A Biennial Summer Institute for Graduate Students

The summer institute provides unparalleled training and networking opportunities for ten Canadian and two international students at the MA, PhD, and post-doctoral levels. Students work closely with leading scholars and disseminate their work through a public colloquium presentation, with opportunities for publication. The institute is a two-week program scheduled in conjunction with the Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium. It is coordinated by Frédérique Arroyas, with the aid of an administrative assistant. Two scholars of the highest reputation each present three keynote lectures and work closely with students in small group and individual tutorials. Students receive written commentary on their work from the keynote lecturers, who assess and grade their research papers. Each keynote lecturer brings different disciplinary viewpoints to bear on the institute theme. Two additional research collaborators with appropriate expertise participate fully in each summer institute, acting as seminar leaders and discussants. The program also includes: a) large group sessions; b) small discussion group sessions involving three to five students and at least one participating faculty; c) mini-presentations of student research; d) independent study time to allow participants to develop their colloquium papers.

Through these outcomes, we seek to foster deep and ongoing links between researchers and diverse knowledge-users. Aimed at reaching a large public audience, the research and outreach activities described above highlight our collaboration not only with educators, but also with arts presenters, policy makers, and community-based organizations to ensure the broadest possible impact on Canadian society.