Category: NEWS

Dear PhD student,

You can tell that the academic year is coming to an end and that summer is well on its way. All the signs are there: the sun is shining, iced drinks start to seem appealing again, and you receive end of year newsletters, just like this one. In fact, by sending you this summer newsletter, we are performing summer into existence!

By any standards, the academic year 2020-21 has been a peculiar and challenging one. Plans have been thrown up in the air and have had to be rethought, teaching and learning have migrated online, fieldwork has been postponed and curtailed, and there has been a great deal of working from sofas, kitchen tables and unlikely corners. The life of the PhD student and the academic has been altered in various ways, some very apparent and some more subtle. New ways of coping and working have had to be invented. Only time can tell which of these will remain in place in the near future, and which will be abandoned, whether joyfully or with pangs of regret. But whatever happens, we have all learned new things about how we work and how do we deal with challenges. We have all also become very skilled at using Zoom and its background functions. Who knew that so many people at the University of Helsinki seem to live in houses that have wonderful views of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco? Are they secretly working in Berkeley, California?

All across the world, including in universities, there are strong feelings of longing to return to ways of doing things that involve face-to-face interaction and physical proximity. How strange it will seem once again to be in a classroom with other people, or to attend a conference with live human beings in front of you, albeit at whatever is defined as a safe distance. How lovely it would be to bump into a colleague in the office or library and be able to converse without wearing a mask.

Nobody really knows what the future will bring in terms of how we will operate in universities. It is unlikely that we are going to go back in any simple way to pre-Covid forms of “normality”, whatever those may have been. We are not just entering into a period of The New Normal, but probably a set of overlapping New Normals in the plural. Covid and the changes to social life that it brings are not going to go away in some magical way. From the point of view of PhD student working life, it seems likely that a lot of activities will have to remain partially online, at least for a while. This will involve, for example, finding new ways of doing interviews with research subjects, and inventing novel means of collecting data. It is probably best to regard such necessary innovations as opportunities as much as experiencing them as being forced upon us all. And as we all are compelled to create and invent new ways of getting things achieved, we should remember that we are all in this together, that we are not alone, and that the more help and support we can give to each other, the better.

For many students and staff members, this summer will not be like others. There is more catching up work to do, to make up for lost time. Vacation periods may be curtailed for the purposes of getting on with one’s PhD work and other kinds of professional activity. If the fickle Finnish weather smiles upon us, there will be constant struggles between a felt duty to stay inside, glued to the computer all day, and going outside to bask in the sun. Given how quickly autumn and winter return in Finland, it is probably best to go and enjoy the sunshine while you can and worry about the work later. Carpe diem: seize the day!

Looking towards the Autumn/Fall, we can identify the following issues:

• The teaching programme for the next academic year is now available. You can browse the courses in Sisu already now (Search > type “SOST-” in the field and choose Teaching in a specific period as a filter (2021-22: 1., 2., 3. and 4. period) and from August onwards in the study guide.
• Registration on courses will happen in Sisu from August onwards: add the study unit (i.e. the code) in your study plan, choose the relevant course in the completion methods, and enrol in the study calendar. Please note that a single course may be available under several codes, so choose the code that you haven’t completed yet (for example, for most seminars, the same teaching event applies to PhD seminars I and II – if you have already completed the first seminar, enrol through the code of the second seminar).
• Please make sure to create your study plan in Sisu and acquaint yourself with the Sisu instructions for doctoral students available in the study guide. Please note that the applications of students who are about to graduate are prioritized during summer. We are all still learning to use Sisu, so please be patient 😊
•  Remember to start gathering your thesis committee if you haven’t already done so. All doctoral candidates, except for those who will submit their thesis before 31 July 2022, should have a thesis committee by August 2021. The instructions for thesis committees are available in the study guide.
• The call for papers for this year’s annual conference titled “Politics of Analysis: Causality, Ethics, Institutions” is open until 15 August. Please consult the conference website for more information.
• The call for salaried positions is open between 23 August and 7 September. The programme-specific instructions for applying are available on the programme’s website.
• If you have questions or concerns related to these practical issues, please be in touch with the planning officer of the programme Tuuli Holttinen (tuuli.holttinen@helsinki.fi) or the HYMY Doctoral School (hymy doc@helsinki.fi). Please note that the HYMY office is closed in July.

Have a good summer, be sure to have a PROPER break, and come back re-energised and refreshed in a few months.

With best wishes,

The Steering Committee of the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences

David Inglis
Ilkka Pietilä
Mikko Myrskylä
Anna-Maija Pirttilä-Backman
Johanna Sumiala
Kris Clarke
Sirpa Tenhunen
Keshia Dsilva
Jenni Savonen
and planning officer Tuuli Holttinen

Yet another Zoom meeting…
Enlivened by the fact that it is actually a Teams meeting…
And I don’t know how to use Teams…
Oh, look, Teams/Zoom/delete as appropriate has crashed!
Again! Like it did all the other times!
What joy!

I haven’t seen a lot of people face to face for what seems like several centuries.
I’m starting to feel like a very a-social social scientist…

So much for my fieldwork…
Interviews? On Skype? Are you kidding?

I am sooooo over 2020…
But 2021 looks like it will be much the same… Great!

Am I actually IN a university? Or what is it I am in? (Apart from constantly being in this apartment?)

What should I read to improve my mind? Will I finally pick up that Big Important Book that has been sitting on the shelf, unread and unloved, for the last 3 years?
Will this damn pandemic ever end???

Dear doctoral students,

In the vignette above, have we at all captured some of your thoughts over the last 12 months?

We have certainly captured some of our own.
As your teachers and supervisors in the Doctoral programme of Social Sciences, we want to reach out to you with this newsletter, to provide some hopefully useful thoughts to help you cope with the difficult times we are all facing during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

While we already have some good news about vaccinations, restrictions still remain in force for some time so that academic and social life will continue to be largely online. It is certainly a long wait.

So, if you are feeling down, unmotivated, physically or emotionally exhausted, don’t be surprised. All of us – from early career scholars through to senior professors – are feeling the strain.

Here are some thoughts to help us all manage through the continuing shutdown…

WHAT WE OFFER YOU

Social Sciences Friday Afternoon Coffee Breaks
You are most welcome to join the Friday afternoon coffee breaks organized approximately twice a month. It’s a chance to meet your fellow PhD students from the three doctoral programmes of the faculty as well as the planning officer Tuuli Holttinen. There is usually a general theme to inspire discussion in small groups, but you are welcome to share whatever is on your mind. You can also suggest a theme by contacting Tuuli. The next coffee breaks are organized on Fridays 12 March, 26 March, 9 April and 23 April from 2 pm to 3:30 pm.

We use the same Zoom link on every coffee break. (Meeting ID: 683 9820 0406 Passcode: 429326)

HYMY Writing Evenings
Do you sometimes feel alone in the academia? Are you interested in communal writing or looking for an academic community inside the university? Would you like to share your experiences, ideas and questions with others who are in a similar situation?

Turn on, tune in and join HYMY writing evenings! Meet researchers from other disciplines and become part of a community by joining us in the weekly HYMY writing evenings.

Writing evenings are open to all University of Helsinki doctoral students regardless of faculty or position. The aim of our meetings is to come together to work on your own projects and share your ideas and concerns during the writing breaks.

• In English: Every Wednesday from 4 pm to 7 pm. (Helsinki time UTC +2 h) from March 10 onwards. Fill out the form in the link.
• In Finnish: Every Thursday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Register here.

Carefree Shoulders by Unisport on Zoom
UniSport offers Carefree Shoulders break exercise sessions over Zoom. Carefree shoulders is a refreshing 15-minute guided workout that relieves tension and focuses specifically on the back and shoulder area. These sessions are free and open to all!

• on Mondays at 12.00
• on Wednesdays at 13.00
• on Fridays at 11.00

Carefree Shoulders is suitable for everyone. Participate wherever you want! You do not need to reserve a place for this session. Zoom allows 500 participants. You also don’t need exercise equipment or clothing. You can participate in the Zoom event with Meeting ID 861 9709 5476. You will find the link on the Carefree Shoulders page and on the group exercise
schedule.

Contact information
If you have questions or concerns regarding your doctoral education, you can always contact the planning officer of the programme, Tuuli Holttinen (tuuli.holttinen@helsinki.fi). However, questions regarding study rights and the examination of doctoral theses should be addressed to the training officers of the faculty, valt-postgrad@helsinki.fi. The HYMY doctoral school is in charge of organizing transferable skills courses as well as travel grant calls, so if you have questions about these, please contact hymy-doc@helsinki.fi.

Above all, do not hesitate to contact your supervisors if you feel you need more guidance and support than in normal times. We all do!

STAY CONNECTED!
Stay in touch with other people via social media, e-mail, or call them regularly. You can also arrange group video calls with your friends or family, play online games together or set up a book club to discuss books every month. During the coronavirus pandemic many of us experience feelings of insecurity and loneliness, so do not be afraid to acknowledge your emotions while talking to your friends or family – you may find they are feeling the same way.

TRY TO GET INTO A ROUTINE
For many people, having a daily routine can be extremely beneficial for both their physical and mental wellbeing. If you have been spending most of your time at home during the pandemic, chances are that you already have a routine of daily activities. As the Spring term progresses, it may be helpful to reconsider what worked and what could be changed so your days are more enjoyable and you have more time for yourself. Try going to sleep and waking
up on a set schedule not only throughout the week but also during weekends. Set clear boundaries between the time you commit to your academics and leisure. This can increase your productivity and reduce stress in your personal life, preventing burnout.

TRY TO GO OUTSIDE
We all know the Helsinki weather can be cold and windy but try to incorporate daily walks or exercise outside into your routine as much as possible. Use this opportunity to breathe some fresh air between classes or start your day with a walk while listening to a podcast or favourite song. Walking is not only relaxing but comes with a multitude of health benefits, including increased immunity and lower risk of heart diseases in the future. Walking may also improve your mood, help clear your head, and accelerate your creative thinking.

SEARCH ONLINE FOR ACTIVITIES
The idea of yet another Zoom meeting may seem unappealing, but several activities are now being run online – from yoga to language classes – there is a wealth of knowledge and experiences available to you online and delivered from all over the world. While the pandemic limits the choice of in-person activities, online opportunities are getting increasingly sophisticated, and many of them are free! Try to view this time as an unusual experience, that might have some unexpected benefits.

TRY NOT BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF
Do not ignore how you are feeling. Your feelings are totally valid, and it is normal to feel anxious and demotivated. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we experience more stress than we realise, and there is no right or wrong way to feel about the Coronavirus situation, and its effects on your life. Always prioritise yourself and your wellbeing, and do not be afraid to
reach out for help to a friend or a professional.

SERVICES
These services are here for you:
• Suomen Mielenterveys ry (Mieli ry)
• Crisis lines in various languages
• Finnish mental health support services
• Seeking help (THL/Finnish institute for health and welfare)

University chaplains are there for all members of the university community regardless of their faith and convictions (see also Flamma):

• Leena Huovinen, leena.huovinen@evl.fi, 050 3019613, Messenger, IG: leenahuovinen
• Andreas Lundgren, andreas.lundgren@evl.fi, 050 380 0662, IG: studentprästen (for Swedish-speaking UH members)

Take very good care of yourself, and stay in touch!

The Steering Committee of the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences

Johanna Sumiala
Kris Clarke
David Inglis
Anna-Maija Pirttilä-Backman
Ilkka Pietilä
Mikko Myrskylä
Sirpa Tenhunen
Keshia Dsilva
Jenni Savonen
and planning officer Tuuli Holttinen