Departmental Research Training

The purpose of PGR WiP is to develop your skills at presentation, answering questions about your research, and asking questions of your peers; therefore, it is considered a mandatory training activity. This benefits not only PGRs who plan to pursue an academic career, but all PGRs, as these are transferable skills.

In-person attendance at all PGR WiP seminars is the norm for all campus-based Philosophy PGRs. Attendance will be taken and reported to your supervisor(s), and any difficulties will be discussed at TAP meetings. Distance Learning PGRs may attend any time they are on campus. 

NB: The seminars are now hybrid, allowing DL PGRs and those who are unavoidably away from campus (or otherwise formally excused) to participate. Choosing to attend online is a decision that must be discussed with the convenor - please make sure to do that several days ahead of the session.

Rules for how PGR WiP is run are as follows:

1. PGRs are REQUIRED to attend this seminar during their normal period of enrolment (years 1-3 for full-time PGRs). PGRs should not attend if they are on Leave of Absence and it is optional during the continuation year. If a PGR cannot attend a particular seminar they should send apologies to the convenor, with an explanation. If a PGR cannot attend systematically, they should seek permission from the Board of Studies to have this requirement waived.

2. PGRs are REQUIRED to present at least once per year during their normal period of enrolment (years 1-3 for full-time PGRs). A PGR should not present if they are on Leave of Absence and it is optional during the continuation year. There are enough slots, so do sign up on the Google sheet (see below).

3. Sessions last for 90 minutes, broken into three 30-minute segments. The first segment is the PGR's presentation, which should be 30 minutes long. PGRs are not required to use PowerPoint or make handouts, but it is their responsibility to communicate with the audience effectively so that there can be a substantive discussion. PGRs should regard stimulating the discussion as one of their primary objectives, so a clear statement of thesis and arguments is essential.

4. The next 30-minute segment is a Q&A with fellow PGRs. Once the discussion has begun, PGRs in the audience should attract the Chair's attention if they wish to speak. We use the hand/finger convention: raising your hand means you have a new question, raising a finger means you have a point to add to the current discussion. Staff will be expected not to ask questions during this time. 

5. The final 30-minute segment is a private discussion of the PGR's presentation with their supervisor/s and the convenor. 

6. If you are presenting, you should notify your supervisor, TAP members and any other staff who you would like to attend well in advance.

At the start of the academic year, a PGR WiP sign-up sheet will be available on Google Drive, with details of dates, times, and locations of the seminars for the entire year. This is where you can sign up to make a presentation – be sure to discuss this with your supervisor first. If you have any questions about the sign-up sheet, contact the PG Researcher Administrator.

Philosophy pro-seminars meet a few times each semester to discuss a piece of reading that is "the sort of thing every Philosophy PhD researcher should know something about". Many of the readings will be outside your specialist area of research, but they will be readings you can benefit from in that they convey important ideas with wide applicability and are models of philosophical writing. Another important aspect of the seminars is that they will help you develop confidence in commenting on a piece of philosophical writing, in a relaxed and supportive setting.

All PGRs are advised to attend for one year of their enrollment (typically the first but possibly the second), and supervisors may ask that their students attend if they think it will be particularly helpful.

The seminars are hybrid, allowing both on-campus and DL PGRs to participate. They will be on your timetable, and the convenors will send a Zoom link. 

This year's co-convenors are Stephen Everson (Semesters 1 and 2), Greg Currie (Semester 1), and Owen Hulatt (Semester 2).

• Information about the department's research groups is in the handbook section, Departmental research opportunities.

• There is an annual Away Day training session for departmental GTAs.