390025 SE Vienna Graduate Seminar in Economics (2018W)

Objective: The course is meant for all who would like to acquire skills in doing research and in writing research papers, created to allow students to present and discuss in front of others. It is part of the formal requirement of some of the PhD students. It is also designed for advanced students of the Masters in Economics interested in research and who are thinking about topics for their Masters’ thesis.
Format: This course consists of student presentations and work shop style discussions. Each presentation lasts at most 50 minutes, followed by intense discussions by all. In particular, the course is both very cooperative and interactive. Presentations that are not official (see below) are typically about some first thoughts on some research topic.

Special rules for the PhD students for which this course is mandatory:
The PhD students for which this course is mandatory have to complete this course twice, once at the beginning of their studies (official first presentation) to propose an outline for their thesis and once at the end of their studies (official second presentation) right before handing in their thesis to present what they have completed. PhD students are encouraged to visit this course in other semesters too.
Their official first presentation consists of an outline of an idea with the related literature that will make up the first chapter of the thesis together with an indication of the topics of the other two chapters of the thesis.
Their official second presentation consists of a formal presentation of one chapter of the thesis. Both advisors have to be present during the official second presentation. The presentation can only take place if each of the advisors has sent me an email in which they confirm that they have received a first draft of the final version of the thesis and based on this first draft they qualify the thesis as ready to be defended.

In addition to presentations many sessions focus on skills that are important for doing research. Many focus on particular writing skills. We read and comment on papers written by others. There are abstract writing sessions where an abstract is written after reading an introduction of a published paper. There are title writing sessions where a title is crafted after reading an introduction of a paper. There are methodological sessions where methods (statistical and theory) are presented and discussed.
The order of topics and presentations follows the needs of the participants.