With Dr. Nicole Torjus, BUA Graduate Studies Support

Working on a dissertation is a challenging project that will take a couple of years. And it means more than just writing the dissertation. Doing a doctorate means being able to deal with stress and pressure, to deal with your own feelings. Feelings, like being stagnant and fear of failure, that we don't like to face and even less like to talk about.

How can I deal with all these challenges, feelings and pressure without being overwhelmed? How do I stay motivated and just as important, how do I stay healthy?

A doctorate therefore calls for a lot of stamina. This makes it all the more important for you as a doctoral student to take care of yourself, learn to set limits and develop healthy work habits for yourself personally.

In this lunchtalk, we will present some best practice ideas from practical models and provide information about counselling and support services at TUB.

This event will be held in German.

The LunchTalk is interactive, you will have the opportunity to reflect and share an example from your personal situation, if you would like to. For preparation, you might want to think about a current challenge in your doctorate. It is advisable that you participate in the LunchTalk in an environment where you can speak freely (e.g. not in an office shared with others).

 All parents and everyone interested (all genders) are welcome!

In Cooperation with Katja Müller, Servicestelle Familienbüro TUB

This event is in German. Questions in English are welcome. 

You work in academia and have one or more children? You would like to work in academia but also start a family? Are you wondering whether a career in research and teaching and family are compatible and would you like more information? With this event we invite you to get information support and information that the TU Berlin provides. Also, we will talk about practical tips for balancing familiy life and a career in academia.

The event is organized jointly by the proMotion doctoral program of the CJS and the family service office.

Contents:

•     Facts and figures: How family-friendly is academia?
•     Information on the legal framework and the support service from the family service office

This mini workshop will be held in English.

You kind of know what your doctoral research will be about, but don’t know where to start? You’re overwhelmed by the range of interesting aspects and possible lines of inquiry that your topic provides? You find it hard to come up with one central research question? Or, you have formulated your research question but wonder, if it is really feasible and matches your research design? In this mini workshop you will learn about the strategic importance of a “good” research question and its essential characteristics. You will work on your own research question and explore different ways of focusing it – in the context of your overall research design.

This mini workshop will be held in English.

You’re overwhelmed by the multitude of tasks ahead of you? And in the whirlwind of all these tasks, the actual work on your doctorate always comes last? You’re busy all the time, but lack a clear sense of progress (with the things that really matter)? This mini workshop will help you to gain clarity on your priorities. We will reflect on the typical prioritizing challenges for doctoral researchers. You will learn about different prioritizing strategies and, most importantly, how to apply them to your own situation.

Sticking to your own priorities might require you to say “no” to the requests of others. Therefore, we offer a sequel workshop “Learning to say ‘No’: Setting and communicating your boundaries” on Monday, December 12, 1.00 - 4.30 p.m. Both mini workshops build on each other, but can also be booked separately.

This mini workshop will be held in English.

You find yourself saying “yes” to requests without considering the impact they will have on your own planning? Or, you anticipate that a request will impede the progress of your own work, but still find it hard, if not impossible to say “no”? In this mini workshop you will reflect on your patterns of responding to external request and the (implicit) assumptions that inform them. You will learn how to identify situations when you should rather say “no”, how to really mean it, and how to communicate this “no” in a clear and positive way.

Since saying “no” is all about knowing and setting your own priorities, the workshop is designed as a sequel to the workshop “Identifying your priorities – and sticking with them” on Monday, November 28, 1.00 - 4.30 p.m. Both mini workshops build on each other, but can also be booked separately.