The PGF is happy to announce that transcripts are now available for several episodes of PG Focus. The link for transcripts can be found at the bottom of the relevant podcast posts.

Here are another set of slides from our PGF Workshops at the 2011 BSA Conference.  These come to us from Phil Jones, a member of the Sociologists Outside Academia group who presented in our session on Negotiating Careers Outside of Academia.  Phil shared with us his experience working outside academia, and his suggestions about the kind of things you need to consider in non-academic career paths.  His presentation can be found at http://prezi.com/7xzzs7jfo1m_/bsa-annual-conference-pgf-presentation/. 

If you missed the PGF Workshops at the BSA 60th Anniversary Conference, you will be able to catch up on some of the discussions in upcoming blog posts and podcasts.  Here are slides from a discussion-based seminar on writing led by Allison Hui, Lancaster University.  If you're looking for references about writing process, style, and groups then take a look and feel free to share your favourite resources in the comments.

The presentations slides are available here:

The programme for our annual PG Day has been finalised and will soon be available on the conference website (http://www.britsoc.co.uk/events/conference). Here is a sneak peak of what you can expect.  If you would like to join us and haven't already registered, please contact the conference organisers at bsaconference@britsoc.org.uk.

Annual Conference PGF Day Programme 2011

1200-1230         Registration and Tea/Coffee

1230-1330         Session 1 (Alumni Theatre): Data dissemination in the 21st Century:

Meeting the challenge of wider public reporting

                        - Michelle Monkman and Dr. Steven Rogers, Office for National Statistics

Session 2 (Wolfson Theatre): ESRC support for researcher development: what’s in it for you?

- Professor Mike Wallace, ESRC Strategic Adviser for Researcher Development

1330-1345         Break
 
1345-1430         Creativity and Problem Solving (Wolfson Theatre)
                        Discussion-based seminar

- Ursula Edgington, Canterbury Christ Church University
 

1430-1515         Negotiating Careers: Part 1 – Academia (Wolfson Theatre)

                        - Dr. Keith Khan-Harris, Open University

                        - Professor John Holmwood, University of Nottingham

1515-1545         Break

1545-1700         Negotiating Careers: Part 2 – Outside Academia (Wolfson Theatre)

(in collaboration with the BSA Sociologists Outside Academia group ‘SOAg’)
- Phil Jones, Senior Research and Intelligence Officer, Lancashire County Council
- Ceridwen Roberts, AcSS, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford

                        - Nigel Goldie, CEO, Social Research Association
 
1700-1800         Session 1 (Wolfson Theatre): Writing

                        Discussion-based seminar

                        - Allison Hui, Lancaster University

                        Session 2 (Alumni Theatre): Knowing your rights

                        - Monika Krause, University of Kent

                        - Jane Thompson, UCU

In this podcast we talk to Nick Couldry, Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College, about his recent work on neoliberalism and the possibility of a post-neoliberal politics. The conversation encompasses his last book, After Voice, as well as the broader issues he engages with: how has neoliberalism embedded itself in contemporary society and how can a critical social science help provide the intellectual resources to mobilise resistance to it?

This episode was produced, edited and hosted by Mark Carrigan for the BSA PG Forum.

‘HOW RELEVANT IS SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY, IN PARTICULAR, CLASSICAL THEORY, TO CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGY?’

Date: Saturday March 19^th 2011.

Location: Hugh Fraser Seminar Room, Wolfson Medical Building, University Avenue, University of Glasgow G12 8QQ.

Introduction to Conference:

If physics students are not given a twelve week course on Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, why are students of the social sciences taught with such a strong emphasis on the ‘Founding Fathers’ of their discipline?

Have the social sciences grown beyond the theoretical framework set out by those such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim and Simmel, or do the principles set out by their paradigm forming works still have relevance to research conducted by academics in the present day?

This conference has been organised with the motive of addressing questions concerning the relevance of the classical social theory canon. From as to whether we can still learn anything from a Marxist analysis, to what makes a work worthy of acceptance into the ‘classical canon’, this conference will explore numerous perspectives, from both leading academics and students who are conducting research relevant to this topic, in hope of engaging with and suitably addressing the debate as to whether classical social theory is still relevant today.

Timetable for BSA Regional Postgraduate Day in Glasgow – Subject to change.

Conference content:

As a means of successfully exploring and addressing our decided topic we have enlisted high profile academics and current postgraduate students. In doing so we hope to not only explore the work and perspectives of those within our discipline with long standing track records, but will be looking to current postgraduate students as the academics of tomorrow to contribute fully and in a manner which would see the held in equal esteem to our more senior contributors.

Journal Publication:

We are currently considering the publication of a conference paper as part of a special edition in 'e-Sharp' owned by and run entirely by postgraduate students at the University of Glasgow.

Lunch and social event:

A buffet lunch and non alcoholic drinks will be provided to all as part of registration. All attendees will be invited to a social and networking event in the evening after the conference.

Costs:

BSA members - FREE

Non members - £25

Event limited to an audience of 30.

Anyone interested in attending should book online at - http://bsas.esithosting.co.uk/public/event/events.aspx

Contacts:

For more information please contact us by email at:

Janine Ballantyne – 1006489b@student.gla.ac.uk

Joshua Stapp – 1008587s@student.gla.ac.uk

Or if preferred, you can write to us at:

The School of Social and Political Sciences,

University of Glasgow,

Adam Smith Building,

40 Bute Gardens,

Glasgow

G12 8RT

Thanks:

With thanks to Professor Bridget Fowler (University of Glasgow), Dr Matthew Waites (University of Glasgow) and Dr Emmanuelle Tulle (Glasgow Caledonian University) for their input, ideas and assistance towards this event.

RESEARCHING INEQUALITY: A THEORY FOR EVERYTHING?

Friday 6 May 2011

Faculty of Health and Social Care, the Open University, Milton Keynes

Key Note Speakers

Professor Mary Maynard (University of York)    Dr Val Gillies (London Southbank University)

We are pleased to announce this one day conference on the theory and practice of researching inequality, sponsored by the British Sociological Association as part of a series of events for postgraduate students. This event will be of interest to postgraduate researchers working in the broad field of social inequality.

The conference intends to create a forum for exploring the current state of sociological theories and methodologies on inequality and to consider their application in research practices. As well as two keynote speakers, there will be an opportunity for postgraduate students to present their work and share their experiences of applying sociological theories of inequality in their empirical research.

The organisers invite postgraduate students to submit abstracts of a maximum of 300 words for 20 minute presentations that address the following themes and questions.

The state of sociological inquiry into inequality:

·         What are the current trends and future directions in sociological theories on inequality?

·         How can we theorise the intersection between different socio-economic inequalities?

·         Is it useful to theorise an overarching theory of ‘inequality’ or do we risk creating a ‘theory of everything’ that lacks specific and contextual relevance?  

Putting theory into research practice

·         How can theories of inequality be applied at each stage of the research process? (i.e. research design, fieldwork practices, data analysis, dissemention of findings)

·         How can methodological developments provide innovative ways for better researching and understanding inequality?

·         How can sociological theories help researchers address the issues of power and ethics arising from researching social groups affected by inequalities?

The organisers intend for this to be an interdisciplinary conference and would like to hear from postgraduate researchers working on various aspects of inequality (for example disability, gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity, income, health and social care provision, etc.) and from those using qualitative and/ or quantitative paradigms.

Deadline for submission of abstracts is Monday 28th February 2011.  

Abstracts should be submitted to Ester Mcgeeney (e.m.mcgeeney@open.ac.uk) and general enquiries addressed to Godfred Boahen (g.f.boahen@open.ac.uk). Successful abstract authors will be informed by Monday 7 March 2011. Event organisers will meet the transportation cost of all students presenting at the conference.

This event will be free to attend for all BSA members, non-BSA members will be charged £10. We will send out a separate call for attendees in the near future.

In this tenth edition of the main PG Focus podcast series we are very pleased to welcome Allison Hui, who will be giving a talk on the value and practicalities of Writing Groups for PhD students. 

In this episode, Allison reflects on her own experiences of forming and participating in a writing group - and gives advice on the strategies and areas of focus for those looking to form their own groups.

Allison Hui is a PhD student at Lancaster University and co-convenor of the BSA PG Forum.

This episode was edited and hosted by Mike Bracher for the BSA PG Forum.

Two great books that talk about writing PhDs by Rowena Murray and Patrick Dunleavy can be previewed here:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=H2htzdy-z_wC&lpg=PP1&dq=rowena%20murray%20how%20to%20write%20a%20thesis&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q4jbv2ZVHVMC&lpg=PP1&dq=patrick%20dunleavy%20authoring%20a%20phd&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

If you are looking for advice about writing and writing groups, check out these sites:

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice

http://chris.golde.org/filecabinet/writegroups.html

More advice about writing groups is also available in the 6th issue of The Sociologist Newsletter available at:

http://issuu.com/sociologist/docs/the_sociologist_newsletter