Researcher Development Initiative (RDI), 2005 - 2010

01/05/07 - 30/04/10

The Interdisciplinary residential training course for postgraduates in economic and social history has been run annually over two and a half days, 2007-2009 inclusive. Through a competitive selection process twelve postgraduates in the middle of their research programmes have met together and individually with five senior members of academic staff in their discipline to discuss the methodological and theoretical challenges in their projects and to identify new methodological techniques to resolve them. The course also provided subject specific training in employability and maximizing the economic and policy impact of research.

All participants were involved in intensive discussions of each of the projects selected for participation and each participant was asked to provide extensive commentary on at least one other project. Each postgraduate attending submitted a full synopsis of their dissertation prior to the workshop as well as a research paper with a note on specific methodological and theoretical problems that have arisen. These were discussed in small group sessions and with a dedicated member of senior academic staff with particular related expertise. The sessions were followed up after the training course with extensive written reports by the attending members of staff for each participant and by sponsored attendance at the annual Economic history Society Conference.
The feedback, as witnessed in the Evaluation Reports completed by the student participants, has been overwhelmingly positive.

Principal Investigator: Professor Raymond Stokes, University of Glasgow

Contact Details

Professor Raymond Stokes, University of Glasgow

Mrs Maureen Galbraith
Email: ehsocsec@arts.gla.ac.uk
Tel: 0141 330 4662