At the University of Bayreuth, we are not just students in lecture halls.

Original version in French: click here

We met Dr. Sara Graveleau, who holds a PhD in history and is currently on a postdoctoral contract at the University Grenoble Alpes. She is part of a project on digital humanities funded by the National French Research Agency ANR. She completed her thesis in co-supervision with the University of Bayreuth, and she told us about her experience.

Hello, Sara. Can you tell us about your background?

I have always loved history: when I used to go on holiday abroad with my parents, I visited museums, churches – I was interested in old stones. The choice of a history course was therefore an obvious one. I was in the right place.

So I started with a Bachelor's degree at the University of Cholet[1], then a Master's degree at the University of Angers[2], where I went on to do a doctorate, in joint supervision with a professor from the University of Bayreuth. As I had always wanted to teach, I chose to prepare for the CAFEP examination[3]: I passed it, I was given tenure but finally took a leave of absence to work on the BASNUM research project until the summer of 2021.

You seem to have been able to maintain the link with research after you finally left it. How did this happen?

Network! Shortly before the end of my thesis, I took the initiative to contact the main coordinators of this project to invite them to my thesis jury. Unfortunately, they were not available but showed great interest in my thesis topic. They contacted me again some time later and proposed that I join the team as a postdoctoral researcher. I then made a request to the French Ministry for Education to put my teaching assignment on hold, which was accepted. That’s how I was able to join the team. I bring my expertise as a historian on Basnage de Beauval and its networks.

Now let's go back to your beginnings and your doctoral training in particular. How was this project set up?

I met the professor who would later become my thesis supervisor during my Master’s degree. It's reassuring to know that the person who is going to supervise you on a long project knows you, knows how you work. It's all the more reassuring when this Master's experience has gone very well. When he suggested that I should apply for the doctoral project he had just submitted to the region for funding, I jumped at the chance.

This project would allow me to keep working on minority issues. As I moved from the master's to the doctorate, I was moving from studying a community to studying an individual from that community. I was going to be able to go deeper into the subject and to access European resources.

Was the international joint supervision a decisive element?

No, not really, in the sense that I learned that the project would be co-supervised after I decided to get started! To be honest, I didn't really know about this scheme. I was even a bit afraid because I had no notion of German. They reassured me that I could interact in English without any problem. However, I decided to take some German lessons before I left.

Doing a joint PhD means having two supervisors. How did your meeting with your second supervisor at the University of Bayreuth go? What was your relationship with her?

I met her during the recruitment interview. I knew that she knew my French supervisor well, thanks in particular to their common membership of the network of historians specialising in Protestantism in modern times, but they had never before worked together in a joint PhD degree. As my French supervisor knew me very well and knew how I worked, he passed on some useful information to her, which certainly facilitated the relationship afterwards. This good understanding between the two supervisors is essential for a successful joint PhD. I was lucky to have supervisors who were present and responsive.

Did she help you to integrate during your mobility in Bayreuth?

Yes, indeed. My joint PhD contract stipulated that I would spend three months a year in Bayreuth, usually between April and July. During my first stay, for example, when I arrived, she brought all her students and doctoral students together so that I could meet them. She also organised a seminar at the end of my stay in Bayreuth every year, for a few days, in which all the work was presented. This enabled me to create a bond with these people whom I saw again from one year to the next. She also made sure that I didn't just spend my time in the library by inviting me to attend her modern history courses, which enabled me to continue my socialisation.

You have just mentioned the joint PhD contract, which is a central piece in the launch of the project. What must be taken into account?

What I am about to say is not exhaustive and is based on my personal experience. In any case, it is important to have a good understanding of the requirements of both universities with regard to the doctorate.

The first thing is to make sure in which language you can write your thesis. In my case, I could choose to write in English or in French with an English summary.

You should also know that the time between the submission of the manuscript and the defence is not the same for all universities: knowing when you would be allowed to defend your thesis is really a help!

The contract also stipulates the composition of your jury - how many people, what profiles, the possibility of inviting them by visio... - or even the prerequisites for the defence, such as the documents that must be sent in, for example.

The principle of a joint PhD is to enable doctoral students to spend part of their training in the partner country: the contract specifies the timetable for this mobility, which is negotiated between the two institutions and according to the project.

Finally, you must know, for example, that in Germany, the volume of manuscripts for doctorates in the humanities is limited. In my case, this limit was set at 500 pages. To avoid having to rewrite and shorten it, it is better to have this information well in advance!

We have just seen a few points of caution on cotutelle. But cotutelle is not just a compilation of administrative elements, far from it! Can you tell us how this experience between Angers and Bayreuth has been beneficial?

It has been very beneficial both scientifically and personally. The fact of having a double supervision allows us to benefit from complementary expertise, thus enriching the research axis. It is also a good opportunity to access new resources and to develop new European or international networks. I was able to take part in several conferences and other scientific events, where I met many international researchers. We are still in touch and we continue to quote each other for our articles. Finally, I think that without my three intensive three-month stays in Bayreuth, I would not have been able to finish my thesis in 3.5 years, a period which is not very common in the humanities.

On a personal level, the enrichment was also very important. Of course, there are the cultural and linguistic discoveries. But it is also, and above all, a discovery of oneself. This mobility in Bayreuth was my first experience of mobility "on my own". I learned to live differently, to get out of my comfort zone. When I arrived in Bayreuth without knowing anyone, I had the impression that I was starting from scratch.

We have seen that cotutelle was not what you had originally imagined but that you do not regret the experience. Nor had you imagined doing research in Bayreuth. Was the University of Bayreuth finally the right choice?

Yes, for several reasons, mainly personal. I studied at two small universities, Cholet and Angers, where everyone got to know each other and where we managed to build up interesting relationships with the teachers. We weren't just students in lecture halls. It was important for me to find a town and a university on a human scale, in which I could quickly get my bearings: I found that in Bayreuth.

As you know, I am passionate about history and culture. Although it is a medium-sized city, Bayreuth offers many opportunities in this field. It is also very well situated and I could easily discover other German cities, such as Berlin, Bamberg or Würzburg. It is also very easy to get to the Czech Republic because the border is close. Beyond the cultural offer, Bayreuth is located in a very beautiful region where nature has its place, with many forests and lakes. I really liked the atmosphere of the Biergarten. All this changed my view of Germany.

Finally, I took part in various activities offered by the University of Bayreuth to facilitate the integration of international researchers. All this made me feel welcome.

Can you tell us more?

There are the German courses, which I took with a whole group of international students and researchers. With some of them we even organised sightseeing tours in the region and beyond. What I found very nice was the active cultural scene the campus: we could regularly attend concerts, film sessions... on campus. The European football championship was broadcast here and I remember very well the atmosphere during a football match between Germany and France. The Bayreuth campus is full of life.

We would like to end this interview with some advice for students and doctoral students who are considering a cotutelle with Bayreuth. Which ones could you give?

For non-German speakers, I would tell them that language is not a problem. It is easy to communicate since the campus is international and you can get by with English. Doing a PhD in cotutelle is a real personal enrichment: it is normal to have some apprehensions but you will profit by overcoming them and going for it. It's a great experience!

 Thank you very much for your testimonial, Sara!

The gateway offices of the University of Bayreuth in Shanghai, Melbourne and Bordeaux would be happy to assist you in organizing your joint PhD project.

[1] In France

[2] In France

[3] National examination enabling to teach in private high schools