Thanks to Sophia and her friend Alex, we have a great flyer announcing all the Springboards sessions that we have scheduled for this term (minus Natasha’s, which has already happened).
Quick reminder, next Springboards is tomorrow, we hope to see you there!
Posted in springboards
Please note that we changed the time to avoid conflicts with grad classes!
This Thursday from 12-1:30, Andrew Patterson will be leading our next Springboards in room 139. He will be presenting his original research entitled, “Beyond Suicide: Durkheim’s Suicide Theory Applied to All-Cause Mortality”.
Springboards is a student-run seminar that provides us the opportunity to share works-in-progress in a supportive, collegial environment. We hope to see many of you there!
Posted in GSCS life, springboards
It is time to start advertising for our annual Graduate Student Conference! Featured below is the full call for papers, designed by the amazingly talented Janelle.
Beyond the norm: changing and challenging perspectives on social research
May 6-7, 2011
Department of Sociology, UBC
Keynote speaker:
Dr. Jennifer Jihye Chun, Assistant Professor, Sociology (UBC)
Faculty Fellow at the Liu Institute for Global Issues
Author of Organizing at the Margins: The Symbolic Politics of Labor in South Korea and the United States (Cornell University Press, 2009)
The GSCS seeks proposals for papers for its annual interdisciplinary graduate conference, at which graduate students can share empirical findings and theoretical insights on path-breaking, controversial, or under-theorized dimensions of social research. Papers, panels, posters or multi-media presentations are welcome. Either submit an individual proposal or propose a panel along with other students.
Please submit abstracts of up to 250 words to: UBC.GSCS@gmail.com
Deadline: March 4, 2011
Posted in grad conference
At this Thursday’s Springboards session, Natasia Wright will be presenting her original research, entitled “We Lynched a Guy: Violence and Discourse in Stanley Park”. Springboards is a student-run seminar that provides us the opportunity to share works-in-progress in a supportive, collegial environment.
Please join us from 11:00-12:30 in ANSO 139 for what promises to be a really exciting discussion!
Posted in GSCS life
I have just updated the website with the dates for our conference – it will be happening on May 6-7. We are working on the CFP, but it should be up pretty soon!
I have also updated our Upcoming events page with an upcoming defense for one of PhD candidate, Jay Fiddler. Check it out for the full title and abstract.
Posted in grad conference, GSCS life
Brief reminder: the first GSCS meeting of the year is this Thursday, January 20, from 11 to 12 (room 139). We’ll be discussing regular topics (grad conference, departmental meeting, upcoming Springboards sessions) but also the issue of our department’s representation at the GSS (Graduate Student Society). This is a pretty important aspect of improving communication within the department as well as how we get represented on the wider campus, so it would be great to see a lot of you there.
But mostly I wanted to post today to remind everyone that the AMS elections are happening this week (the AMS is your student union). You will be getting voting instructions via email in the next day or so, but mostly I want to ask you to consider voting in this election. Historically there has been a very low turn-out for AMS elections and it is unfortunate because this student council makes very important decision on our behalf, about where the university is going and what our student fees get spent on.
So I urge you to read candidates’ bios and visit their individual websites to get a sense of their platform; alternatively, The Ubyssey has a good guide to the elections, and there is a number of good blogs out there. (UBC Insiders and AMS Confidential are two examples; personally, I’m partial to the style of the Black Box Theatre.)
Posted in beyond ANSO (gasp), GSCS life
Tomorrow is our next, long-awaited (I’m sure) Springboards.
We will be focusing on finding a healthy work/life balance while going through grad school. So please come with questions and tips on what you do to survive the end of term, how you organize your time so your friends don’t forget you exist, or how you manage to do class readings, mark dozens of exams, and still get some sleep in-between!
Tomorrow is also the workshop for the mentoring program – mentors and mentees will have a chance to meet face-to-face, and we will discuss as a group what are the expectations of a mentor relationship.
Posted in GSCS life
One of the things that the GSCS does is stay in touch with undergrad students through the SSA, the undergraduate Sociology Student Association. We collaborate with them on a number of events throughout the year, including the undergrad journal and the upcoming grad school panel, where we share our knowledge and disenchantment with the process of applying to grad school! (Just kidding, it feels great to spend hours and hours writing applications.)
This year, under the leadership of Kerry Watts and Christina Ngyuen, we have decided to start a mentorship program for Honors students. All Honors students who are interested can be paired up with a graduate student, who can act as a resource throughout the year in addition to the undergrad student’s supervisor. The idea that the pair have similar research interests and/or career aspirations, so that the mentorship can be most helpful!
If you’re a graduate student and you’ve missed Kerry’s regular emails, feel free to contact her about taking part in the program. Matches are in the process of being made, and there will be a workshop on Thursday November 18th where we will discuss what it means to be (and to have) a mentor, and what the mentorship relationship should look like.
I’m excited about this new opportunity for undergrad and grad students alike – here is to hoping the program will be successful and long-lived!
Posted in don't forget our undergrads
For those who could not attend this weeks’s Springboards on Comprehensive Exams, Dr. David Tindall has kindly agreed to share the presentation he gave. It contains an overview of what comps look like and what you should be thinking about as you move forward with your own exams.
You can download the Powerpoint file here.
Comprehensive exams are the first real monsters to slay on the PhD quest, and too often it feels like we have to confront them on our own, armed with little but vague assumptions about what these exams are supposed to look like.
Well, fear not, Springboards is coming to the rescue! (Am I overdoing the extended metaphor yet?) Thursday’s Springboards will be a workshop on comps where you can ask all you’ve ever wanted to know about comps. It is aimed primarily at PhD students who are preparing their comps and 1st-year PhDs, but all are welcome, including senior PhD students who are willing to pass on a piece of advice or two to the newbies!
The workshop will be composed of a 20min talk + 10 mins Q&A from a faculty member, followed by 1 hour of conversation with senior PhD students who will be sharing their experience + tips about comps.
Posted in GSCS life
