Doctoral Forum

The Department’s “Doctoral Forum” takes place once every semester (or as often as required); it gives the opportunity for doctoral students to discuss all thematic, methodological and practical issues concerning their doctoral theses in the fields of German and comparative linguistics, literary and cultural studies, translation studies as well as German as a foreign or second language.
The Forum addresses a wide variety of topics, such as research design, administrative processes or career planning, in an informal atmosphere. In addition, the meetings are intended to further international networking activities of young German Studies scholars.

Towards the end of the academic year, the Forum participants may organize a conference for young scholars and doctoral candidates to present their projects. The conference is also an opportunity to invite lectures by representatives of the various disciplines.

The goals of the Doctoral Forum are:

• the critical reflection of one's own research and methodological approach
• the expansion of academic skills (scientific presentation, discussion)
• the mediation of strategies for dealing with complex, diverse and specific knowledge or data
• the participants’ integration into daily academic routines
• facilitating international networking by informing the students about research visits, stipends, doctoral academies, etc. (Erasmus, DAAD, other scholarships)
• motivating students to engage with different perspectives on their research.

Doctoral students are expected to present their research design, central research questions, use of theory, project goals and empirical bases of their thesis in German or Greek in a way that are in line with current discourses in the respective discipline.

Forum organizers: Elke Sturm-Trigonaki / Nikos Katsaounis