21st Century Perspective Symposium FAQ
- What Is The Symposium?
- Where And When Is The Event Held?
- Who Is Invited?
- What Subject Areas Are Covered?
- What Is The Timetable For The Symposium?
- How Do I Get Involved?
- Who Do I Contact?
What Is The Symposium?
The Postgraduate Symposium is an annual event run by postgraduate students from the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University. Students from various disciplines will come together for a number of important reasons.
Academically, the Symposium operates so that new students can introduce themselves and their work to the post-graduate community, so that confirmed students can share and receive feedback on the research and ideas with which they have been concerned, and so that we can build and invigorate the general scholarly community within the School.
The Symposium also offers a chance for students to fulfil part of the condition of their enrolment, that they provide regular updates on the progress of their research.
Finally, the Symposium and the dinner that follows provide an opportunity for students and staff to socialise in a relaxed environment, allowing for the development of both professional networks and personal friendships.
Where And When Is The Event Held?
This year the Symposium will be held on Thursday 30th of October at the Clayton campus. The conference will take place in the 'Manton Rooms' on the ground floor of the Menzies Building, building number 11 on the Clayton campus. The Symposium is scheduled to run over one entire day, with time set aside for lunch and tea breaks, and with an informal dinner held in the evening.
Who Is Invited?
The Symposium is run within the School of Political and Social Inquiry for students from its various disciplines, the event is open to all interested students and staff from other schools and Faculties within Monash, and from other Universities.
We are particularly interested to find students from outside the School who would be interested in presenting their work, or simply in attending sessions and providing valuable feedback.
A further focus this year is to attract non-research students, including Coursework Post-Graduates, Honours students who may be interested in becoming post-graduate students, and members of the broader undergraduate community who may be curious about the workings of the Monash scholarly community and the research being undertaken.
What Subject Areas Are Covered?
The School of Political and Social Inquiry is comprised of the departments of Anthropology, Behavioural Studies, Criminology, Politics, Sociology, and Women's Studies.
Students from all of these disciplines will be presenting papers at the symposium, and we also invite external students from related disciplines or with similar research interests to participate.
To accommodate this diversity of interest, the Symposium will hold sessions organised into broad themes.
What Is The Timetable For The Symposium?
21st August: Expressions of interest. Students are asked to give an indication of their interest in participating in the conference, and we encourage staff to motivate their students in this regard.
30th September: Submission of working title and 100-200 word abstracts. By this date, we ask that students provide a short abstract of approximately 100 words that will be used in the preparation of the Symposium program. Early submissions are encouraged
30th October: Symposium. The Big Day!
How Do I Get Involved?
All interested parties are invited to participate in the organising of the Symposium and in the actual running of the event.
In the lead up to the event, we are asking for students to become involved in the task of inviting and motivating other students to participate in the Symposium. This may require as little as telling others of past Symposium experiences and the rewards offered.
On the day of the event, we will need people to perform roles such as greeting and signing up attendees, inviting attendees to our post-Symposium dinner, chairing Symposium sessions, and generally assisting with the smooth running of the Symposium.
Who Do I Contact?
The main contact person for the Symposium is the PSI Postgraduate Administrator Sue Stevenson, whose details are at Symposium Contacts
Enquiries will be forwarded to the members of the Symposium organising committee for more attention. If you prefer, you can also approach committe members directly via our Committee Page