Training

The existing PhD program entails the following activities:

a) Doctoral seminars (monthly) which focus on the exchange of research progress, lectures, and discussion on theory and methodology, as well as discussion of foundational texts, interdisciplinary approaches, and different disciplinary perspectives related to Europeanization and Area Studies.

b) Co-teaching lectures or co-leading seminars related to the research project of each PhD student, together with their mentor or other faculty member within the framework of that faculty member's courses.

c) Regular semester retreats (three days, end of each semester). These serve for presenting and discussing progress in the thesis research and writing and critical feedback from peers and faculty members. Semester retreats gather PhD researchers, Faculty Members, and visiting fellows at the CSEES.

d) Brownbag seminars (weekly). These platforms connect PhD students with other researchers, both young and established, as in these seminars and lectures PhD researchers from the University of Graz and renowned scholars from abroad present their current research as a “work-in-progress.”

e) Annual international academic conferences and workshops. The topics of the conference, as well as of the workshops, are explored by the research staff of the Center in consultation with PhD students.

f) PhD students also spend at least one semester doing field research, depending on the methodology.

Besides these activities, PhD researchers are encouraged to attend two international conferences outside of Graz during their doctoral education. To complete the current doctoral program, PhD students need to successfully participate for at least four semesters. In total, PhD students need to acquire ECTS in accordance with their respective disciplinary doctoral studies. The underlying training program also has additional education opportunities for a) academic writing, b) teaching methods, c) academic community I: gender, diversity and inclusion, d) academic community II: rules, strategies and ethics, e) career management, and f) project management in social sciences. Courses and workshops are offered by the Doctoral Academy and the Centre for Methodological Skills. PhD researchers have an opportunity to take language courses relevant to their research, offered by the university. The main goal of the additional training program is to provide skills that will improve the PhD student’s capabilities in fields important for academic careers, but also for other types of employment. The current education and training program will include further internationalization based on cooperation agreements with partner universities and academics.

Additional training and skills development will be provided in cooperation with the relevant university centers. These include training and support in the field of policy-oriented research and writing in cooperation with the BiEPAG initiative, as well as support through the Doctoral Academy of the University Graz, the DocService (for presentation skills), and the Centre for Methodology.