ERI Building Access Over Xmas

Please note that it has been agreed to leave the ERI Building open on swipe access only from 3pm Thursday 22^nd December to 8am Wednesday 4^th January.  Staff and students who wish to use the building can do so, but will need to use their swipe cards.

Please note that users in the building on Thursday 22^nd December will need their swipe card to leave the building after 3pm.

We also request that you contact Security Services on arrival and on departure so they are aware and can tailor patrols accordingly.  Security can be contacted on ext 43000.

If you have not yet registered your Student ID card for swipe access to the ERI building, please submit the attached form to the College of Arts and Law Graduate School generic e-mail address: calgraduateschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk  by midday on Wednesday 21^st December (at the latest).

Viva Prep courses available

Do you want to prepare for your Viva?  Why not attend our free Viva Prep course on December 16th?

 

Outcomes

 

By the end of this session participants will:Have a clear idea what structure the Viva normally hasUnderstand what examiners will be looking for from the Viva Understand what they need to do in preparation for their Viva Have a better idea of how to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in a Viva

 

For how to book and other course dates please go to http://www.graduateschool.bham.ac.uk/training/viva.shtml

 

Café PhD

Are you interested in PhD study at the University of Birmingham?
Would you like to find out more about being postgraduate researcher in your College?
Do you want to meet and socialise with postgraduates across your College?

If so, then Café PhD is for you. Café PhD is a social, a research forum and a discussion session rolled in to one.
Ultimately, Café PhD is an informal social event designed to showcase and discuss exciting PhD research being done at Birmingham, as well as offering the chance to find out what postgraduate research is all about.
The first Cafe PhD event for the College of Arts and Law is scheduled as follows:

College of Arts and Law Café PhD
from 6pm, Thursday 1st December
Beorma Bar
Guild of Students

 

Research/ Discussion theme: ‘Secrets, Lies and Controversies’

Speakers:

Sarah Parker (English)

Rachel Slater (Law)

Carly Hegenbarth (History of Art)


Come along and get a chance to:

•        Hear three current PhD candidates introduce key issues from their research

•        Discuss and debate these issues in a relaxed and social atmosphere

•        Find out about postgraduate funding opportunities in the College

•        Ask questions about all aspects of the PhD experience

•        Enjoy free drinks


If you would like to learn more about Café PhD, or if you are a current doctoral researcher interested in paid speaker opportunities to present at a Café Event, email Holly Prescott: h.prescott@bham.ac.uk


Café PhD is run in association with the University’s Postgraduate and Mature Students’ Association.

Workshop on Error Correction and Proofreading

Wednesday 23rd November 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm

Do you have a written assignment due for submission soon?  Are you unsure as to the level of accuracy in your writing?  If so, then this interactive workshop may be for you!  The practise exercises are suitable to non-native users of English studying any discipline. 

There are only 15 spaces available for this free workshop.  Fuller details of this workshop and who you need to contact to book your place is available in WebCT in this weeks PG Student Newsletter folder.

Researcher skills talk tomorrow, followed by free food and networking

Have you ever been involved in a committee, society or any other voluntary role or do you plan to?

 

Find out how this helps with career development for a postgraduate researcher.

 

Tomorrow 2pm to 4pm. Free event.  Free food. Meet other researchers.  Volunteering opportunities.

 

Volunteering develops a variety of all important transferable skills and is an excellent opportunity for public engagement - something that should be on every researcher's mind!  Tomorrow at 2pm there will be a lecture on this topic given by Dr Mehdi Barghchi followed by free refreshments and cake and networking with people who can direct you to unique volunteering opportunities around the University. 

 

Book your free place now http://ugslecture2011.eventbrite.com/

"Milton’s Engagement with Islam”- Monday November 21st

Hi all,

 

just a reminder that the postgraduate meeting on Monday 21st November 2011 will instead be attending Islam Issa’s talk:

 

"Milton’s Engagement with Islam”  at 3pm in room103 in the Arts Building

 

Many Thanks

Invitation from the Postgraduate and Mature Students' Association

Dear Postgraduates,

The Postgraduate & Mature Students Association (PGMSA) is holding their Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday 16th November at 6pm in Nuffield G22. We would like to invite all Postgraduate and Mature students to come along, find out a bit more about the association, and potentially run for a position.

There are several positions up for election:

*Chair*
*Treasurer*
*Secretary*
*Postgraduate Taught Officer*
*Postgraduate Research Officer*
*Mature Students Officer*
*Welfare & Housing Officer*
*Promotions/social secretary*

You can find about these positions on the Facebook group (below) or by emailing e.halford@guild.bham.ac.uk.

In addition to the AGM, we meet every week at the same time (Wednesday 6pm) in Nuffield G22, and this is followed by a social in Staff House from 7pm. This is a great opportunity to meet other like-minded people and to discuss issues related to Postgraduate and Mature students. We are currently planning lots great events, including a speed dating event.

The mailing list is: http://groups.google.com/group/pgmsa-unibrum
Information about the Association can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/182846935120763/
The social group can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/260669477298792/

Thank you,
Emily Halford (Postgraduate and Mature Students' Officer)

Do You Want to be on University Challenge?

On Wednesday 16th November, between 6 and 7pm, auditions will be held for this year’s University of Birmingham 'University Challenge' team.

University Challenge is a BBC TWO academic quiz show where teams of students from UK universities answer questions on all manner of subjects.

If you would like to try out for the team or have any questions about the audition process, please email studentvoice@guild.bham.ac.uk.

Public Lecture: 'When the Muse Looks Back: The Gendered Gaze in Portraits of Woman'- Sarah Parker

30 November 2011

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Lecture Theatre, 1.10pm

Public Lecture:

'When the Muse Looks Back: The Gendered Gaze in

Portraits of Women'

Sarah Parker, PhD student, University of Birmingham (English Department

Changes in November Schedule for Autumn English Literature Research Seminars

Please note there has been a change in November's schedule for Autumn's Literature Research Seminar presentations.

Changes for the seminars taking place at 3pm in Room 103 every Monday are:

Week 7- 7th November Research as Culture and Communication

Week 8-  14th November, Richard House "This is not my Home" 

Week 9- 21st November, Islam Issha "Milton's Engagement With islam"

New Workshop for Part Time Researchers

Are you a part time researcher?  We have a new workshop to support your specific needs

 

The day will consist of activities focussing on how to approach your research as a part-time researcher including:

• The Ethos and Process of Part-time Research 
• Structuring your Thesis
• Time Management
• Skills workshops and objective sessions    

as well as a lot of other useful information.

We still have spaces on December 9th.  Book before it reaches capacity!

To find out more information or to book please go to and follow the instructions on this web page http://www.graduateschool.bham.ac.uk/news/parttimeresearcher.shtml

University Graduate School Lecture Series: Dr Mehdi Barghchi on Volunteering

The University Graduate School lecture series introduces expert and passionate speakers from inside and outside academia to inform and inspire. Our lecture for this term is given by Dr Mehdi Barghchi, an academic and a scientist.  Mehdi has worked in several developed and developing countries and is currently coordinating and developing the postgraduate training at the University of Leicester.

Doctoral and postgraduate studies require a wide range of skills and access to a variety of resources within the academic environment and the community at large.  While higher education institutions provide valuable and essential resources and facilities for research, knowledge of and access to grass-root outreach programmes may provide further helpful experience and opportunities in certain cases.

Mehdi will talk on volunteering as a way of public engagement and making a contribution to the society.   He will discuss the value of developing transferable and soft skills during the academic training. Mehdi will also refer to some examples of his outreach voluntary projects and activities covering areas such as: access to education, health, homelessness, asylum, and natural disaster crisis.

The lecture will be followed by refreshments and networking, allowing you to ask questions of our speaker in a more informal environment as well as make connections with postgraduate researchers from across the university

Date: 23rd November 2011
Time: 2pm to 4pm
Location: University Edgbaston Campus (the building and room will be specified when you have booked your ticket)

To book your free place please go to

http://ugslecture2011.eventbrite.com/

Post Graduate Researcher opportunities in heritage and cultural assets at UoB

Are you looking to go into a career in heritage or museums?  Or are you looking to develop skills in communication, project management and time management?  We are offering 15 places to postgraduate researchers to gain experience in this area at the University of Birmingham. Read more  Deadline November 20th!

Support for postgraduate researchers in the University Library

Library Services welcome all postgraduate graduate researchers who have joined the University and looks forward to providing you with help and support in your time here. Supporting your research is part of the Library Services web site and provides links to all the Library resources and services you need for your research in one handy listing at:http://www.library.bham.ac.uk/support/research/

Everyone wants access to online journals, so the eLibrary link is the first one on the page, along with the link to the Library Catalogue. For older material and archives there is a link to the Card Catalogue Online and to the Archive Catalogue created by Special Collections. You can also trace recent research articles, working papers and theses produced at Birmingham in UBIRA, the University’s institutional repository.

If you want any help using all this material there are contact details for the Library specialist in your subject.  Keeping track of all the books and articles you have found using Library resources can be a problem, so find out about reference management software such as EndNote and Reference Manager and download the guide Preparing & Quoting References using the Harvard System.  Training courses for IT and research skills are also included and range from advanced Word (useful for creating large documents like theses) to using Excel for data analysis.

When all your hard work is over and your thesis is completed the section on “thesis and dissertation presentation” has everything you need to do just that, including all the necessary forms to download in order to present your thesis in the required electronic format. 

For those of you who do your research part time, or do not come on to campus often, there are also details of all the services available to you, including postal loans and photocopies and how to gain access to other research libraries.

If you have not already done so, please take a look at this useful webpage, and bookmark it for future reference.

Training Courses Available in the Coming Months

The University Graduate School is running the following courses in November and December:

Speed Reading
Time Management
Viva Preparation
Introduction to Presentation Skills
Part Time Researcher Workshop

Are you interested in any of the above courses?  If so click on the links for more information and book your free place.

Please feel free to take a look at the other training courses and dates the University Graduate School has to offer, at http://www.graduateschool.bham.ac.uk/training/coursebrowse.shtml

EARLY MODERN LITERATURE, CULTURE & SOCIETY - Seminar Programme 2011-2012

Seminar Programme 2011-12
Semester 1

Wed 16 November (Week 8) Michelle O’Callaghan (Reading): ‘Collections and Coteries: Reading Verse Miscellanies’
Wed 30 November (Week 10) Jill Francis (Birmingham): ‘Gardening networks and exchanges: the notebooks and correspondences of Sir Thomas Hanmer of Bettisfield’

All take place in Room 103, Arts Building, 4.15 pm, except for the CREMS annual lecture, which will take place in Lecture Room 5, Arts Building at 5.15 pm.

Contacts: Dr Elaine Fulton e.k.fulton@bham.ac.uk  or Dr Hugh Adlington h.c.adlington@bham.ac.uk 

Scholarships - Funding - Awards

College of Arts & Law Graduate School PG Research Support Fund & PGR Development Fund

Do you need funding to help support your research?  Are you planning on attending a conference and need financial assistance?  Do you have a great idea for developing additional research skills, but need some additional resource?  We can help.  The College of Arts and Law PGR development fund and the College of Arts and Law Conference and Research Fund support PG activities like running or attending a conference, travelling to a distant archive for your research, developing a research net work, and much more. For details on deadlines and how to apply to these funds see below:

PGR Development Fund

Applications are invited for funding to support skills training events/projects under the PGR Development Fund. Please note that funding must demonstrably benefit Postgraduate Research Students (MPhil or PhD). Due to Research Council Constraints, the scheme can only support training for Postgraduate Taught Students (e.g. MA/MSc) if PGR students also benefit.
Applications are due by Monday 24^th October 2011 

If you would like an application form/guidance notes please go to the funding folder in WebCT or email calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Please send queries to the CAL Graduate School: calpg-research@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Postgraduate Research Support Fund
Applications are invited for funding to support conference and research costs under the PG Research Support Fund.
Applications are due by Monday 28^th November 2011 
If you would like an application form/guidance notes please go to the 'funding' folder in WebCT or email artsandlawgraduateschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Please send queries to the CAL Graduate School: artsandlawgraduateschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk
                                                                                             
All  scholarships, awards or funding opportunities advertised in this newsletter are housed in an archive in WebCT (PG Student Newsletter/Scholarships - Funding - Awards).

Healthy Living Research Poster Conference for PhD students

Healthy Living Research Poster Conference for PhD students.

 

We would like to offer twenty PhD students a place to present their research in poster form to international post-doctoral delegates at the Universitas 21 Early Career Researchers Workshop.

Are you eligible?

To do this your research must be related to the theme 'Healthy Living' in it's broadest sense – feel free to look at the event web page which has further details.  If your research relates to this in anyway you are welcome to apply and must present your Poster at the event.

Why apply?

 The delegate list will consist of researchers from across the globe providing an incredible networking opportunity with people working in internationally highly regarded universities within your field.  It is also an excellent skills development opportunity in:

- communication skills;
- presentation skills;
- time management;
- project management and
- international networking skills.

 You will also be provided with a jointly awarded Certificate of Attendance by Universitas 21 and University of Birmingham.

 

How to apply

To apply you will need to submit an abstract of your research between 100 to 150 words and it must relate to the theme 'Healthy Living' by October 26th at 5pm to k.loynes@bham.ac.uk You must also include your name, year of study, school, college and title of your poster.

You will then be told if you have been accepted or not by October 28th.  If you have been accepted you will need to create an A1 sized poster (landscape or portrait) of your research and submit this by email to k.loynes@bham.ac.uk  by November 20th. We will organise the poster printing and its costs.

The poster conference will then take place on December 15th from 4:15pm to 6:30pm on the University of Birmingham Campus where international delegates of a post-doctoral level will approach you and you will present your research with your poster and answer questions.

Refreshments and nibbles will be provided

Postgraduate Forum Meeting: Monday October 24th

Hi all,

hope you are settling into the new term!!

This week's postgraduate forum meeting will be taking place on Monday October 24th at Staff House on campus at 3pm. Feel free to come along and bring up anything you would like to discuss whether it be TNA training, conference news, webct, study skills, or aspects of your research.

Thanks

UoB English Postgraduate Forum

Hi all,

welcome to the UoB English postgraduate forum group!!

The premise of the forum is to create a supportive, informal online and on campus community for English Literature, Language, Creative Writing, and Shakespeare postgraduates at the University of Birmingham.  The forum will be a place where discussions can be held and news and ideas circulated relating to any part of English postgraduate study. 
  

As this is a relatively new group any ideas or suggestions to help facilitate the running of the group would be most welcome.


To join you have to be a registered English postgraduate student or academic staff member at the University of Birmingham.  From then on simply create a google email account and subscribe; then you're ready to blog away.

News

Research Seminars & Conferences

                                                                                                                             

Department of English - Literature Seminars

Mondays 3pm - Room 103

Autumn Term- 2011 

Week 7  (7^th November) -Dr. Richard House, Title, “This is not Your Home”

Week  8  (14^th November) - Islam Issa (Postgraduate)  Title: Milton’s Engagement with Islam.

Week 10 (28^th November)- Professor Wendy Scase, Title: ‘The “Data deluge” and the Megamanuscript: Implications of the Vernon Manuscript Project.’

English Language PG seminars

Fridays, Arts Building, Constance Naden Room (Room 103)

Every Friday we run English language seminars between 13:30 and 15:30. These generally consist of a presentation by a member of staff on their current research followed by a presentation by a student or CARE visitor. We welcome Postgrads and CARE visitors who have an interest in English language, Applied Linguistics and related areas. If you would like to be on the mailing list which gives announcements of topics and schedules, please contact Manal Makoshi (MAA989@bham.ac.uk) or Benet Vincent (BDV700@bham.ac.uk).