At Cardiff we are organizing a  Joint Doctoral Training Workshop of the Wales DTC, July 2-4, 2014. This three-day event is hosted by Cardiff University and brings together two distinct but complementary Wales DTC pathways: Conflict, Security and Justice (day one) and Language-Based Area Studies (day three). The second day is mainly devoted to core inter-disciplinary issues that are of relevant to postgraduate students in both pathways. This innovative workshop is open to all postgraduate research students in Wales and (at a nominal charge of £25) to all ESRC-funded students throughout the UK.

The workshop will include over 20 speakers from staff and students at Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Swansea Universities. Keynote lectures will be given by Professor Jef Huysmans (OpenUniversity) on ‘Methodological Acts’ and Professor Alistair Cole (Cardiff University) on ‘The Past, Present and Future of Language Based Area Studies’. Speakers and workshop leaders include David Boucher, David Bewley-Taylor, Rob Bideleux, Berit Bliesemann de Guevara, Jonathon Bradbury, Christian Bueger, Gerard Clarke, Gordon Cumming, Andrew Dowling, Mark Evans, Paul Furlong, Inanna Hamati-Ataya, Nick Parsons, Roger Scully, Ian Stafford, Peter Sutch, Elisa Wynn-Hughes, and Matthew Wall.

Why Join Us?

We aim to explore different methodologies, methods and skills. We look at how they can be employed and developed in PhD projects and how they can assist in advancing a career in academia or beyond. By mixing several innovative formats, including keynote lectures, methodology workshops, a methods café, and a conference format, this event provides the opportunity to learn new skills, improve existing ones and reflect on how to ‘survive’ academia. Methodologies and methods discusses include reflexive methodology, comparative methodology, political philosophical analysis, participant observation, interviewing, discourse analysis, and large-n analysis. Professional skills sessions will focus on publishing, career choices, and grant funding.

We look forward to welcoming you in Cardiff. Please register by email to Joanne Wright at europ-events@cardiff.ac.uk. Further information is also available at http://events.cardiff.ac.uk/view/political-methodologies-in-practice/