This page provides information on our past training courses and links to legacy resources, videos, and more information.
Research and Academic Development
Training series
One off events
Exploring Immersive Technologies in Social Science Research Workshop – 17 November 2021, 10am-4pm
This online workshop focused on how immersive technologies have been used in current research projects across the SWDTP universities. We challenged workshop participants to consider how and if they might engage with these technologies in their own research and showcased studies using different technologies including virtual reality, hot spot technology and body motion capture.
The workshop focused on a number of theoretical, methodological and practical questions. Participants also talked to creatives and academics about how they have used these tools in their research and what the challenges are.
Perspectives on Research and Work in Developing and Transitional Countries
This webinar, developed in collaboration with the AHRC SWWDTP, looked at doing research and working in developing and transitional countries in the field of Defence and Security. Panelists, including the SWDTP’s Dr Roddy Brett, brought decades of experience to discuss the challenges and opportunities of academic research among other topics.
A recording of this webinar is available but public access cannot be provided. If you would like to be sent the video, please email Jude Hill.
Conducting Qualitative Research Online – August – November 2020
The SWDTP ran 6 training events in collaboration with Karen Lumsden. Four of these sessions focused on conducting qualitative interviews online and two on conducting focus groups online.
Co-Produced Approaches in Research Workshop – 19th January 2021
Brigstow Institute, SWDTP and SWWDTP collaborated to create this workshop to explore co-produced approaches to research. During the workshop students heared from leaders in the field, had a chance to hear about specific projects using this approach and explored how they might use these approaches in their research.
Publishing your Social Sciences doctoral research as a monograph – 19 July 2021
Phillippa Grand (Bristol University Press), was joined by colleagues who have recently published their theses as monographs (Bowles; Carver) to talk about the process of publishing your work, producing a book proposal, the process for peer review/production/choosing a publisher and approaching and working with publishers.
Institutional Ethnography (IE) Workshop: 26th October 2020
This highly successful hands on workshop on IE provided insights into an approach which is applicable across the social sciences. This includes health and disability studies, education, gender studies, natural resource management & land planning. IE has strong interdisciplinary potential and it is well equipped to pay attention to difference.
ADvaNCE workshops
The SWDTP co-funded a series of three workshops including talks by clinicians and researchers in the field, focus group discussions and young peoples’ perspectives, to open up new research avenues and opportunities for collaboration.
These were led by ADvaNCE (the adolescent depression network to consolidate expertise), a special interest research group which is passionate about reducing depression in young people.
The videos below give a great idea about the work they do and you can follow them on Twitter for more updates
Career Skills Training
Communicating with non-academic audiences using Zines, Blog-posts, Podcasts and other creative methods – 15 June 2021
- In this workshop, MJ Barker explored the use of creative methods to get research and academic ideas to wider audiences, and potentially as a form of ongoing self-care and/or reflexive practice through our work.
- MJ Barker talked about their own experiences working on Queer: A Graphic History and the follow up Graphic Guides to Gender and Sexuality, as well as developing the self-care zines available on their website.
- During the workshop, participants were given the opportunity to try out planning and creating content which might work for communicating their ideas to a wider audience. Workshop attendees were asked to reflect on a number of questions including: Why communicate with non-academic audiences? What are your fears and concerns around communicating/working with non-academic audiences, whether self-care and/or practical? What draws you in or holds you back?
SWDTP 2020 Conference November Series – Online Skills Session
The final session of the November Series addressed the increased need for strong online skills with the context of Covid-19. This included presentation from Dr. Ioannis Costas Batlle, who focused on online teaching and learning. This session was put in place to help prepare attendees for the upcoming conference season
Plan B Training – Run in both May, and as part of the SWDTP 2020 Conference November Series
The focus of this workshop was how PGRs could re-plan activities to achieve intended outcomes and to explore problem-solving skills and flexible approaches to help them adapt to change in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The workshops were specific to student cohorts – 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year were provided with different sessions with slightly different focuses – this enabled small group/pair discussion and peer learning.
Engaging with Policy Makers (in Collaboration with the AHRC funded SWWDTP) – 4th February 2021
The overall objective of this workshop, led by the Institute for Government, was to demystify government and explain how to engage successfully with policy makers. The day was engaging, informative and practical, with lots of opportunities to apply lessons to our students’ own areas of research.
SWDTP Community and Wellbeing
Working With Marginalised Communities: Towards an Ethical Practice for PhD Scholars – 9-11 November 2021, 3.30pm-5.30pm
A growing number of PhD students and Early Career Researchers have shown interest in pursuing research with and for communities who have traditionally been viewed from an abstract distance if, indeed, they have been viewed at all.
High levels of professional and personal sensitivity and ethics are essential if the researcher is to avoid replicating the participants’ experiences of marginalisation and creating an abstract rather than rich, nuanced picture of their lives and experiences.
This three part webinar series was delivered by Fred Ehresmann and Dr Jade Lee and was open to all ESRC-remit Doctoral researchers (at any stage in their studies; whether ESRC funded or not) based at SWDTP Universities.
Precarity, prosperity and everything in between: PGR identities & wellbeing – 8 September 2021
This workshop brought together PGRs and supervisors across institutions and disciplines, to explore the identities of a doctoral student. How is your doctoral journey going? Are you surviving, are you thriving, have you got your sight set on the end-point or are you enjoying the wandering? Or do you feel stuck in one place or going round in circles?
We spent time discussing these topics, as we bringing together PGRs and supervisors across institutions and disciplines, to explore what it means to be a doctoral student. We looked at how professional and scholarly identities are forged alongside personal, social, emotional, political connections and identifications.
Workshops on depression in young people, Summer 2021
The SWDTP co-funded a series of three workshops including talks by clinicians, researchers, focus groups and young people to open up new research opportunities for collaboration. These were led by ADvaNCE (the adolescent depression network to consolidate expertise), a research group which is passionate about reducing depression in young people. Follow the group on Twitter @advance_ntwk.
- Summary of workshop one: How can we better identify depression in young people?
- Summary of workshop two: What are the best early interventions for depression? And how early should they be used in order to result in the best patient outcomes?
- Summary of workshop three: – “What are the best ways to tell young people with depression about treatment options and their effectiveness to help them feel more in control and to manage their difficulties?”
Watch some of the presentations here:
The Impact of Conducting Sensitive Research Online: Before, During and After COVID-19
Many social scientists conduct research on sensitive or even traumatic topics, but the effects of this work on researchers are rarely discussed. The SWDTP have put together a webinar to discuss this impact. In this webinar, Emma Williamson and Alison Gregory draw on their extensive experience of undertaking research prior to and since the pandemic. In particular, noting some of the challenges they have encountered and suggesting practical coping solutions to employ.
To watch the webinar, click here.
SWDTP 2020 Conference November Series: Town hall Session
As Covid-19 continues to impact PhD projects, this town hall session aimed to spark reflection and offer solutions to help students with potential upcoming challenges. We expected that bringing together students across subjects and cohorts to discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on their research and the steps they took to mitigate said impacts could offer new ideas to their peers. It hoped to encourage students that they aren’t alone in their challenges.
SWDTP Christmas Party
Warren Speed and Elis Jones (both from the University of Exeter) are pleased to announce that we have secured SWDTP funding to host an Online Christmas Party and a ‘Research as a Christmas Card’ competition. We’re hoping this will be a good opportunity to get together as a group after a while apart, as well as have some fun and maybe a few drinks.