The 8th HO PhD Symposium on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus

Participants were invited to present a part of their thesis at panels covering a wide range of disciplines and interests. They received feedback from peers and Hellenic Observatory academics whilst being exposed to new concepts, methods and content brought by the other participants. The 8th Biennial Symposium was organised into panel discussions each with a narrow disciplinary focus, and two plenary sessions that addressed broader themes relating to Greece or Cyprus, or indeed questions of methodology and planning in the delivery of a PhD thesis. This gave the opportunity to students to gain new tools and fresh ideas which can be carried forward into their remaining years of study.

The first plenary session was much appreciated by all PhD candidates. Professor Kevin Featherstone explained all stages of the PhD process and offered a detailed guide for students researching Greece and Cyprus. Having the experience of supervising over 30 PhD candidates, Professor Featherstone advised the students on multiple issues related to their current research and their future publications.

The second plenary session was given by Prof Yannis Papadopoulos from the Institute of Political, Historical and International Studies. University of Lausanne. Prof Papadopoulos gave a lecture on The Eurozone Crisis and Democracy: Implications for Greece. The talk highlighted the evolving power balance between ruling institutions and actors, and further assesed the impact of the Eurozone crisis upon the democratic credentials of the EU decision-making system.

We feel that the PhD Symposium is one of the most important international meetings for PhD students working on contemporary Greece and Cyprus in the social sciences and we hope to continue this tradition in the following years.

Supporters:
We are grateful to the generous financial support of the A.G. Leventis Foundation which has been crucial in the establishment of the HO PhD Symposia.

9:00 - 9:30	Registration
9:30 -11:00	Welcome Address by Dr Spyros Economides, Director of the Hellenic Observatory, LSE Plenary Session I- How to write a PhD (on Greece) Speaker: Prof Kevin Featherstone
11:00 -11:30	Break
11:30 -13:00	Panel Meetings - Session I
13:00-14:00	Lunch
14:00 -15:30	Plenary Session II The Eurozone Crisis and Democracy: Implications for Greece Speaker: Prof. Yannis Papadopoulos (Institute of Political, Historical and International Studies. University of Lausanne) Chair: Prof. Kevin Featherstone
15:30-15:45	Break
15:45-17:15	Panel Meetings - Session II
17:15-18:45	Panel Meetings - Session III
18:45-19:15	Certificates and Prize
19:15	Private Wine Reception

Symposium Booklet

Venue Details

Registration, Welcome Address, Plenary Sessions & Certificates Wolfson Theatre (NAB LG.01), New Academic Building, Lower Ground Floor, 54, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 2AE
Panel Meetings: New Academic Building

The plenary sessions took place at the Wolfson Theatre (New Academic Building, LSE) and were open to the public (non-participants). The purpose of these lectures was to allow the exchange of ideas between young researchers and scholars on issues related to Greece and Cyprus. We are extremely grateful to the A.G. Leventis Foundation, for its generous support.

Plenary Session I: How to Write a PhD (on Greece)

Lecture 1
Speaker:	Professor Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor of European Politics; Head of the European Insitute
Date:	Saturday 1 July
Time:	09.30-11.00
Venue:	Wolfson Theatre (NAB LG.01), New Academic Building, LSE

Listen to the podcast

This session discussed both generic issues of developing, designing, and writing a PhD, as well as the specific challenges of writing a PhD thesis on Greece (or Cyprus). It offered guidance to those starting a PhD and to those about to finish writing a PhD thesis.

The following topics were covered:

• What is a research ‘puzzle’?

• Developing your research question (and hypotheses).

-Why? What? How? questions

• The challenges of single country or comparative case studies.

• Framing your questions and evidence.

-‘Testing’ hypotheses and refutability.

-Alternatives: critical theory.

-Finding and using source material.

• What’s new? Specifying your contribution.

• Who would disagree? Positioning yourself in scholarly debates.

• How to get published.

• How to apply for PhD places and scholarships

Plenary Session II: The Eurozone Crisis and Democracy: Implications for Greece

Speaker:	Prof. Yannis Papadopoulos, Institute of Political, Historical, and International Studies, University of Lausanne
Chair:	Professor Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor of European Politics; Head of the European Insitute
Date:	Saturday 1 July
Time:	14:00 - 15:30
Venue:	Wolfson Theatre (NAB LG.01), New Academic Building, LSE

Listen to the podcast

The starting point of this talk was in terms of the original debate on the place of democracy in the European integration process. The talk highlighted the evolving power balance between ruling institutions and actors, and assessed the impact of the Eurozone crisis upon the democratic credentials of the EU decision-making system. It concluded on the implications for national democracies and for their legitimacy in “receiver” countries, with a focus on the particular case of Greece.