I'm watching with keen interest as the second summer school of the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science unfolds over the next two weeks. Building on the success of the 2012 summer school, the new Directorate team that I lead has been busy over many months to put everything in place.
But what makes for a successful summer school?
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| Professor Graham Crow - Director, SGS-DTC |
In my experience, there are several
elements. The first thing that's required is people who are in the right frame of mind to spark off each other - presenters with something to impart and an audience who are looking to be something other than passive recipients of those presentations. Secondly, there should be a framework for the event that allows for that interaction to flow. That includes sessions in the formal programme with a variety of formats and, just as importantly, times and spaces around those formal sessions in which people can bounce ideas off each other. The social events built into the programme are one aspect of this, but the networking in the breaks are another. This leads on to the third thing, which is a diverse gathering of people. Summer schools bring together individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and interests, and are a way of encouraging people to 'get out more', escaping from the disciplinary and methodological silos into which it's all too easy to fall.
The most successful events that I've attended have been ones where unexpected as well as expected things happen, as people push themselves to try out new things and are open to sharing with others their experiences of doing research. Of course, the timing of summer schools aims to add a fourth element, that of warm and sunny weather, and for that we're keeping our fingers crossed, but we can give no guarantees. And should the sun not shine, we will of course go ahead, because it is the first three elements that are the crucial attractions.
I will look forward to meeting as many of the people at the summer school as I can, whether that be in a session, at a social event, or at any point between. I'll be disappointed if I don't pick up a sense of excitement about new horizons opening up as the months of preparation and anticipation turn into reality.
