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5th ISTR PhD Seminar

July 5-7, 2020

Montréal, Canada

Call for Applications

Deadline to apply: September 30, 2019 - Applications Closed

Overview

The ISTR PhD Seminar is open for applications to all enrolled doctoral students in the field of third sector and civil society research, across the different regions in the world, and at all stages of their doctoral research.

The aim of the workshop is to provide doctoral students with the opportunity to engage with senior scholars and peers in extensive intellectual and methodological discussion on their doctoral research, to discuss the main theories and developments in the field, to reflect upon publication and career strategies, and to provide a unique opportunity to network within the international ISTR research community and civil society in general.

The seminar is limited to a group of (up to) 50 doctoral students.  Applicants must become members of ISTR for 2020/2021 and must register and attend the ISTR International Conference in Montréal. Students are encouraged to submit abstracts to the main conference (see the call here: https://www.istr.org/page/Montreal). Past participants in ISTR International and Regional PhD Seminars are welcome to apply.

About the PhD Seminar

Central to the PhD Seminar are the parallel small group sessions in which the participants have the opportunity to discuss their doctoral research with peers and senior faculty.  Students do not need to prepare a paper or a PowerPoint presentation.  Rather, in these sessions, students will provide brief overviews of their research and will then spend most of their allotted time soliciting feedback from others that will strengthen students’ PhD work.  Participants will be grouped thematically, but the group composition will be heterogeneous in terms of concrete research topics, disciplinary background, research stage, method, and regional affiliation.  

The seminars also offer plenary sessions and professional development workshops with presentations by leading scholars in the field.

Additionally, the PhD Seminar will feature the 3-Minute Thesis Competition. Participation is voluntary, but strongly encouraged.  In this competition, students will have 3 minutes to present their research using 1 PowerPoint slide to illustrate their presentation.  It is not permitted to read from a prepared text. This light-hearted competition encourages students to practice sharing ideas in a clear and compelling manner, which is one important aspect of good research. Compelling presentations can be serious or humorous; the key is engaging the audience in the question at hand.  The winner will be awarded a monetary prize and will be asked to make their presentation at a plenary in the main conference.

ISTR has hosted several PhD Seminars in the past.  The student reflections in these links may be of interest: Amsterdam 2018, Amsterdam 2018,  Munster 2014 and Stockholm 2016, Munster 2014

More information: contact Megan Haddock, ISTR Program Manager at mhaddock@istr.org

2020 Emerging Scholar Dissertation Award

The International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) is pleased to announce the ISTR 2020 Emerging Scholar Dissertation Award.  This award is presented biennially for a PhD dissertation completed or defended in the two calendar years (July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019) preceding the award. Self-nominations are accepted.

To submit your application, click here.

Dissertations that contribute to the field of comparative study of civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), philanthropy, voluntarism and related issues are eligible.  We encourage submissions of PhD dissertations from all parts of the world.  Dissertations focused exclusively on the United States are not eligible.

The winner will be announced and the award will be given at the ISTR 14th International Conference in Montreal, Canada, which will be held July 7-10, 2020. The award is US $1,000.

Dissertations may be submitted in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Applications must include:

• Letter of acceptance for the degree
• A summary of the dissertation that clearly states: the dissertation's subject matter, research question(s) addressed, the approach taken, key finding(s), and the dissertation’s specific contribution(s) to the field. This needs to be in English and not exceed 1,000 words in total (i.e. including any references, etc.). Submissions that do not comply with this word limit will not be considered.
• One full copy of the dissertation

Deadline: Dissertations and accompanying materials must be submitted prior to January 15, 2020.

Entries will be judged by a committee based on the following:

• The dissertation’s contribution to the study of, knowledge on, and understanding of the Third Sector and/or related fields
• The dissertation potential to influence new thinking on the Third Sector and/or related fields

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Regional PhD Seminars

To read news and impressions from our 2012, 2014, 2016 & 2018 Seminars, please click here