The Facebook page of the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University has posted a reminder that TU students are invited to apply until 1 March 2021 for The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) Graduate School Scholarship Program “Global Inequality, the Middle Classes and the Welfare State”  at Bremen University, Germany.

A scholarship for PhD study is offered, suitable for graduate students in social science, sociology, political science, economics, psychology, and related fields who are completing the program at Thammasat.

BIGSSS was selected by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to host up to four international PhD students in its new Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) GloWel (Global Inequality, the Middle Classes and the Welfare State) in 2021 and 2022 (two each year).

The Thammasat University Library collection includes several books about global inequality and the welfare state.

GloWel will focus on the interrelation between the development of global inequalities, global social policies, and the role of the emerging middle classes for social and political integration.

According to the program website, the research approach is especially focused on comparative perspectives between the Global South and North.

The program works closely with The Collaborative Research Centre 1342 “Global Dynamics of Social Policy,” an association of eight research institutions at the University of Bremen, cooperating with Jacobs University Bremen, the University of Duisburg-Essen and the University of Cologne.  The program also works with Germany’s Research Centre for Social Cohesion, organized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

As the program’s website explains,

The English-language doctoral program will include a structured curriculum and close guidance by experienced researchers while at the same time fostering early academic independence and creativity by providing support for conducting, presenting, and publishing the Ph.D. fellows’ self-chosen research projects.

Who Can Apply?

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of PIs and Fellow Representatives at BIGSSS. Based on the excellence of their applications, candidates will be selected for a nomination to the final decision process of the DAAD. Applicants who have been selected for a scholarship by a graduate school that participates in GloWel must then submit a completed application form with all supporting documents, via the DAADportal. The following criteria must apply:

You are an international applicant, proficient in English language (speaking & writing). We particularly encourage applications from the Global South.

You must not have resided in Germany any time after February 15, 2020.

Your MA degree must be completed and the validation of the degree must be available by May 15, 2021, which means you may apply before having finished your MA degree.

At the time of application, your last final exam must have taken place no longer than 6 years ago.

You have an excellent MA degree (or national equivalents) in Sociology, Political Science, Psychology or related social science disciplines e.g. Law, Economics or Media Sciences.

Your dissertation project in the field “Global Inequality, the Middle Classes and the Welfare State“” aligns with the research focus of one or several of our program PIs.

Benefits

Successful applicants will be offered a full PhD scholarship, financed by the GloWel programme of the DAAD. The Scholarship Programme is providing the following benefits:

• a stipend of 1,200 EUR monthly, for a maximum of 48 months,
• additional travel allowance for stays abroad and research trips,
• complete medical insurance plus a combined liability and accident insurance,
• support with research expenses,
• if necessary and applicable, additional family allowances (eg. rent) and
• a German language course at Bremen.

TU students who wish to know more about the structure of the GloWel Program are cordially invited to consult the website, where they will find the following:

The curriculum represents a 48-month educational program leading to the doctorate. The BIGSSS curriculum is based on models of advanced tertiary education and follows a demand-tailored approach. BIGSSS fellows take a mandatory series of courses, incl. research colloquia, as well as theory, methods and transferable skills courses that are mainly tailored to their research interests. BIGSSS curricula employ a system of credit points (ECTS).

Prior to the first year, fellows attend a Preparatory Forum in Social Science Methodology. The forum lasts for a period of two-three weeks when new fellows participate in various methods modules (5-10) allowing them to see their research question under different methodological perspectives and become familiar with each other’s research interests, a prerequisite for the interdisciplinary orientation of BIGSSS. During the first semester doctoral fellows attend the Proposal Workshop, the Core Theory Seminar, and the Doctoral Colloquium.

The proposal workshop is organized by the responsible Academic Coordinator who helps fellows to refine their proposal and prepare it for the defense that takes place early in the second semester. The doctoral colloquia offer a chance for fellows to present the newest results of their dissertation project or a challenge they are currently facing. The doctoral colloquium is a feature of the curriculum for all semesters as is the Lecture Series/Jour Fixe where leading academics speak on topics of interest across the broad spectrum of BIGSSS. In the second and third semester, the curriculum becomes more demand-tailored and fellows can choose methods courses according to their needs.

The second semester is marked by a retreat, a two-day event where all fellows present their dissertation projects to a cross-disciplinary audience. Before the end of each year fellows undergo a Progress Assessment Colloquium.

During the second year the course load is lighter, as fellows are fully engaged in their research by then. Transferable skills courses on writing and teaching as well as various workshops to foster professional development are offered continuously.

Courses of the current semester can be downloaded in the grey box on the BIGSSS start page. Alternatively, you can access them in the course catalogue of the University of Bremen and Jacobs University’s Campusnet.

The University of Bremen is a research institution in Bremen, a major cultural and economic center of Northern Germany. Bremen has dozens of historical galleries and museums, including the Bremen Overseas Museum.

Bremen has a reputation as a working-class city. It is home to many multinational companies and manufacturing centers. Bremen’s best known football club is Bundesliga club SV Werder Bremen, who play in the Weser Stadium.

With some 18,000 students currently enrolled, the University of Bremen is the largest institution of higher learning in Bremen.

All major German research foundations maintain institutes in Bremen, with a focus on marine sciences: The Max Planck Society with the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community with the Center for Tropical Marine Ecology.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)