This year the British Universities Industrial Relations Association is
organising a one-day pre-conference PhD session, which will take place
in Leeds on TUESDAY, June 28^th 2016 (a day prior to the main BUIRA
Annual Conference). The session is an exercise in critical friendship
where all participants circulate a piece of written work THREE WEEKS
before the session. The session is a unique opportunity to get to know
fellow PhD students in the field of employment relations, exercise
critical thinking and receive constructive feedback to your ideas.
*The deadline for submission of written work is FRIDAY 3^rd JUNE 2016. *
Please submit via e-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
The session will be led by Professor Melanie Simms (University of
Leicester), Editor in Chief ‘/Work Employment and Society/’.
*Outline of the session*
The piece of written work does NOT have to be a full conference paper.
It can be a section of a chapter, a draft paper or any document you want
to discuss with peers.
*/There are three main objectives:/*
* To provide a forum for PhD students to receive feedback on their
ideas no matter where they are in the project.
* To develop the skills, culture and practice of critical friendship
within BUIRA.
* To provide a forum for discussion significantly different from usual
conference papers.
Participants - including facilitators - will submit a piece of written
work before the session. An indicative maximum word length is 8000 words
in order to keep the pre-workshop workload manageable. Submissions can
be as short as the participant wishes. There is no expectation
submissions are even written in full sentences. Examples of previous
submissions range from a full draft book chapter, through to preliminary
literature review paragraphs, a list of key questions of interest to the
participant, and many other formats. The objective is that participants
submit something they think they can get useful feedback on through the
process of critical friendship.
The process will be co-ordinated by facilitators so we will have to have
participants' names and email addresses approximately 12 weeks before
the session. We will alert participants to deadlines, circulate draft
material, advise on preparation for the session etc. The number of
facilitators will depend on the number of participants. We aim for a
ratio of approximately 1:7
Written work is NOT anonymised nor peer reviewed for acceptance. The
only requirement for participating in the session is that someone is a
PhD student in the broad area of industrial relations and intends to
participate in the wider conference.
All written work is collated a circulated to all participants at least 3
weeks prior to the event along with guidance for principles of critical
friendship in this document. *All participants must read all written
submissions in advance of the session and prepare feedback in line with
the principles of critical friendship. *
Any participant who does not submit a written document will not be
allowed to attend the session. It is essential that critical friendship
is reciprocal and non-hierarchical.
Each piece of submitted work is then discussed by the group and feedback
is given. This can range from questions about the premise of the
argument, suggestions for improvement and development, etc. Principles
of respect and support are agreed in advance and it is the
responsibility of all to ensure they are upheld.
*Critical Friend Scheme*
*Introducing the concept of a critical friend*
A ‘critical friend’ is a trusted peer who asks provocative questions,
provides alternative lenses through which to examine data or
experiences, and offers critiques of your work, issues or problems. A
critical friend takes the time to fully understand the context of the
work, issues or problems presented and the outcomes that the person or
group is working towards. The critical friend is an advocate for the
success of those outcomes. A critical friend provides an appropriate
balance between support and challenge. Finally, critical friendship is
more than a technical exercise predicated on a context-free, asocial or
ahistorical environment; rather, it is a process of argumentation that
emerges from dialogue, interpretation, experience and active attempts to
both subvert and navigate through prevailing power structures.
*The role of a critical friend*
* Peers who listen, question your rationale, challenge assumptions and
support your risk-taking
* Supportive and non-judgmental of you as a person
* Prepared to ask questions relating to your statements, arguments or
actions
* Committed to helping you develop your professional practice and
providing advice about your professional dilemmas
* Shares knowledge and resources
* Critiques research papers and provides feedback
Offers active facilitation which explores how learning is supported,
avoided and/or prevented through power relations
--
Professor Jane Holgate
Professor of Work and Employment Relations
Work and Employment Relations Division
Leeds University Business School
31 Lyddon Terrace (room 2.05)
University of Leeds LS2 9JT
email: [log in to unmask]
Mobile: 07960 798399
|