Seminar and Lecture Series

Tips for introducing speakers

Students introducing a speaker have two major responsibilities:

• Presenting a short "introduction" of the speaker at a journal club (usually a week or two before the seminar)

• Hosting the speaker's seminar

Introduction of the speaker

Each speaker in the IRTG will be introduced to the other doctoral candidates, usually a week before the talk.

Duration: ~30 minutes including questions/discussion

Format:

1. introduce the speaker's background and CV

2. introduce the theoretical concepts of the speaker’s work (theories; specific claims/models; a specific phenomenon, etc.)

3. introduce the general methods used by the speaker, and give a concrete example of how the methods work (explain the basics in detail)

4. present key findings from assigned readings* and guide through key figures and tables (explain how to “read” the figures)

5. provide the audience with 3-5 multiple choice knowledge-testing questions, and review answers

6. generate 3-4 questions to ask speaker after the talk

7. open group discussion

*Most speakers will provide 1-2 journal articles in advance of their talk to help orient students to their work. The articles are posted on the German IRTG seminar page under the "Materials" section, and should be available a few weeks in advance.

Hosting the seminar

On the day of the seminar, coordinate with the speaker and the tech person at your institute to set up and test all presentation equipment in advance of the talk. Once the webcast starts, give a short conference-style introduction of their speaker and their presentation (i.e., their name, academic institution, and the title of their talk).

After the talk, you can help facilitate question period by chairing questions from the audience, and reading out questions posted on Adobe. Make sure the speaker repeats questions from the audience so our colleagues online can hear them. You are expected to ask a couple of questions yourself, including some of the questions you came up with the previous week at the journal club. At the end of question period, close up the session by thanking the speaker on behalf of the group.

You may also be asked to arrange a "meet the speaker" event with students at your local university, either before or after the seminar. This is a great way to get expert feedback on your own research and network with scholars in your field. Talk to your local PIs for details.

Introduction/seminar locations

Usually, but not always, your introduction and the seminar will both take place at your home university (see the specific rooms listed above). Check the IRTG calendar above to confirm dates and locations.