The Spring School 2024 at the MPI in Halle (Saale)
A Platform for Academic Exchange and Learning
The first Spring School took place from 20 to 27 March 2024 at Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle (Saale).
During the inaugural IMPRS-GM Spring School, held at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle (Saale) from 20 to 27 March 2024, the IMPRS Teaching Faculty joined the group of fifteen doctoral students for a transformative week of scholarly engagement and social networking. As a core element of the IMPRS-GM, this annual event aims to strengthen connections between participants, foster collaborations and build robust academic networks.
At the heart of this year’s Spring School was an innovative learning circle in which doctoral students presented, reviewed and refined their research projects. Throughout the Spring School, through a series of presentations and feedback sessions, they progressively shaped their research question, culminating in the presentation of the refined outcome of this work at an engaging Science Slam – an interactive event where students spoke freely in front of the camera and the internal audience.
“The advice that I have learned [during Spring School], for example, how to do an introduction and how to write my chapters is something that will definitely help me when I am writing the manuscript. […] For me, it has been an incredible opportunity.” (Angélica Cocomá, MPI)
The keynote lecture by Professor Brian Larkin, Director of Graduate Studies and Professor of Anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University, provided a horizon for thinking beyond specific individual projects and reflecting collectively on what an 'anthropology for now' would entail. Finally, during the faculty days, all doctoral students had an opportunity to interact with the sixteen professors of the Teaching Faculty.
“Another big benefit [of the Spring School] was the very close cooperation with the teaching staff, also from various disciplines, that gives feedback to your research in a way that is quite unique. And you wouldn't receive in a typical university settings.” (Oleg Vasilchenko, FAU)