The GSPoL offers an extremely productive atmosphere to delve deeper into aspects of my own work and apply perspectives I hadn’t considered.

Opinions on the GSPoL

...Three questions for

PhD Student since Winter Term 2015

Birte Fritsch is studying at the Graduate School Practices of Literature since October 2015. Her thesis is concerned with the "Theory of Comparison". Since Winter Term 2016, Birte is the PhD students' spokesperson. In addition to her studies, she is teaching at the University of Wuppertal.

What convinced you to study at the GSPoL?

Das Zusammenspiel von Theorie und Praxis und damit die Möglichkeit, selbst während der Promotionsphase viel praktisch arbeiten zu können. Veranstaltungen wie die Münster Lectures werden von der GS PoL ausgerichtet und gestaltet, mit Textpraxis gibt es ein Open Access Journal, das halbjährlich erscheint und ausschließlich durch Promovierende betreut wird, die Herausgeber*innen und Redaktion stellen. Neben diesen und vielen weiteren Möglichkeiten, praktisch im Feld der Humanwissenschaften und der Kulturvermittlung mitzuwirken, waren es insbesondere die interdisziplinäre Vielfalt der Promovierenden und ihrer Forschungsfelder, die meine Berwerbung motivierten.

What are your experiences with combining your professional and private life?

In Münster bin ich auf viele unterschiedliche Menschen mit unterschiedlichen Anliegen getroffen: was alle von ihnen eint, ist die Hingabe, mit der sie Diskussionen führen, für Dinge eintreten und Positionen vertreten. Aus dieser Vielfalt und aus diesem Temperament ergeben sich viele Ideen und Impulse, die mich für meine Arbeit und mein Leben bereichert haben.

What are the benefits of your studies at the GSPoL?

Die Graduate School mit ihren Masterclasses, Projekten und Ringvorlesungen bietet zahlreiche Möglichkeiten der Vernetzung und der vielfältigen Förderung eigener Projekte und Veranstaltungskonzepte. So nehme ich aus Münster sicherlich eine Vielzahl wichtiger Erfahrungen im wissenschaftlichen, redaktionellen, projektgestalterischen, organisationellen Bereich mit in eine Zukunft, der ich gelassener entgegenblicken kann, da ich hier an Praxis und an Chuzpe gewonnen habe.

I chose the GSPoL because it offered a curriculum where the focus is on the individual PhD projects.

PhD Student since Summer Term 2016

After completing her Master Degree at the University of Sheffield in English Literature, Alina Schumacher came to Germany to study at the GSPoL in May 2016. She is the PhD students' spokesperson and also works at the Language Centre of the University of Münster.

...Alina Schumacher

What convinced you to study at the GSPoL?

The curriculum of the GSPoL structures seemed to allow time for my individual project while, at the same time, trying to stimulate ample discussion about various interdisciplinary cross-over points between the projects of each enrolled doctoral student. To me, this seemed like (and has been since) an extremely productive atmosphere for me to delve deeper into aspects of my own work and apply perspectives I hadn’t considered.

What are your experiences with combining your professional and private life?

The GSPoL has been a fulfilling sphere which allows me to combine the professional and the private quite fluidly. Engaging with such a great body of students on an academic level, within the curriculum structure of the school, as well as a social level, during informal meetings, has been a rewarding experience.

What are the benefits of your studies at the GSPoL?

Getting an insight into the daily work schedule of other students has been extremely beneficial for me in developing my own approach. So far my choice to go with a structured programme has been as suitable for my individual needs and preferences and I assume that this will continue throughout my studies.

PhD Student since Winter Term 2015

Balázs Keresztes has been studying at the GSPoL since October 2015. The DAAD scholarship holder is working on "Design, Craft and Writing: Literature and the Practices of Decoration in the Late Victorian Cultural Scene" in his dissertation.

What convinced you to study at the GSPoL?

I have done my BA and MA in Literary and Cultural Studies at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, meaning that I studied at the same place for more than five years. After having spent an Erasmus semester at the University of Cologne in 2014, I realized the importance of studying abroad, and of experiencing other academic environments as well. I chose the GSPoL because it offered a curriculum where the focus is on the individual PhD projects: the colloquia are used to present and discuss our own work regularly, making the progress of our dissertation steadier, the project groups enable us to deal with state of the art topics in an unofficial, self-organised way, while the invited international guests are selected by the PhD members of the Graduate School in a democratic way, which makes these events even more relevant for our own projects.

What are your experiences with combining your professional and private life?

Moving from Budapest to Münster has its benefits and drawbacks as well. I certainly miss the big city, while at the same time this switch helped me a lot to focus on my professional work and academic progression. The University of Münster, especially the Graduate School provides the perfect infrastructure and working environment for a dissertation project. The project groups helped us form a friendly community, so luckily one cannot really have to differentiate professional and private activities.

What are the benefits of your studies at the GSPoL?

As I have mentioned, studying in a different academic (and, in a way, cultural) atmosphere gives me huge advantages. My field is English Studies, I am studying in Germany and due to a collateral agreement with my home university in Budapest, I spend the holiday months in Budapest, meaning that I constantly keep changing languages, locations and academic environments. I see it as a great exercise that makes me “academically fit”, which is, ultimately, a very important skill for academic survival.