Spring School – Early Career Women* in Popular Music Research

2022-03-08 As part of the Early Career Women* in Popular Music Research network, a Spring School will be held at Leuphana University of Lüneburg from March 24-26, 2022. Over the course of three days, around 25 female scholars* will meet in Lüneburg who are working on aspects of popular music (cultures) from various disciplinary perspectives and are in the early career phase of their academic careers, i.e. from the transition from studies to doctorate to early postdoc.

"A career in academia comes with many challenges," says event organizer Monika Schoop, Professor of Musicology, especially Popular Music Studies. She conceived the event as a handout together with Dr.in Melanie Ptatscheck (former Leuphana PhD scholar, Popular Music Studies). The Spring School offers expert input, interactive workshops and space for exchange and networking on the topics of career planning, financing and mental health. Guests include Professor Alenka Barber-Kersovan (Leuphana University), Professor Susanne Binas-Preisendörfer (University of Oldenburg) and Professor Barbara Hornberger (Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences).

"In Popular Music Studies today, although there are more female students than male, the phenomenon of the glass ceiling is very pronounced. Whether professorships, conferences, or publications: the percentage of women in the discipline is comparatively low," said Monika Schoop. "But there is not only a lack of female role models. There is also a lack of information and safe spaces for sharing experiences, networking, and empowerment. Popular Music Studies is an interdisciplinary field. This makes networking not always easy. With the Spring School, we want to create new opportunities."

The network was founded in 2021 by Prof.in Dr.in Monika Schoop (Junior Professor of Musicology, especially Popular Music Studies, Leuphana University) and Dr.in Melanie Ptatscheck. The network contributes to the overall goal of increasing the proportion of women in academia and creating equal opportunities. The network's current offerings are supported by the Mariann Steegmann Foundation, the Society for Popular Music Research (GfPM), the International Association of Popular Music Studies (IASPM D-A-CH), and the "Equality" fund of Leuphana University Lüneburg. Further events on the topics of teaching and labor law are planned for the future.