Junior Fellow Platform

Our Welcome Brochure answers questions like: What do I need to do before coming to Bayreuth? What do I need to do after my arrival? How do I get started in BIGSAS? And what should I know as a Junior Fellow?

Download our Welcome Brochure here and our Checklist for Arriving and Settling as a new BIGSAS Junior Fellow here

In addition, you will be added to our internal elearning (moodle) platform, where we comprehensively compiled all relevant information and maintain a personal network with all doctoral students.

You may download the template of the Individual Research and Training Plan (IRTP) here or the version of 2017.

Please note:

Travel funding applications have to be submitted at least 6 weeks before the date of departure.

Please take a look at our new policy regarding the funding of conference trips (PDF).

Checklists

• Checklist for applications
• Checklist for travel expenses and material resources
  

Forms

• Form 1a) Travel cost budget (conferences etc.) (xlsx)
  
• Form 1b) Travel cost budget (field research travel) (xlsx)
  
• Formerly Form 2) Antrag auf Dienstreisegenehmigung (request for travel approval): Please fill in the new application form online: English version; German version. You will need to login via your Uni Bayreuth ID and your password. In case of problems, you can also use the old form.
  
• Form 3) Antrag auf Abschlagszahlung für eine Dienstreise (request for advance payment) (pdf)
  
• Form 4a) Accounting transportation and daily allowance (xlsx)
  
• Form 4b) Accounting material resources (xlsx)
  
• Form 5) Reisekostenabrechnung (travel & subsistence form) (pdf)
  

Fill-in helps

• Fill-in help for form 2
  
• Fill-in help for form 3
  

• Fill-in help for form 5
  

Other

• BIGSAS rates for travel (2024)
  
• Guide for emergencies
  

The application documents should also include:

• a cover letter
• a detailed time schedule for field work travel
• a support letter by the supervisor
• three refundable flight offers from online sources
• if applicable, three accomodation offers
• if applicable, confimation of fees etc.

The administration team regularly offers an Administration Workshop in the framework of the Welcome Seminar. All Junior Fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in this workshop as it aims at clarifying all the questions concerning the travel application forms.

• BIGSAS does not offer any kind of regular scholarships. However, we offer (in addition to funding conference trips etc., see category "travel application/travel funding" above) types of short-term funding for our Junior Fellows under certain conditions. Find out more about the BIGSAS funding scheme here.
  

The BIGSAS Codex (French translation/traduction française) of Doctoral Studies and Mentorship provides a concise statement of the academic rights and responsibilities of BIGSAS doctoral candidates – the Junior Fellows –and their individual mentoring groups. For each admitted doctoral candidate the mentoring group consists of one assigned supervisor and two mentors. The Codex lays particular emphasis on the Junior Fellow-mentoring group relationship and aims to ensure excellent training, mentoring and supervision within BIGSAS.

• BIGSAS PowerPoint template for presentations
  
• Africa Multiple Cluster PowerPoint template for presentations
  
• Participation list (template)
  
• Course evaluation form (template)
  

Before submitting your dissertation we kindly ask you to read the following information:

• Order of the doctoral examination procedure step-by-step (acc. to the Doctoral Regulations issued 15 September 2017) or
  
• Order of the doctoral examination procedure step-by-step (acc. to the Doctoral Regulations issued 15 February 2021)
  
• Suggestions for formatting your dissertation
  
• The University of Bayreuth is offering the licenced writing assistance software Grammarly@edu for young researchers. The target group are doctoral students, postdocs, junior research group leaders and junior professors,
  who write their doctoral thesis, publications or other academic documents in English. More info here (in German).
  

We kindly ask you to make an appointment for submitting your thesis at the BIGSAS administration office. All documents are to be submitted as hard copies, meaning as printouts. Our team will go through the documents with you and at the same time inform you if a document is missing. You should allow around 30 minutes for the submission.

Please remember the following tasks before leaving:

• Fill in the checklist and send it to bigsas@uni-bayreuth.de
  
• Return your transponder to BIGSAS
• Clean out your workstation and leave the keys to the desk
• Check your personal mail box in the printing station (GSP) and take all contents with you

Publication of your dissertation

• Please be aware that you are obliged to publish your dissertation within one year after the defence. The prolongation of the period of time to submit the deposit copies of your dissertation is only possible on application to the chair of the examination committee (see BIGSAS Doctoral Regulations).
• We also provide a style sheet for the publication of your dissertation.
  
• For first and general information about the publication of your thesis we provide information here.
  
• For further questions please contact the BIGSAS team. Beforehand, please have a look at the BIGSAS Doctoral Regulations in order to receive explicit information on the publication requirements.
• Only after publication of the dissertation you will receive your doctoral certificate and gain the right to use the doctoral title.

• Hamissou Rhissa Achaffert
• Marie Nadège Tsogo Momo
• Carla Coburger (for the Junior Fellows in Cluster projects)

Contact the Junior Fellow Representatives via bigsas-reps@uni-bayreuth.de. Take a closer look at the academic profiles of your representatives HERE.

Current issue

• October 2023

Previous issues

• Juli 2023
• September 2022
• November 2020
• May 2020
• March 2020

The publication of the (online) journal BIGSASworks! appears in the series 'Working Papers' of the Institute of African Studies (IAS). Each volume contains miscellaneous thematic areas and this output of common or overlapping interests of the Junior Fellows offers a publication platform. Moreover, the different coordinators of the project are able to gain experience in editing as the persons responsible change for each of the issues. The final issue is provided on the document and publication server of the University of Bayreuth (EPub). One print-out of a new issue shall be submitted to BIGSAS.

In order to initiate a BIGSASworks! publication, please contact the editor in chief of the IAS working paper series, Dr Ron Herrmann. Via this contact, templates and style sheets will be provided. By maintaining a close collaboration with the IAS, a consistent design is guaranteed. You may also have a look at the following guide provided by the IAS.

• 2021 "Fieldwork Experiences and Practices in Africa" (DOI)
• 2019 "Gender and Social Encounters: Experiences from Africa" (DOI)
• 2018 "Living in African Cities: Urban Spaces, Lifestyles and Social Practices in Everyday Life" (URI)
• 2017 "Perspectives on Translation Studies in Africa" (URI)
• 2016 "Religion and Space: Perspectives from African Experiences" (URI)
• 2015 "Actors, Institutions and Changes: Perspectives on Africa" (URI)
• 2013 "Challenging Notions of Development and Change from Everyday Life in Africa" (URI)
• 2013 "The making of Meaning in Africa: Word, Image and Sound" (URI)
• 2012 "Trends, Discourses and Representations in Religions in Africa" (URI)
• 2011 "Women's Life Worlds 'In-Between'" (URI)

• Media in Africa