Vrije Universiteit Brussel

On friday the 17th of December, the R&D department of the VUB organizes its yearly info session on the FWO Flanders PhD Fellowships. Guest speaker at this event is dr. Stijn Verleyen of the FWO.

The FWO aims to provide young and promising researchers with every opportunity to do a PhD in the best possible circumstances. The PhD fellowships represent the most important funding channel for achieving this objective.

These fellowships are intended for young researchers who are doing their PhD. The PhD research must be fundamental in nature. There is no restriction as regards the topic. The FWO employs a strictly bottom-up approach, in which the researcher can choose the topic of his/her research.

The final submission date is 1 February at 17.00h. If this day is a Saturday or a Sunday, the closing date is moved to the following Monday at 17.00h. In order to ensure that all candidates get an equal chance, no bibliographical additions will be accepted after this date.

More information on the application procedure can be found here.

Registration for the info session can be done here.

This course, taught by Prof. Dr. Alain-Laurent Verbeke (holder of the Francqui Leerstoel 2010-2011), offers an introduction into the theory and practise of negotiation. Built around three tensions of negotiation (three classes of 8 hours), it brings a balanced mix between theoretical discussions and practical exercises. We use case simulations, videos, actual negotiations by students, individual feedback, collective review discussions. There will be three sessions: April 30th, May 14th and May 28th, 2011. More information can be found here.

After the December 2010 harvesting moment, the DSh has again approved three applications, all three are master classes. First there is the master class with Alain Drouard, Histoire des cuisiniers et de la cuisine en France on the 7th of February 2011. Secondly, the master class with Ben Baarda, Design and implementation of codebooks for qualitative and quantitative content analysis which will take place on March 9th, 2011. The date of the third master class on Narrative studies in social sciences and humanities, with Maria Tamboukou, Corinne Squire and Molly Andrews still has to be determined.

Het jaarverslag van de DSh voor haar tweede werkingsjaar kan hier gedownload worden. Deze tekst is enkel in het Nederlands beschikbaar.

To read the speech, click here

After the October 2010 harvesting moment, the DSh has approved three applications. These applications concerned the organisation of a content seminar on network analysis The Belgian network Research Event and the content seminar Food: Convergence and Divergence in Europe since 1800. Cuisine of Elites, Bourgeois and Middle Classes.

The Master Class application concerned the organisation of these two Master Classes: Creating a dynamic public sphere? Media policy challenges in a context of convergence and multilevel governance and The politics of popular culture.

An overview of approved applications can be found here.

The Doctoral School of the VUB and of the UGent will jointly organize the 3rd Doctoral Conference on September 22nd and 23rd 2010. Central theme of the conference is 'From PhD to job market', the focus lies on international carreer opportunities, job interview training, intercultural communication and technology entrepreneurship. Click here for more information and registration

The deadline of the master class Gender, culture, and space is extended to 10 April 2010. Interested PhD students should send their CV and 300-400 word abstracts to mabbas@vub.ac.be before this new deadline.

The programma of the Sixth Day of the PhD Student LK is available here.

The seminar Beyond narrative: The shape of traumatic testimony will not take place on 26 February 2010, because of the Eurostar problems. The new date is 10 May 2010. The seminar The Goods and the Bads of using Qualitative Software will also be postponed, because of the sickness of the lecturer. The new date is 17 March 2010.

The Chair the Netherlands in the world is a 4-lecture series on the Dutch republic. During these lectures, the intellectual context of that period will be discussed, together with its reception and interpretation today. The series starts on 18 March 2010. Secondly, the seminar Machiavelli today will take place on 22 April 2010.

Masoud Yazdani held an appreciated presentation at the Meeting the publishers workshop (DSh33). Click here to listen to his presentation. His slides can also be downloaded here: part 1 and part 2.

After the first harvesting moment on February 1, the DSh has approved two travel grant applications. Moreover, one presentation day application has also been approved. The Sixth Day of the PhD Student LK will take place on 23 April 2010.
An overview of all approved applications can be found here.

The DSh content Seminar on Gender, culture, and space calls for participants. Click here for the call for contributions. Interested PhD students should send their CV and 300-400 word abstracts to mabbas@vub.ac.be before 20 February 2010.

The DSh organised a "Meeting the editors" workshop on 13 January, 2010. In this workshop, a selected panel of editors of academic journals active in the different fields of the social sciences and humanities talked about the main aspects publishing in academic journals.
Please click here for an overview of the do's and don'ts of publishing, that where discussed during this workshop. Special thanks to Joke Beyl for making this report.

Download the folder of the DSh Winter and Spring 2010 Activities here.

If you are a VUB PhD Student, and want to apply for financial resources to organize a master class, a PhD presentation day, or a content seminar, you can do this any time of the year. From 2010 onwards, the DSh will use a harvesting system (similar to the ESF). This implies that proposals can always be submitted, but that they will be grouped in order to be evaluated at specific moments in time. These harvesting moments are: 1 February, 1 April, 1 June, 1 October and 1 December. You can find more information here.

Wim Van den Broeck will be teaching four seminars on advanced quantitative methods: Advanced techniques in ANOVA: part 1 (DSh35), Advanced techniques in ANOVA: part 2 (DSh36), Advanced techniques in Regression Analysis: part 1 (DSh37) and Advanced techniques in Regression Analysis: part 2 (DSh38). Moreover, on 10 March, the second edition of Writing an abstract (DSh41) will take place, and on 26 May, Anne Winter will do a workshop on Historical analysis for non-historians (DSh40). On 11 February 2010, the reading seminar series Theories of (immigrant) integration and the public management of cultural diversity (DSh39) will start.

Two more 2009 seminars will be organised again in 2010. Social and Behavioral Research on the Internet II (DSh31) offers an overview of possibilities and limitations of online research (surveys as well as experiments), and will take place on 25 March 2010. The seminar From theory to data analysis II (DSh32) will take place on 2 April 2010.

The Doctoral School for the Human Sciences is also organising a "Meeting the Publishers" workshop on 20 January, 2010. In this workshop, a selected panel of academic publishers active in the different fields of the social sciences and humanities will talk about the main aspect of getting a book published and the latest trends and main evolutions taking place in the world of academic publishing. Participants are: Mila Steele (SAGE), Masoud Yazdani (Intellect), Gert De Nutte (VUBpress), Erik van Aert (Amsterdam University Press) and JP Van Bendegem (VUB - moderator). More information can be found here.

The Doctoral School for the Human Sciences is organising a "Meeting the editors" workshop on 13 January, 2010. In this workshop, a selected panel of editors of academic journals active in the different fields of the social sciences and humanities will talk about the main aspects publishing in academic journals and the latest trends and main evolutions taking place in the world of academic journals. Participants are: JP Van Bendegem ("Logique et Analyse"), Chris Smith ("Journal of Visual Art Practice"), Margaret Harris ("British Journal of Developmental Psychology"), Lars Magnusson and Jan Ottosson ("Economic and Industrial Democracy"). Moderator will be Nico Carpentier. More information can be found here.

The DSh seminar Selecting publication sources has postponed due to the illness of the lecturer. The new date is 10 December 2009, from 14 to 16h. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The date for the Master Class Doing ethnographic research in social institutions has been set. This master class will take place on April 29, 2010.
A number DSh workshops that have been organised in 2009, will be organised again in 2010. The Seminar: How applied statistics can work against you - the pitfalls II is scheduled for 1 February 2010; the Seminar: Introduction to discourse analysis II will take place on April, 21, 2010; the Seminar: Using Expert Interviews II is on May 6, 2010 and the Seminar: Research design in the human sciences II is on November 2, 2010.
One new DSh seminar, The Goods and the Bads of using Qualitative Software (How Nvivo 8 can help you with your research) will also be organised (on 25 February 2010). More information about the DSh seminars can be found here.

Selecting publication sources (DSh20) postponed The workshop on Selecting publication sources will be postponed with one week because of the illness of the lecturer. The new date is 10 December from 14h to 16h.

On 15 December 2009, (inter)national speakers will present their papers on the philosophy of Descartes and his contemporaries. Several researchers of the 'Centre for the Study of the Enlightenment' will participate, and there will be plenty of time for discussion. More information can be found here.

As an academic publisher VUBPRESS offers PhD students the possibility to publish their doctoral thesis. Information about the service they offer is included in their new folder, which can be downloaded here.

The Content Seminar on Gender, culture, and space (DSh22) will take place on 25 May 2010. More information can be found here.

On 28 January 2010 Prof. Dr. Godfried Engbersen will give an interdisciplinary master class and public lecture at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Godfried Engbersen is Professor of Sociology at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and has published widely on various issues relating to migration and integration, and endorses a broad inter-disciplinary perspective. His expertise stretches into aspects of social inequality, urban marginality, migration and integration policies, and the positions of ethnic minorities and illegal immigrants.
Interested PhD students should send their CV and a brief description of their research (200 words) to Helga.De.Valk@vub.ac.be before December 1st, 2009. Students are invited to propose names of a Belgian expert in the field whom they would like to comment on their work. A maximum of eight PhD students will be selected. All selected PhD students have to submit a short research paper (between 7 to 10 pages) before January 10th, 2010. More information can be found here.

The deadline for participation in the Master Class on “Public and private support of the arts and culture" (DSh16) has been postponed. It is now 30 November 2009.
More information can be found here.

The seminar Selecting publication sources: Where to publish your paper? will take place on 3/12/2009. For more information, click here. The seminar Writing an abstract will take place on 17 December 2009. For more information, click here.
In collaboration with Gerrit Loots, the seminar Narrative modalities of power and desire will be organised on 11 December 2009. For more information, click here.
The Master Class Doing ethnographic research in social institutions and the Content Seminar Gender, culture, and space have been approved. More information will be announced soon.
The already announced Master Class on Migration & Integration Research with Prof. Dr. Godfried Engbersen has now been scheduled in. It will take place on 28/01/2010. More information can be found here.

De studiedag “Vreemden. Naar een cultuursociologische benadering van etnocentrisme" gaat door op vrijdag 23 oktober 2009. Inschrijven voor deze studiedag kan nog tot 19 oktober 2009 via het inschrijvingsformulier. Meer informatie kan hier gevonden worden.

There are still places free for the DocBe “Project Management” (in English) and “Sollicitatie-training” (in Dutch) workshops.

Het jaarverslag van de DSh voor haar eerste werkingsjaar (2008-2009) kan hier gedownload worden. Deze tekst is enkel in het Nederlands beschikbaar.

This international master class, organized by the Doctoral school of Human Sciences and CEMESO (Centre for the Studies on Media and Culture) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, addresses the research on public & private support of the arts/ culture in a variety of academic disciplines. PhD students are invited to present their research concerning public and private support of the arts and culture in a broad sense, including contemporary and historical research about arts & artistic policy, public and private support of the arts and research about broadcasting institutions. The presenters will receive feedback on their work from experts representing different scientific disciplines.
Interested PhD students are expected to submit a short curriculum of approximately 100 words (including author’s name, affiliation, address, phone number and e-mail) and an abstract in English of approximately 300 words in electronic form (Font: Verdana, 9 pt, line spacing 1,5) to: ldecang@vub.ac.be by 30/10/2009, 12 a.m. mentioning as subject ‘seminar DSh16’ and the chosen format: poster or oral presentation.
More information can be found here.

The Doctoral School of the Human Sciences (DSh) calls for proposals for the organisation of content seminars in 2010. With this call the DSh aims to support VUB PhD researchers by facilitating them to organise thematic seminars, workshops and conferences. The call text and the application procedure can be found here.

After the June 2009 call for master classes, two master classes have been approved. The first master class, entitled Public and private support of the arts and culture (DSh16), with Volker Kirchberg will take place on 25 February 2010. More information on this master class can be found here. The second master class is the Master Class on Migration & Integration Research with Prof. Dr. Godfried Engbersen. More information about this second master class will be announced soon.

The two first (related) activities are the seminars "Advanced techniques in ANOVA" (DSh12) which will take place on 19 November 2009 and "Advanced techniques in regression techniques" (DSh11) which will take place on 26 November 2009. A third seminar is "Research design in the human sciences" (DSh15), on 26 October 2009. The DSh is also organising (together with R&D) a practical information session on writing FWO projects (in Dutch) on 9 December 2009. Finally, the DSh is supporting the "Cross-fertilizations in Law and Criminology" (DSh13) PhD presentation day, which is an initiative of Katja De Vries and Niels van Dijk. More information can be found here.
A general overview can be found here.

This international master class, organized by CEMESO and the Doctoral school of Human Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, addresses the importance of children as research subjects in a variety of academic disciplines. PhD students are invited to present their research in thematic sessions concerning the well-being of children in the wide sense, including health, nutrition, exercise, leisure and rights. The presenters will receive feedback on their work from experts representing different scientific disciplines.
Interested PhD students are expected to submit a short curriculum (including author’s name, affiliation, address, phone number and e-mail) and an abstract in English of approximately 300 words in electronic form to: nvdcruyc@vub.ac.be by 15/06/09, mentioning the chosen format (poster or oral presentation).
More information can be found here.

The first activity is the seminar "Using expert interviews" (DSh09) which will take place on 22 May 2009. More information can be found here. Secondly, the DSh is supporting the "ES Faculty Research Day" (DSh10), which is an initiative of the ES Faculty Research Committee. More information can be found here.
A general overview can be found here.

Four new seminars have been planned. The first is "Social and Behavioral Research on the Internet" (DSh07) which will take place on 26 June 2009 (see here for more information). The second seminar will take place on 7 October 2009, and is entitled "Introduction to discourse analysis" (DSh06) (see here for more information). The third workshop is called "From theory to data analysis - an overview of multivariate data analysis methods and their applicability" (DSh08) and is scheduled for 16 October 2009 (see here for more information). The fourth workshop is take place on 3 November 2009, and is called "How applied statistics can work against you - the pitfalls" (DSh05) (see here for more information).
A general overview can be found here.

The Art Sciences and Archaeology Department and History Department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and FARO (Vlaams Steunpunt voor Cultureel Erfgoed), in collaboration with the DSh, organised the conference on the Historical Use of Images, that took place on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 March 2009. The conference report can be found here.

The Doctoral School of the Human Sciences (DSh) is looking for experienced lecturers to organise one or more DSh workshops on a specific set of topics: Advanced Quantitative Methodologies, Advanced Quantitative Methodologies, Research Design, Grants & Resources, Publishing. This is an open call, with no deadline. The call text and the application procedure can be found here.

The Doctoral School of the Human Sciences (DSh) calls for proposals for the organisation of PhD Presentation days in 2009. With this call the DSh aims to support VUB PhD researchers by communicating their work to their peers inside and outside the VUB. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2009. The call text and the application procedure can be found here.

The Call is seen as one of the major instruments of the DSh, calling upon PhD students to propose an activity within a pre-determined format. The DSh wants to provide the VUB PhD community with the structural opportunity to decide on the content of DSh activities, by launching calls for activities. At this moment, the following formats are used: 1/master classes; 2/phd presentation days; 3/content seminars. A call for phd presentation days openened on April 1 (see here). A new call for master classes is expected in June, and a call for content seminars in September. For more information on the call system and the time table, see here.

The DSh is co-organising the 5th Day of the LK PhD student, which aims to offer a skills training to the participating PhD students. It gives them the opportunity to practice in giving a short lecture on their research (15 minutes + 5 minutes questioning). The audience is asked to assess the quality of the presentations. All presenters (PhD students) will receive a written report with the outcome of the analysis of all assessments provided. This way, the presenters receive individual feedback addressing their performance. More information can be found here.

Following the February call, the first master class will be organised in November 2009. The title is: Contemporary research on the well-being of children. In this master class, PhD students from different disciplines will present contemporary research on the well-being of children. Moniek Buijzen will provide feedback to the researchers projects and will deliver a keynote speech. Well-being is interpreted in a broad manner, including health, nutrition, exercise, leisure and rights. More information can be found here.

The first meeting of the DSh Council took place on March 25, 2009, at the VUB. The members of the DSh Council are the Deans of the member faculties, and representatives of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows. Moreover, the chair persons of the PhD Monitoring Committees joined the DSh Council as advisors. During the first meeting, mainly the structures and activities of the DSh were discussed.