Wednesday 2 November 2011

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

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!

Tuesday 1 November 2011

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:
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

Monday 31 October 2011

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