Program from 2023

• What are the Scholar’s workshop classes?

These are classes run by a supervisor for each doctoral student on a one-to-one basis, with content tailored to the current needs of their doctoral research. The class prepares the doctoral student to conduct research independently, allowing them to develop their own research skills.

• Are these classes compulsory?

Yes, the classes are compulsory for every doctoral student.

• How many hours of Scholar’s workshop should be completed in one academic year?

20 hours should be completed in each academic year. For the following four years, the “Scholar’s workshop” classes will be entered in USOS for the summer semester (the supervisor has the right to change the semester to the winter semester), taking place according to a mutually agreed schedule.

• What if the supervisor is on sabbatical and cannot conduct Scholar’s workshop? Can hours be transferred between years of study?

Transferring classes to the following year is possible in justified cases, however, requests for changes will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• When should I register for the Scholar’s workshop?

There is no registration in USOS for the “Scholar’s workshop”. The class is automatically assigned to the doctoral student.

• What is a Teaching practice?

Teaching practice is carried out under the supervision of the supervisor or a person designated by the supervisor. The SDNH Council recommends that independent teaching should be preceded by teaching assistantship (10 hours). Independent teaching is possible after passing the course “University Pedagogy”.

• When should you complete the Teaching practice?

In any semester, but only after you have passed the University Pedagogy course.

• Does prior experience teaching a class would exempt me from the SDNH Teaching practice requirement?

No, classes should be taught under the supervision and guidance of the supervisor(s).

• How many hours of Teaching practice must be completed in four years of education?

30 hours should be completed in four years of education. The SDNH Council recommends the following way of completing them: 10 hours of assisting in teaching to start with, followed by 20 hours completed as independent teaching or assisting.

• Should the Teaching practice be carried out in one go (during one semester) or can it be carried out over several semesters, i.e. several hours each year?

The completion of 30 hours can be spread over all eight semesters of education.

• Do we use the conversion factor assisting/self-teaching?

Each form of credit for Teaching practice is treated equally; there is no conversion factor for assisting/self-teaching hours. Each arrangement for the completion of the required placement hours depends on the agreement with the supervisor(s).

• How is the completion of the Teaching practice to be reported? Do you have to submit a practice sheet (even partially) every year? Should Teaching practice hours be reported only after having completed 30 hours, indicating retrospectively in which years and how many hours  were completed?

Doctoral students report the completed hours of Teaching practice every academic year. The credit is entered in USOS by the person at the SDNH Office, once the full number of hours (i.e. 30 hours) has been completed.

• Do I have to pass the University Pedagogy class if I have already taught independently at a higher education institution before?

Participation in the University Pedagogy class is compulsory regardless of previous experience.

• How can I pass the obligatory seminar? Do I have to attend a seminar taught within the discipline of education or can I choose a seminar from the offer outside “my” discipline?

The choice of seminar depends on your research interests. Interdisciplinary seminars are, by definition, open to different disciplines, participation in a “discipline” seminar for those outside the discipline requires permission from the person conducting a seminar.

• What if “my” discipline does not offer a compulsory “Designing and planning research / preparing IRP, grant acquisition and management ” class?

Designing and planning research / preparing IRP, grant acquisition and management classes can be taken across disciplines and are not assigned to a discipline of study.

• Is it compulsory to complete elective classes in each of the optional modules?

No. You must complete at least 30 hours of Methodological Classes (in any discipline of your choice) and at least 30 hours of  Theories, methods and research traditions (in “your” discipline) in the course of your studies.

The remaining classes in the Methodology Module, as well as in the Humanist Workshop module and the Teaching Module, are optional.

• Can classes taken in Faculties, (BA or MA level), be counted as classes in the new programme (e.g. seminar or methodology classes)?

No. All classes taken outside the SDNH, regardless of course and degree, will be counted as additional. Please note that the supervisor has the right to impose the need for credit for classes outside the programme. On the other hand, due to the necessity of obtaining educational results at level 8 of PRK, classes taken at other doctoral schools, participation in regular scientific meetings of the research and teaching unit of the University of Warsaw, participation in summer schools for doctoral students may be included in the programme, however each time this will be decided individually by the Director of SDNH.

• Is the number of hours in the programme of study given for each year or for the whole course of study?

The number of  hours specified in the programme of study refers to the entire course of study, i.e. four years.

• Does the course have to be taught in a certain number of hours each semester?

Only some [University Pedagogy, Interdisciplinary Conference (away), Designing and planning research / preparing IRP, grant acquisition and management, External environment: funding, dissemination, promotion of scholarly activity, protection of intellectual property] are assigned to specific semesters. Many of them can be taken between semesters as indicated in the programme of study.

• How do I register for SDNH classes?

Registration for classes takes place via the USOS system. Information about individual registrations will be sent out by email. They will also be available on the SDNH website [LINK].

For some classes, registration takes place in a different way:

– Scholar’s workshop (classes are entered into USOS by the administration)

– Interdisciplinary Conference (away) (all subjects receive information about the conference in due course) Exceptions are those who take these classes in a non-standard mode, where an individual decision procedure will apply.

– Scholarly conference – credit is given on the basis of a completed application for conference credit (document to fill out on the SDNH website) submitted to the SDNH Secretary Office for review by the SDNH Director [LINK].

– Current Trends in Humanities/ Masters’ Academy – each time, doctoral students receive a link to connect online before the scheduled meeting. The current meeting schedule is available on the SDNH website. Attendance is recorded. Once the number of attendances required by the programme has been achieved, the class is entered into the USOS system.

– Teaching practice – is entered into the system on the basis of a completed and signed practice credit sheet, which is an attachment to the annual report submitted by each doctoral student for each year of study.