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Call for applications: RegPol² school for PhD students in Leipzig

Topic: “Empirical perspectives on Central and Eastern European polarisation processes and their analysis”
Date: 26th – 30th October 2015
Venue: Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL), Leipzig, Germany

Background

The project “Socio-economic and Political Responses to Regional Polarisation in Central and Eastern Europe” (RegPol²) focuses on the evolution and persistence of polarisation and peripheralisation processes and analyses governance issues of core-periphery relations as well as local strategies and potentials in dealing with polarisation in Central and Eastern Europe. Being a Marie Curie Initial Training Network it is funded by the European Union in order to provide young researchers appropriate training opportunities for their career. The second RegPol² school "Empirical perspectives on Central and Eastern European polarisation processes and their analysis" is open to PhD students at the beginning of the empirical phase of their PhD project.

Up to this point, invited participants elaborated their theoretical and methodological frameworks, and are due to start (or have recently started) their field work. The event is therefore designed to give the participants practical guidance for their empirical work. We will aim to discuss some of the key concepts which underpin issues of socio-spatial polarisation in CEE from a variety of disciplinary views (such as peripheralisation or post-socialism). The goal is to expand the participants' skills in engaging with such issues in a critical manner through multi-perspectivity.

Program

The week-long school includes lectures, seminars, colloquia and a World Café forum which offers space for intense discussions. Furthermore, the program offers skills trainings on methods such as discourse analysis, design thinking and critical reading of global and European maps. Keynote lectures will be given by Prof. Sebastian Lentz (IfL Leipzig), Prof. Frank Othengrafen (Leibniz Universität Hannover), Prof. Ray Hudson (Durham University) and Dr. Thomas Bürk (University of Hamburg).

Additionally, young researchers receive individual rhetoric coaching in order to improve their presentation skills. The participants will also have the opportunity to directly engage with the emergence of centres and peripheries in Eastern Germany during an excursion to the surroundings of Leipzig.

Application

The RegPol² project offers 5 places for external young researchers to participate in the second RegPol² school. We invite you to exchange your ideas on the above mentioned topics. The participation including lunch and one excursion will be free of charge, but travel and accommodation costs have to be covered by the participants themselves. We can help in reserving hotel rooms for successful applicants (approx. 69 €/night).

Interested young researchers should send a short motivation letter and CV (together no more than 2 pages) to Franziska Görmar (f_goermar@ifl-leipzig.de) until the 17th of September 2015. To get more information about the project RegPol² please visit our project website www.regpol2.eu or the Ifl website www.ifl-leipzig.de.