COLLOQUIUM (2 credit hours/week):

The Colloquium is offered every semester – as the Interdisciplinary Colloquium in Berlin/Potsdam and the Interinstitutional Colloquium in Mexico – and serves mainly as an opportunity for the fellows to present their PhD projects. The mentoring of student research in the colloquia is a central part of the qualification concept, both in Germany and in Mexico. Here, the disciplinary specializations are brought together with interdisciplinary research approaches. Candidates present their PhD projects, and then the floor is opened up to further discussion of the relevant research questions and findings. Attendance to the colloquia is mandatory for all participants.

INAUGURAL CONFERENCE (1 credit hour/week) and INAUGURAL COLLOQUIUM (2 credit hours/week):

These events will take place at the end of the first semester of an IRTG cycle in Mexico City. As they bring together members of both locations, they primarily serve to introduce the new fellows to the overall IRTG project. At the Inaugural Conference, the current state of research is presented and discussed with an audience of international experts, scholars and the public. As part of the opening of the Colloquium, the individual members of the IRTG are integrated into the research programme and the doctoral students receive advice on planning their doctoral projects.

MASTERCLASSES (1 credit hour/week):

The Masterclasses are intended to supplement the Inaugural Conference and the Lecture Series of the first semester of the IRTG. These workshops are conducted by the Mercator fellows at the beginning of the doctoral programme and cover relevant topics of the IRTG such as ‘theories of time’, ‘anthropology and the concepts of time’ and others. In this way, the Mercator fellows are integrated into the IRTG right from the beginning.

WORKSHOPS (1 credit hour/week):

Workshops take place regularly at both locations and are frequently held by partners from the other location. They are primarily aimed at deepening individual methodological or thematic areas. It is essential to explicitly identify the individual needs of the doctoral students and offer appropriate workshops for small groups. Workshops are offered by members of the IRTG, but also by guest scholars. The doctoral projects will be presented and commented on in accordance with the workshop’s format. Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to organise workshops at any time, giving them important organisational experience.

SUMMER SYMPOSIUM (1 credit hour/week):

This Symposium is organised by the postdoctoral researchers shortly before the PhD students begin with their stay abroad and field research. The doctoral students briefly document their field-research plans. This allows the young researchers to receive feedback before leaving for their mobility phase. Shortly after their return, there is a HOMECOMING SYMPOSIUM (1 credit hour/week). It is also organised by the postdoctoral researchers and offers them an opportunity to summarize the results of their mobility phases in short presentations. The symposia are thus an optimal way for participants to both prepare for and present the findings of their mobility phase.

SUMMER SCHOOL (2 credit hours/week):

The aim of the five-day Summer School, which takes place in Berlin in the fourth semester of the IRTG cycle, is to bring together all members of the IRTG to review and discuss the doctoral students’ individual research projects. Simultaneously, the Summer School serves to promote the further development of the research programme through the participation of visiting international scholars. All IRTG members organise the Summer School in the joint RESEARCH SEMINAR (1 credit hour/week), which is held at both locations in the third semester of an IRTG cycle.

LECTURE SERIES (1 credit hour/week):

The Lecture Series takes place at the Berlin/Potsdam location every two weeks in the first and fifth semester of an IRTG cycle and is mandatory for all doctoral researchers. In the first semester, it aims to introduce the individual work areas of the different disciplines involved in the IRTG with direct reference to the research programme. In the fifth semester, the IRTG’s affiliated scholars, visiting scholars and members of the scientific community are invited to present and discuss those parts of their research that are relevant to the IRTG’s research programme. This format promotes the interdisciplinary focus of the research projects and also appeals to an interested public.

READING COURSE (1 credit hours/week):

This course takes place at both locations during the first semester of the IRTG cycle and is mandatory for doctoral students. Every two weeks, a key text for the research programme is jointly discussed. The course is conducted by the IRTG’s postdoctoral researchers. This allows for a common foundation of texts and knowledge to be established at the beginning of an IRTG cycle. It also facilitates the cooperation of doctoral researchers with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and promotes common interdisciplinary work and discussions.

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