Accompanying program

In addition to the accompanying colloquia, which are geared towards the specific research projects of the scholarship holders, there will be a broad-based accompanying and qualification program. This includes specific events that are not integrated into the normal teaching activities at the university. These will focus increasingly on individual topics that are relevant to all scholarship holders - beyond their individual research context. This includes, for example, the discussion of fundamental theoretical approaches from the field of welfare state and organizational research. The events are designed in such a way that guest academics and practitioners are included as speakers. This creates networking opportunities that allow contact with the scientific community as well as with relevant players from the individual research fields. Lectures by visiting academics take place regularly during the semester so that there is a continuous exchange. Doctoral students can make their own suggestions for topics and speakers and actively help shape the events in advance.

Depending on requirements, special workshops are also offered to expand and deepen the methodological skills of doctoral candidates. These are intended to offer the opportunity to discuss the methods and theories used in their own work and thus support the progress of their doctorate. Scholarship holders can also take advantage of the methodological workshops and other events offered by the Kassel International Graduate Center for the Social Sciences (KIGG) (see also section 5.2.2). The postdoctoral position can also be used to initiate a keynote lecture program, which helps the fellows to keep abreast of international specialist debates.

In the third year of the Research Training Group, it is planned to organize a conference for young academics with the scholarship holders and other doctoral candidates from the Research Training Group's subject area. As an important part of the doctoral training, the fellows should help organize this conference. They will be responsible for all important elements (concept, invitation, supervision, evaluation). Following the conference, the speakers' contributions will be published in an anthology in the HBS edition. This gives the scholarship holders the opportunity not only to present the initial results of their dissertation project to a wider specialist audience, but also to publish them academically.

Conferences and research stays

Increasing the mobility of the scholarship holders is an integral part of the research group concept. This is to be promoted not only through guest stays, but also through lectures and participation in congresses and conferences. The fellows are encouraged to take part in thematically appropriate summer schools. The aim is for them to discuss parts of their research projects with other doctoral students and establish contacts with research networks. Between the fixed colloquium dates, doctoral candidates are therefore also informed about events, calls for proposals and calls for papers via an e-mail distribution list. The task of the Research Training Group's postdoc position is to encourage doctoral students to take advantage of these opportunities and to guide and support them in their concrete implementation.

If research stays are planned as part of the individual dissertation projects, various existing contacts can be used. These include, for example, the Erasmus partnership with the University of Gothenburg or personal contacts with the American University/ School of International Service in Washington, D.C.

Cooperation at the University of Kassel

The "Research Network Social Law and Social Policy" (FoSS) of the University of Kassel and Fulda University of Applied Sciences with over 50 participating disciplines from law and social sciences should be highlighted. The Research Training Group is close to the research network both in terms of content and personnel. The research training group forms part of the cooperative doctoral training planned as part of the competence center. The sponsors of the research training group and the cooperation partner Prof. Dr. Welti are part of the research network, to which the content concept of the research training group has some cross-cutting topics. The scholarship holders will therefore be integrated into the thematically related working groups of the network (such as "Working life and securing a livelihood", "Family, children and youth" or "Old-age provision and pensions") and can use these for academic exchange. The "Association for the Promotion of Research and Knowledge Transfer in Social Law and Social Policy", which was founded parallel to the research network, also provides a wide range of contacts with institutions and social actors in the region as well as with social lawyers at the Federal Social Court in Kassel. The scholarship holders can also make use of these structures.

At the University of Kassel, the scholarship holders will be involved in the existing doctoral colloquium of the Department of Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany under the direction of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder and PD Dr. Rudolf Speth in addition to the program within the framework of the Research Training Group applied for. Furthermore, the scholarship holders can access and use the offers of the "Kassel International Graduate Center for Social Sciences" (KIGG). The KIGG regularly offers various seminars, training courses and workshops, particularly on academic work. In addition, the Graduate Center offers further networking opportunities between doctoral candidates and academic discussion spaces beyond the boundaries of political science.

Cooperation with the University of Kassel is also planned in the area of teaching key qualifications. For example, workshops can be organized together with the Teaching Service Centre in which students can practise presenting, giving lectures and speaking in front of large groups. In this context, there will also be the opportunity to acquire and improve teaching experience.

Career orientation measures

An important goal of the Research Training Group is to help doctoral candidates find their way into the university and non-university job markets. Together with the Career Center of the University of Kassel, a range of supportive offers are made to this end, for example to point out ways into the job market and to train application situations. Coaching and specific support with job applications can also be offered at the end of the doctorate. The researchers involved in the Research Training Group will invite practitioners to give guest lectures on key issues within planned workshops. This not only offers the opportunity to mirror the progress of one's own work with practical experience, but also to establish contact with experts from socio-political organizations at an early stage.

Placement or support in the search for internship opportunities also forms part of the career orientation measures. This provides insights into non-university job markets. The relevance of the content to the doctoral topic plays an important role in deciding whether an internship makes sense and in choosing the internship position. Scholarship holders can also be involved in thematically related research projects in the departments involved in the research training group, if desired and if this makes sense in terms of the work and time schedule of the doctorate. Furthermore, teaching assignments can be made possible if interested.

Scholarship holders are involved in the organization of colloquia and events in order to impart key professional qualifications. This applies not only to the coordination of content and design, but also to organization and planning. This involvement strengthens independence and personal responsibility. The career-oriented measures also relate explicitly to the field of science and academia. For example, the scholarship holders are supported in presenting their topics to the specialist public through papers or presentations at conferences. Self-organized workshops and scientific events also offer opportunities for active participation by doctoral students.

Doctoral candidates are given access to attractive academic series for the publication of their theses, such as VS-Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Campus Verlag, VSA or edition sigma.