Warning! The directory is not yet complete and will be amended until the beginning of the term.
430003 SE Seminar for Doctoral Candidates (2026S)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Mo 16.02.2026 00:01 to We 25.02.2026 11:45
- Deregistration possible until Tu 31.03.2026 23:59
Details
max. 15 participants
Language: German
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
The colloquium is planned as an onsite workshop stretched over three full days. Participation on all days as well as the preparation meeting is required for successful completion of this colloquium.
Prerequisites for attending: You need to have progressed sufficiently far in your PhD thesis research to be able to give a 20-minute, self-standing research presentation based on material from your PhD research. This should not be a presentation of the thesis project as a whole, but a self-standing paper akin to a conference presentation.The colloquium is conducted entirely in English.- Wednesday 04.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 3A NIG 3.Stock
- Wednesday 25.03. 13:15 - 18:00 Seminarraum 3A NIG 3.Stock
- Thursday 26.03. 13:15 - 20:00 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
- Friday 27.03. 09:45 - 18:00 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
The colloquium is assessed through the following components:Conference abstract of your talk (weight: 10%)
A 300 word abstract of the talk you plan to give in this colloquium, suitable to be sent to a conference call for papers. Deadline: March 15, 23:59.Research presentation (weight: 50%)
The research presentation concerns *one aspect* of your research project, presented *as an independent, self-standing talk that can be understood without knowing the overall thesis context*. It is the type of presentation that would be given at an academic conference. It must *not* primarily be a presentation of the whole thesis project. The presentation should generally be given as a freely spoken presentation, with the aid of notes. Presenters may also select to deliver a fully written out presentation speech, but this should be written for the express purpose of and suitable for oral delivery. The presentation must not be delivered in the form of reading out a written research paper.Depending on the number of colloquium participants, different options for the duration of the research presentation will be given. Typically, this is 20, 25, or 30 minutes (common conference talk durations). Presenters can select among these options, but are then held to account for staying within the selected time frame. The presentation should include slides or a 1-2 page handout for the audience, which is also the basis on which your respondent will prepare for their response. Note that in order to not have overly full slides, you can use the "speaker notes" function of Powerpoint to give more info to the respondent. Deadline: The slides or handout need to be uploaded by March 20, 23:59.Note on using generative AI: For writing the research talk abstract and the presentation slides and/or handout, you are permitted to use generative AI such as chatGPT as a supplementary tool to aid you in your writing. If you use such a tool in any step of the writing process, then you must append to your submission a brief explanation of how the technology was used. Undeclared use of the technology is not permitted and is considered academic misconduct. Use of such technology can and must not replace your understanding and well thought-through argumentative engagement. If I am in doubt about the authorship and tools used in an abstract or presentation, then I may request of any student that they come to an additional oral examination on their final text, in which they need to explain and defend individual sections of their text.Response to a presentation (weight: 20%)
After the presentation in the colloquium, the respondent raises two or three substantive clarificatory questions, critical objections, or suggestions, spelled out in some more detail than is usual for regular comments by the audience. Responses should last 2-4 minutes.On the basis of the research talk abstracts, all participants can rank which presentations they would prefer to respond to. The lecturer will then allocate a respondent to each presentation, aiming to satisfy preferences as well as possible.Chairing a presentation and discussion (weight: 20%)
The chair presides over the presentation, response, and discussion, attending to time keeping of the presenter and discussant, managing the queue of audience questions, and keeping within the overall time allocated to the presentation, response, and discussion.
A 300 word abstract of the talk you plan to give in this colloquium, suitable to be sent to a conference call for papers. Deadline: March 15, 23:59.Research presentation (weight: 50%)
The research presentation concerns *one aspect* of your research project, presented *as an independent, self-standing talk that can be understood without knowing the overall thesis context*. It is the type of presentation that would be given at an academic conference. It must *not* primarily be a presentation of the whole thesis project. The presentation should generally be given as a freely spoken presentation, with the aid of notes. Presenters may also select to deliver a fully written out presentation speech, but this should be written for the express purpose of and suitable for oral delivery. The presentation must not be delivered in the form of reading out a written research paper.Depending on the number of colloquium participants, different options for the duration of the research presentation will be given. Typically, this is 20, 25, or 30 minutes (common conference talk durations). Presenters can select among these options, but are then held to account for staying within the selected time frame. The presentation should include slides or a 1-2 page handout for the audience, which is also the basis on which your respondent will prepare for their response. Note that in order to not have overly full slides, you can use the "speaker notes" function of Powerpoint to give more info to the respondent. Deadline: The slides or handout need to be uploaded by March 20, 23:59.Note on using generative AI: For writing the research talk abstract and the presentation slides and/or handout, you are permitted to use generative AI such as chatGPT as a supplementary tool to aid you in your writing. If you use such a tool in any step of the writing process, then you must append to your submission a brief explanation of how the technology was used. Undeclared use of the technology is not permitted and is considered academic misconduct. Use of such technology can and must not replace your understanding and well thought-through argumentative engagement. If I am in doubt about the authorship and tools used in an abstract or presentation, then I may request of any student that they come to an additional oral examination on their final text, in which they need to explain and defend individual sections of their text.Response to a presentation (weight: 20%)
After the presentation in the colloquium, the respondent raises two or three substantive clarificatory questions, critical objections, or suggestions, spelled out in some more detail than is usual for regular comments by the audience. Responses should last 2-4 minutes.On the basis of the research talk abstracts, all participants can rank which presentations they would prefer to respond to. The lecturer will then allocate a respondent to each presentation, aiming to satisfy preferences as well as possible.Chairing a presentation and discussion (weight: 20%)
The chair presides over the presentation, response, and discussion, attending to time keeping of the presenter and discussant, managing the queue of audience questions, and keeping within the overall time allocated to the presentation, response, and discussion.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Each of the assignments is evaluated on a scale from 1 (“Very Good”) to 5 (“Unsatisfactory”). A positive evaluation requires that you achieve a pass grade (4) in all assessment components, and that you actively attend the colloquium. Active participation requires that you are present in the preparatory meeting, and on all three colloquium days. In important exceptions (esp. if you have to teach your own class), missing up to half of a workshop day is acceptable, if agreed upon with the lecturer.Conditional on fulfilling the necessary requirements just mentioned, the final grade, comprised between 1 (“Very good”) and 4 (“Adequate”), is a rounded weighted average of the separate assessment grades. A failure to achieve a pass grade in one of the necessary requirements yields a 5 ("Insufficient").By registering for this colloquium, you tacitly agree to having all your electronic submissions checked by the plagiarism detection software Turnitin.Detailed assessment criteria for each assignment are posted on Moodle. Note that for the presentation and response, keeping within the allocated time is part of the assessment and exceeding the times incurs significant marking penalties. This reflects the fact that for conferences and workshops to run smoothly, it is essential that all contributors strictly adhere to their allocated time windows.
Examination topics
Your presentation concerns independent research towards your PhD thesis. You can also present a paper that is not going to be part of your PhD thesis but on which you are actively working (e.g. if you plan to turn your MA thesis into a publication).
Reading list
As the colloquium is about doctoral candidates' work in progress, there is no reading list. Participants work with the literature which they find in the course of their thesis research.I recommend David Allen's "Getting Things Done" for helpful impulses for a general project management framework, and Joli Jensen's "Write No Matter What: Advice for Academics" for academia-specific advice.
Association in the course directory
43.01
Last modified: Mo 23.02.2026 14:08
- presenting your own research, to an audience not familiar with your project, in oral communications and in writing,
- engaging with questions about your research on the spot,
- asking constructive questions about other's research projects, and
- chairing group discussions.The colloquium is taught and assessed in English, and requires everyone's preparation and contribution to succeed.The colloquium is open to doctoral candidates in all areas of philosophy. Since my own research expertise is in moral and political philosophy, doctoral candidates in this area are likely to benefit most from this colloquium.