Graduate Student Forum

In addition to coursework, students are encouraged to attend the free extracurricular events hosted by the Department of Religion. These include graduate student presentations, faculty colloquium, and a variety of workshops put on by faculty and senior graduate students. Workshops focus on the skills students need to build their academic careers, such as applying for grants and other funding, writing personal statements for Ph.D. applications, and traveling abroad to develop foreign language skills.

Papers in Progress Sessions (PIPS) is an informal event organized by graduate students, wherein they gather regularly to present their current research with one another for peer feedback. The presenting student gives a twenty minute presentation, and is afterwards provided with critical feedback by graduate students and faculty in attendance. This event has several beneficial qualities. First, the presenting student receives valuable feedback on their academic writing; specifically, the structure of the argument being presented. Second, graduate students learn how to respond with stimulating questions in a seminar setting. And third, other graduate students and faculty members learn about each others’ interests and participate intellectually in a casual, co-curricular environment. Attendance and participation in PIPS is mandatory for all graduate students whereupon each graduate student must present at least once each semester. Unless specified otherwise, PIPS events will be held in the department library (Sakamaki A302).