Mentoring Scheme

The Society for Renaissance Studies and the Early Modern Scholars of Colour Network are committed to encouraging Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in academia. They recognise the diverse community of early modern scholars who have a wealth of experience and expertise. In collaboration with EMSoC, the Society has put together a mentoring scheme for early career academics, independent scholars and PhD students to support mentees in academia. The Society hopes that these mentoring sessions will allow mentors and mentees to work on a goal, such as building a fellowship or funding application, writing articles or a book proposal but it ultimately provides a safe space for ECAs to get support and advice.

We recommend that mentors and mentees meet for three 40–45-minute meetings over an academic year with some form of brief written or verbal feedback. Sessions can occur online or in person.

Meetings can be target-driven, such as the mentor offering support for a mentee who is preparing an article for publication and/or offer pastoral guidance. The mentor and the mentee will determine the parameters of the mentorship and the mentor will be required to attend one online training session.

A suggested plan is:

Meeting 1: getting to know one another and establishing a goal[s]

Meeting 2: catch-up meeting - is the goal[s] on track, re-evaluating the timeline, and discussing what will be achieved by the next meeting.

Meeting 3: catch up, has the goal[s] been achieved (can discuss next steps)

This scheme particularly welcomes diverse applicants regardless of their background. Applications from scholars of colour and candidates currently under-represented in academic posts are strongly encouraged. The Society also welcomes applications from candidates who have a disability or long-term health conditions. The Society can provide documents in large print, audio and other formats when required.

The mentoring scheme ran for the first time in 2023. Many thanks to Shani Bans, Hanh Bui, Hannah Crawforth, Nour El Gazzaz, Wendy Lennon, Hassana Moosa and Masuda Qureshi for their work in devising and developing this scheme. In 2024-2025, the scheme will be led by Hanh Bui and Lydia Valentine for EMSoC and Jane Grogan and Rachel Willie for SRS.

Apply by 6th December 2024.