APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTING

We are writing to you in our capacity as postgraduate representatives  
for the SPA (Social Policy Association). Please find attached  
information about an event in July which may be of interest to the  
postgraduate and postdoctoral community.

We would be very grateful if you could circulate the email below to  
postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers that you think  
might be interested to attend.

Please contact us if you have any queries,

Many thanks,

Rachael and Meredith (SPA postgraduate representatives)


______________________________________________________________

Hello!

Are you an MA, MSc, PhD or Postdoc interested in social policy? If so,  
come to the annual Social Policy Association Postgraduate (SPA)  
Conference, in Edinburgh 2nd July 2009. This year’s theme is,

‘Social Policy Futures: research experiences, practices and developments’

See http://www.social-policy.com/documents/SPA_PG_conference.pdf for a  
full programme of events


This one day event, run by SPA and SWAP (Social Work and Policy) will  
provide an opportunity for social policy postgraduates to think about  
social policy futures. There will be opportunity for delegates to:

•	present their own research to peers in social policy
•	reflect on current and developing research methodologies
•	discuss the information seeking and research behaviour and  
experiences of young scholars such as themselves
•	network with other social policy postgraduate researchers
•	take away ideas and resources for learning and teaching


All are welcome to attend the event, which will include presentations  
from delegates (see below for abstract submission details). Delegates  
can present any aspect of their postgraduate research, from  
reflections and experiences, to tentative analyses and findings.

Presenters must be new or existing SPA members. You don’t have to be a  
member to come to the event, so we want to invite everyone to come  
along and see what the SPA offers.

There will also be presentations and discussion from leading experts  
in the postgraduate learning experience:

Dr. Joanna Newman Head of Higher Education, The British Library,  
‘Spotlight on 'Generation Y''. A major new study into the information  
seeking and research behaviour of young scholars’

Dr. Rose Wiles ESRC National Centre for Research Methods, outlining  
the resources provided by the Centre for Research Methods including  
some of the innovative methods being developed there.

Dr. Rebecca Johnson, Subject Centre for Social Policy and Social Work  
- learning and teaching materials for social policy educators  
(http://www.swap.ac.uk)

More speakers to be confirmed!


Go to http://www.social-policy.com/postgradnetwork.aspx for further  
details. Complete a registration form and email to  
[log in to unmask]


Places are limited, so book soon!


We hope to see you there,

Best wishes,

Rachael and Meredith



General Information

Places are FREE. Transportation expenses are allocated for existing  
and new postgraduate members of the Social Policy Association (SPA) on  
a discretionary basis. Complete registration form for further details.

Those who wish to present at the event are to email a short abstract  
(200 words) outlining their presentation by May 1st 2009.  We welcome  
social policy postgraduates at all stages of their research, from MA  
and PhD students, to postdoctoral researchers. Presenters must be new  
or existing SPA members. Please email abstracts to Rachael Dobson  
[log in to unmask] and Meredith Beaumont [log in to unmask]  
It is not expected that abstracts will reflect completed research, but  
will show evidence of work in progress.

For information on SPA membership, you can go to
http://www.social-policy.com/membership.aspx

The event will run between 9.30am and 4pm at the Chrystal Macmillan  
Building, Edinburgh University, see  
http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps/buildings/chrystal-macmillan-building for a  
map.

We strongly welcome social policy postgraduates to attend the SPA  
Conference 2009, which runs prior to the postgraduate event. See  
http://www.social-policy.com/conferences.aspx for further details.


Rachael Dobson
Postgraduate Researcher

School of Sociology and Social Policy
Woodhouse Lane
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT

M: +44 (0) 7900 817638
E: [log in to unmask]