History
The conception of this Pan-university conference grew from conversations within the York Graduate Students in Education (YGSE) conference committee. We wanted to meet other graduate students, talk about our research, build relationships, and share the responsibility and cost of organizing a yearly conference. Beginning in August 2016, we approached and met with a number of graduate programs, student groups, and research centres. We had a strong response, support, and commitment to participate from the Faculty of Education, Department of Sociology, Department of Social Anthropology, CERLAC, and Science and Technology Studies. University of Toronto and the Ontario Institute Studies in Education have also confirmed their interest in participating.
For the inaugural year 2017, the York Graduate Students in Education (YGSE) agrees to lead the organization of the conference.
Vision
Visions, Collaborations, and Transformations is envisioned to be the inaugural event of an annual pan-university conference that encourages and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration amongst graduate students at York University in the social sciences and humanities. This conference is focused on academic excellence and innovation in graduate student research, and provides an excellent opportunity for knowledge mobilization and dissemination of research. This pan-university conference provides opportunities for communication, partnership, and intersectional research.
Our Mandate:
- Share research, knowledge, and resources:
- Allow graduate students the opportunity to present in front of larger, interdisciplinary audiences;
- Raise awareness of York’s interdisciplinary and intersectional nature;
- Pool resources from multiple programs to build a stronger, larger, and cohesive conference for graduate students in the social sciences and humanities;
- Create networks of collaboration:
- Provide the opportunity for graduate students across disciplines to meet, network, share ideas, plan for collaborations;
- Share research with neighbouring universities;
- Provide development opportunities for graduate student success:
- Provide mini-sessions from the York community possibly including:
- Knowledge Mobilization Unit (KMb)
- Career Centre
- Writing Centre
- Healthy Student Initiative (HSI)
- Teaching Commons;
- Initiate the inaugural graduate student research conference at York University
- Create the possibility for GA-ships to organize ongoing annual Pan-university conferences.
Our ambition is that this conference will be an annual event, starting on the anniversary of Canada150 in 2017, and grow to include many of the graduate programs across the social sciences and humanities at York University. Additionally, we hope to work with York University Library to establish an online, open access repository of the conference proceedings.
