The Initiators Programme (TIP) 2021
The Initiator Programme (TIP) is an annual programme for MA students of philosophy in India, aimed at introducing them to the various central aspects of academic philosophy. The goal of Initiator is to rigorously train our students for a well-rounded journey in the academic world. The series will offer a rich exploration of foundational practices of research and outreach in academic philosophy, motivating students to critically reflect on their research interests and mentoring them to make informed and thoughtful decisions about their academic path. The series will also discuss the various challenges that students face, in the process of choosing their research topics, the institutional hurdles in pursuing national and international doctoral admission, the complexities of writing papers as well as presenting them at various academic events. Further, students will be equipped with actionable insights on the suitable social and academic platforms to discuss and grow their professional network. The Initiator Series will prepare students with research and outreach skills vital for their success in the academic philosophy community.
TIP 2021
TIP 2021 is organised as a collaborative programme by Center for Learning and Innovative Pedagogies (CLIP; O P Jindal Global University) and Center for Social Theory and Political Research (CSPR; O P Jindal Global University) with partnership of Academic Support Cell (Department of Philosophy, University of Delhi) and The Philosophy Project. The series will be held online (on Zoom), consisting of 3 virtual sessions (3 hours each) spread over a week. The timing of the sessions are under discussion and will be announced soon.
Day 1: 20th December [Monday]
| Introduction to Academic Philosophy |
| How to Choose a Research Topic | Professional Networking |
Theme: The series will begin with an introduction to academic philosophy, with emphasis on research and outreach. A detailed understanding of how to choose a research topic will be offered, along with focus on the emerging domains in philosophy as well as the various knowledge bases (such as JStor) that students can utilize for their research purposes. This will be followed by exploration into different aspects of professional networking. The session will comprise multiple Q and A periods as well as take-home practice exercises.
Takeaways: The session will inform students about the academic dimensions of practicing philosophy, providing them with insights to carefully formulate a personalised career development path. They will learn to identify their core area of interest, with attention to the varying academic and institutional factors. Equipped with information on how to choose their research topic, students will discover ways to reach out to other researchers and experts in their area of interest in order to enrich their knowledge of the domain, to offer and receive feedback on their academic work, and to explore possibilities of collaborative projects in the long run.
Theme: The session will begin with a recap of the previous day’s learning including the take-home exercises. Two central topics will be covered: how to write a research paper and how to present your academic work. This will engage with the steps students can take to prepare a manuscript, with attention to journal rankings, types, scope, and writing style. Information about citation and reference management systems (like Zotero, Mendeley, Citavi) will also be shared. This will be followed by a discussion on how students can present their academic work at varying academic events. Along with introduction to different kinds of academic events, students will explore the variety of methods to present their work as well as common mistakes which are made during presentations and Q-A sessions.
Takeaways: Students will learn to offer reasonable hypotheses through structured and easy to understand writing, suited for philosophical argumentation and discussions. Information about journals and their quality as well as peer review will be shared. They will also be instructed on the importance of acknowledging contribution of others’ works and feedback for their papers, by using citation and referencing. After learning about preparation of manuscript, students will explore ways in which they can share their academic work in the philosophy community. A range of opportunities are available to students to communicate their research, including reading groups, work-in-progress groups, seminars, stand-alone talks, lectures, conferences, workshops. During the session, students will find ways to discover these opportunities and methods to approach such events. More importantly, styles of presenting research work will be canvassed with focus on common oversights during presentations and Q-A sessions. By the end of the session, students will learn to plan to write a research paper and to present it at varying academic events.
Day 2: 21st December [Tuesday]
| Writing a Research Paper | Presenting Your Academic Work |
Day 3: 23rd December [Thursday]
| Taking Stock: What did you learn? |
Theme: Theme: The last day of our series will be dedicated entirely to reviewing the skills and sharing the learnings of the programme. Students will share their prospective research topics, possible list of universities they are interested in, list of academic events in coming months as well as their professional profiles.
Takeaways: The conclusion of our series highlights and revises the lessons and skills that students have acquired, with strong focus on the practical aspects. Students will also receive a virtual toolbox containing a list of academic softwares and resources available to academic philosophers for research and outreach. The students will be provided with e-Certificates that marks their active participation and completion of TIP 2021.
Anand Mohan Maurya
Department of Philosophy
University of Delhi
Poulami
Hindu College
University of Delhi
Siddhant Nayak
University of Mumbai
Navya Singh
St. Stephen's College
Our Fellows 2021
Mridula Sharma
University of Delhi
Ijaz PM
University of Hyderabad
Shagun Sharma
St Stephens College
University of Delhi
Mohd Zeeshan Khan
University of Delhi
Organising Team
O P Jindal Global University
• Sahana V Rajan [Center for Learning and Innovative Pedagogies]
Lecturer of Philosophy, Jindal Global Business School, O P Jindal Global University
• R. Krishnaswamy [Center for Social Theory and Political Research]
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, O P Jindal Global University
• Sushruth Ravish [Center for Learning and Innovative Pedagogies]
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Jindal Global Business School, O P Jindal Global University
The Philosophy Project
• Naina Bhargava
Founder and Editor
• Shreya Sharma
Art Director
• Savvi Singhal
Media and Communication head
For more details, contact: svrajan@jgu.edu.in and ascphilosophydu@gmail.com.
Tooba Shaikh
University of Hyderabad
Nishok G U
Azim Premji University
Urna Chakrabarty
University of Delhi