by Juan Zhong

The Seminar Series is of great significance for the School as it gathers visiting scholars and School members to share their latest research. Last month, MPhil students Natalie Mo and Anneliese Ng, and PhD candidate John Scott Daly, each gave a talk on their research. After the seminar, they kindly accepted this interview to share their reflections on the seminar, the research they are engaged in, as well as their professionalization as postgraduate students.

  

What do you think of your presentation and performance at the seminar? Did you feel nervous?

Natalie Mo: I think I did quite well! I admit I got a bit nervous midway. 15 minutes sounds short in theory, but when you’re actually presenting and all eyes are on you, it can feel like a century. The Q&A session was quite lively, which was a relief. It’s the worst feeling in the world when you’ve finished talking and no one has any questions. That’s never happened at any of the conferences I’ve been to, thankfully!

Anneliese Ng: I think I could have done better. I was a bit worried about time so I rushed the latter part of my presentation. In retrospect, I would be more selective about which ideas to expand on, so that my elucidation would be more complete.

John Scott Daly: I’m quite happy with the content now, because it’s based on a chapter of my thesis that I submitted for my confirmation. I’ve also presented variations of it before. That makes me focus on the delivery, and because the last time I presented it, I felt like I was a bit too quiet and not confident enough, this time I tried to be a bit more confident in my delivery. I think I might have gone a bit too far the other way though, so next time I’ll be going for something in between. 

How do you relate this seminar to your thesis studies?

Natalie Mo: The paper I presented is an edited version of one of my thesis chapters. I talked about Bertha Mason from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (1847) and Emma Woodhouse from Jane Austen’s Emma (1815) during my presentation. My chapter covers an extra novel: The Law and the Lady (1875) by Wilkie Collins. I argue that female doubles are usually martyred in the Victorian novel because they represent the heroine’s flaws and transgressive desires. Killing her off symbolizes the heroine conquering those flaws and completing her own developmental arc. It’s problematic because it signifies that character development has to be achieved at the cost of another character.

Anneliese Ng: I considered this seminar as a milestone in my thesis studies, a sort of test to go through so that I know I am ready for greater challenges. I have given presentations before in external conferences, but I did not take them as seriously as I did this one. Together with this seminar, they serve as checkpoints along my academic journey in terms of presenting ideas in an accessible and confident manner and responding to criticism with poise. Taking this holistic view, I think I have matured then, mainly because I was less nervous and more expectant of challenging questions. I did not mind as much when I could not provide good answers to those questions on the spot. In fact, I learned to treat them as a good sign because they pointed out what I had not considered sufficiently before.

John Scott Daly: As I said, it’s come from a chapter I submitted for my confirmation. The talk used YouTube comments as data, and originally the whole thesis was based around them. Since then it’s changed, and now I’m looking at an episode of ‘Benefits Street’ (a controversial British documentary series about people claiming welfare), the YouTube comments attached, and a live debate about benefits that followed the final episode of the first series. I’m looking at how a ‘permanent underclass’ is constructed across this discursive pathway. It’s good for the thesis but also good for me, because analysing only YouTube comments for four years is not conducive to mental wellbeing.

In what ways do you think this kind of seminar can help improve your professionalization as a research student?

Natalie Mo: The School’s seminar series is a friendly environment for research students as it simulates the processes involved in an external conference. Part of being a research student is presenting at conferences – sharing your ideas, learning about new topics, hearing what else is being done in this field, making contacts, et cetera. You usually get asked questions in a conference, maybe related to elaborating on a point or defending something. This sort of seminar is nice, a low-stakes environment to practice in.

Anneliese Ng: I think the seminar provided a very friendly and congenial environment for me to present my ideas and receive feedback. People were encouraging and supportive – this elevated my confidence, especially in dealing with critiques. I thought presenting in front of the department was intimidating, because I am not a person used to attention and I always find it difficult to project a commanding presence. I am more self-effacing, I would say. Therefore, I am really thankful for this great opportunity that compelled me to get out of my comfort zone and to grow as a scholar.

John Scott Daly: I was a teacher for quite a long time, so I’m fairly comfortable with being in front of people, but this context is more challenging and every time I do a presentation like this, I get closer to finding a style of delivery that I’m happy with. Delivering in the School seminar room was a particular milestone, because when they do things like job talks, they’re quite critical in their questioning – so having seen that happen regularly, I kind of associate the room with it. I knew they wouldn’t ask such hard questions to postgrads, but some of them were still challenging, so it was nice to come through that without falling to pieces.

Do you have any suggestion for the School on improving the professionalization for postgraduate students? Or do you have some suggestions for the research students? 

Natalie Mo: Hmm I can’t think of anything in particular for the first question. The school is quite generous with conference funds and preparing postgraduate students for overseas conferences. All in all, it’s a wonderful institution to get your postgraduate degree. One thing I have learned is that it’s important to find that work-life balance. Don’t let yourself burn out! I find it’s much more productive to take a short break after finishing a section, then go back in a good mood and with a clear head.

Anneliese Ng: I think it is important to have a sustainable work style, one that is not too harsh on yourself and burns you out. Anxiety consumes your energy – which can be better utilized. I am still trying to find the right balance between working consistently and maintaining enthusiasm. So if anyone has any good advice, I am all ears. 

John Scott Daly: There are always events to attend, positions to volunteer for, et cetera, and the people you meet through these things can take you in unexpected new directions. Sometimes these things can be quite intimidating, but I like that David Bowie quote: ‘If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in…then you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.’ So, as RPgs, I think we just need to take the professionalisation opportunities that come up – even, or especially – the ones that seem a bit beyond us.

 

Published on: May 22, 2019 < Back >