Global South Postgraduate Capacity Building Workshop

The academic terrain poses challenges for PhD students across the world. The situation is worse for Global South with challenges ranging from funding, inadequate knowledge on grant application writing, technicalities on publications, mentorship on thesis writing, and networking. This has been worsened by the ailing economies of most African countries, which has limited these students, not only financially but in guaranteeing exposure to students. Hence most African students have limited chances in accessing grants and funds but further on how to publish their work with good academic journals.

The proposed event is a two-day workshop that seeks to provide a platform on which the stated challenges can be discussed to capacitate post graduate students with various skills. Students will be given an opportunity to discuss their respective experiences and challenges. Experts will then be invited to proffer possible solutions through various talks on grant writing, editors from prominent journal houses will also be invited to present on how PhD students can publish their works. The Editors will be derived from both Global South and Global North Journals- though those from the Global North will make their presentations virtually. An open plenary session will also be conduct, giving students an opportunity to engage with the speakers.

Students will also be given an opportunity to present excerpts from their PhD projects. They will get feedback from all the participants, including the invited guests. Through such an interaction, future academic collaborations, and an expanded network among young scholars in South Africa can be established. The workshop targets an attendance of 30 post graduate students from South Africa, 20 whom will be fully funded by YSI. Participants will be selected from those who would have responded from the workshop call and are at the writing stage of the projects in Humanities/ Social Sciences subjects. Due to limited funds, applicants from the Western Cape Province will only be considered. Preference will also be given to those who have their manuscripts ready for publication.

This workshop resonates with the vision of Young Scholars Initiative in networking for the purpose of answering economic questions and inculcating skills in post graduate students. The YSI Africa group seeks to create a vibrant platform that contributes to debates on the development of Africa, within the broader context of its history and social space, using various approaches. This workshop will also be an opportunity to introduce YSI to young scholars in South Africa and how they can be part of the community.

The workshop will take place over two days. On the 25th of November 2022, there will be keynote speech, presentations on grant writing and thesis writing, following by presentations by PhD students. The 26th will start with a presentation on publication skills, and how to prepare for life after PhD. Students will also be given an opportunity to present their work on this day. The day ends with a plenary session in which students will engage with the invited guest. The workshop will also be rounded off by a social gathering at the Tokara Wine Estate.

By the end of this workshop, PhD student are expected to have grasped grant and Thesis writing skills, learnt how they can publish their work with high-impact academic journals and how they secure post-doctoral fellowship and jobs after their studies.