Attending the winter school of the Graduate School Global and Area Studies (GSGAS) has definitely been helpful in working on his PhD, Alexander Dontsow declares. “It has made me take a new look at my approach”, he says, looking back a few weeks later. Dontsow is researching the foreign policies of Russia in Eastern Europe and the influence of China on these policies. This year’s winter school was his first. “Having participants from various backgrounds comment on my work has been very useful”, he adds.
Once a year, the GSGAS organizes a winter school that acts as a forum to present and openly discuss thesis progress as well as review supervision agreements.
This year’s winter school of the Graduate School Global and Area Studies took place in the Zinzendorfhaus in the town of Neudietendorf in Thuringia from 31 January to 2 February 2020. The annual winter school allows PhD candidates to present their research projects and report on the progress they made over the past year. The structure of the winter school – taking place in the countryside outside Leipzig over a weekend – provides an intensive work format and an opportunity to have in-depth exchanges concerning both good and difficult progress of the PhD candidates. Around 20 doctoral students and 10 postdocs and supervisors took part in this year’s winter school.
After presenting the paper he is currently working on, Alexander Dontsow received feedback from participants from various fields: “There were sinologists such as Elisabeth Kaske and Thorben Pelzer present as well as colleagues from other disciplines”. Among the commentators, there were also people studying other aspects of how China’s One Belt One Road initiative has impacted the eastern and south-eastern part of Europe. He says, “Before attending the winter school I focused on International Relations but now I also incorporated a historic approach into my work”.
Prof. Dr. Ute Wardenga, head of the Department for Theory, Methodology and History of Geography of the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, declares that the winter school has always been a special event for her as well: “It is a place where you can experience how an interdisciplinary approach fosters practical value. For me it is important to comment on the approach of research from different perspectives.” She appreciates that the participants quickly adopt a culture of listening to each other and of discussing their ideas. “This impresses and inspires me”, she asserts.
The winter school is only one of the many events organized by the Graduate School Global and Area Studies throughout the year. This year’s summer school will most likely take place from 21 to 24 September. You can find more information at https://home.uni-leipzig.de/~gsgas/events/.
