Course unit details:
PhD Seminar
| Unit code | POLI70092 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 0 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
1. Introduction to the course
2. Time management (compulsory for first year PhD students)
3. Research methods and managing the initial stages of the research process (compulsory for first year PhD students)
4. CV building (compulsory for second year PhD students)
5. Writing and completing your thesis (compulsory for second year PhD students)
6. The PhD viva (compulsory for third year PhD students)
7. Career options after completing the PhD ((compulsory for third year PhD students)
Concluding session
Aims
The specific aims of the course are as follows:
- To contribute to the development and timely completion of PhD projects by addressing the needs of students at each stage of their research and offering constructive advice from peers and members of academic staff
- To integrate an ongoing consideration of future career strategies and informed career advice into the overall training of PhD students.
Learning outcomes
- To develop and enhance students' time management skills and the research skills appropriate to the student's field of research
- To identify an effective strategy for writing up the thesis
- To identify the necessary elements in a CV relevant to a variety of post-doctoral career options and a strategy for achieving these, including publication and conference presentations
- To understand what is expected in the oral defence of a PhD thesis
- To have a high level of awareness of the main issues involved in planning an academic or other appropriate career and to have received substantial advice on this matter from established academic staff.
Teaching and learning methods
Presentations and discussion
Assessment methods
The course is not formally assessed through the award of grades, but constitutes a compulsory part of the training requirements for each PhD student registered in Politics.
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Miriam Ronzoni | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Information
The PhD seminar is designed for all Politics PhD students in the first, second, third and years of registration, and constitutes a compulsory second semester course (with exceptions for those on fieldwork or other research related activities). There are four compulsory sessions for PhD students: an introductory and concluding session and two intervening sessions appropriate for the stage reached in the doctoral process. Students may attend the other sessions of the course if they wish to. The course forms a core aspect of personal development planning and support for all students for the duration of their doctoral studies It provides a forum for the identification and development of skills necessary for the successful completion of the PhD, for reflecting on the process of conducting doctoral research and writing it up, and for identifying how to achieve the necessary components of a CV appropriate to subsequent career aspirations. The course is designed to address the needs of students at different stages in the development of their doctoral research and to supplement each student's extensive individual contact with their supervisors with interaction with their peers and other members of academic staff in Politics.
URL
http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/politics/postgraduate/modules/gv9092/