another two, so please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested.
6. Several people discussed how we could use this site for continuing debates from café meetings and how we could have ‘virtual’ café meetings. The site can be used to do this in two ways. Firstly, people can email us any posts they would like placed on the blog. We welcome the use of this facility for introducing new topics, asking questions, making enquiries etc. Secondly, by clicking on ‘comments’ at the bottom of each post, comments can be left on any topic and a chain of dialogue can be formed. The use of these facilities will generate a sense of community by making the site polyvocal and allowing people who have difficulties in attending meetings to be part of the e-café. So get in touch remember to check the site regularly!
If anyone would like to continue discussing issues raised at the Beginnings/Endings meeting then please comment on this post…
Many thanks for your continuing support!
Monday, January 24, 2005
New Venue Confirmed for Cafe Meetings
Hi Everyone
The new venue for cafe meetings has been confirmed. From 26th January onwards we will be meeting in the Glamorgan Building common room from 5pm-7pm.
I have been asked to let everyone know that the main entrance to the Glamorgan Building will be closed from approximately 5.15pm so please try to arrive a little before 5pm to avoid any problems.
See you there
David
Post Grad Cafe Team
The new venue for cafe meetings has been confirmed. From 26th January onwards we will be meeting in the Glamorgan Building common room from 5pm-7pm.
I have been asked to let everyone know that the main entrance to the Glamorgan Building will be closed from approximately 5.15pm so please try to arrive a little before 5pm to avoid any problems.
See you there
David
Post Grad Cafe Team
Friday, January 21, 2005
Next Meeting - Beginnings/Endings
Hi Everyone
The January meeting of the Post Grad Cafe will be next Wednesday 26th. The theme for the meeting will be Beginnings/Endings and we have 2 speakers confirmed at this point.
Wen-Chuan Lin will be sharing the highs and lows/gains or losses concerning data collection from fieldwork in Taiwan in a presentation titled: "My Way - Gaining Field Rapport"
Andy Aitchison will be exploring the post-war development of Bosnian policing in light of a debate on the role of the state in providing security, and recent shifts to 'multi-nodal' governance of security. His presentation is titled: "Out with the old, in with the old? Reconstruction, policing and the state in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina".
Further details to follow...
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
All the best
The Post Grad Team
The January meeting of the Post Grad Cafe will be next Wednesday 26th. The theme for the meeting will be Beginnings/Endings and we have 2 speakers confirmed at this point.
Wen-Chuan Lin will be sharing the highs and lows/gains or losses concerning data collection from fieldwork in Taiwan in a presentation titled: "My Way - Gaining Field Rapport"
Andy Aitchison will be exploring the post-war development of Bosnian policing in light of a debate on the role of the state in providing security, and recent shifts to 'multi-nodal' governance of security. His presentation is titled: "Out with the old, in with the old? Reconstruction, policing and the state in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina".
Further details to follow...
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
All the best
The Post Grad Team
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all from the Post Grad Cafe Team!
The passing of 2004 and the coming of the new year brings a mixture of beginnings and endings for many people for a variety of reasons, offering the chance to reflect on the processes of our lives, our identities, our relationships, and our research. Consequently, the theme of our next meeting on 26th January is 'Beginnings/Endings'. If you would like to present at this meeting then please contact us via email. We already have two provisional offers, so if you would like to be the third speaker please get in touch as soon as possible.
The team have many plans for the cafe during 2005 and we always welcome suggestions for activities, meeting themes, etc. Please feel free to comment on any of the posts on the site or contact us via email.
The passing of 2004 and the coming of the new year brings a mixture of beginnings and endings for many people for a variety of reasons, offering the chance to reflect on the processes of our lives, our identities, our relationships, and our research. Consequently, the theme of our next meeting on 26th January is 'Beginnings/Endings'. If you would like to present at this meeting then please contact us via email. We already have two provisional offers, so if you would like to be the third speaker please get in touch as soon as possible.
The team have many plans for the cafe during 2005 and we always welcome suggestions for activities, meeting themes, etc. Please feel free to comment on any of the posts on the site or contact us via email.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Graduate Research Presentations Day
Congratulations to all those who presented at the Graduate Research Presentations Day on Monday – Kirstrun, Charles, Lee, Jo, Glyn, Jean, and Cheryl. It was very inspiring to hear about the range and diversity of quality research undertaken by doctoral students in the school. It was especially fulfilling to hear from part-time students, who often find it particularly difficult to feel part of the academic community. We hope that as many part-time students as possible will be able to come to café meetings in the future and we will be making every effort to extend a full welcome to all.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Conspicuous Consumption
Hi Everyone
Thanks to all who made it to our inaugural meeting, it was a really encouraging turn out and I think we all agreed a great success.
Following three fascinating presentations from Rich, Ali, and Pam, we had an engaging group discussion about consumption, ethics, group identity, responsibility, citizenship and a range connected topics.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 26th January and the theme will
be 'Beginnings/Endings.' If you would like to speak to this theme, which can be interpreted in anyway you wish, then please let me know. Presentations are informal and you only need to talk for 10 minutes.
Please make a note in your diary and attend if you can. We are hoping to secure a guest speaker for the February meeting... Watch this space for details!
All the best
The Post Grad Café Team
David, Cat and Alex
Thanks to all who made it to our inaugural meeting, it was a really encouraging turn out and I think we all agreed a great success.
Following three fascinating presentations from Rich, Ali, and Pam, we had an engaging group discussion about consumption, ethics, group identity, responsibility, citizenship and a range connected topics.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 26th January and the theme will
be 'Beginnings/Endings.' If you would like to speak to this theme, which can be interpreted in anyway you wish, then please let me know. Presentations are informal and you only need to talk for 10 minutes.
Please make a note in your diary and attend if you can. We are hoping to secure a guest speaker for the February meeting... Watch this space for details!
All the best
The Post Grad Café Team
David, Cat and Alex
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