This event follows the same concept as a "science slam”. Using the theme 'shocking', competitors have eight-minutes to perform entertaining and fun style presentations on current topics. Each 'slammer' is judged by the audience through a decibelmetre. The slam will be recorded 'live' and posted on the ECPR website. 

The top three slammers will receive prizes worth €500, €350 and €200 for either a voucher towards a Methods School up to 2017, or ECPR Press books.

To submit a proposal email benoit.rihoux@uclouvain.be by 12 July.

Brown Bag Lunch Session (room 1)
This a free lunch-time session, consisting of a presentation by experts in a ‘hot’ methodological topic, followed by an open debate. You can also pre-order a lunch bag for €5 to be delivered to the session. Lunches can be ordered and paid for at the Summer School office before 12:00 Monday 27 July.
Topic: '(Why) are Methods Skills Crucial for Career Development?'
An increasing proportion of advanced students and junior researchers, Ph.D. researchers in particular, are developing sharp methods skills. On the one hand, they see this as a way to improve the quality of their ongoing research project(s). On the other hand, they see this as a way to enrich their CV beyond their thematic or disciplinary skills, in the hope that this will be useful for their CV and career-building. Is it so that methods skills constitute a key resource to get more senior jobs, in particular after a Ph.D? Is it the case both on the academic and non-academic job markets?

Speakers: Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Samo Kropivnik and TBC

MAXQDA is a powerful tool, which makes it easy for you to organise, evaluate, and interpret qualitative and mixed methods data, create easy-to-read reports and visualisations, and connect and share with other researchers www.maxqda.com. 

This informative 60-minute session is focused on the practical knowledge required for using MAXQDA for the analysis of qualitative data and will introduce you to the basic features. Afterwards you will be able to start your first research project with this software. You will also have a good understanding which deeper analysis techniques and features are available, e.g. automatic coding, searching and how to use memos to hold and organize ideas and thoughts.

Free Course Taster Sessions 
The ‘Course Taster’ sessions cover two courses from the broad Summer School programme. The Instructor of each course presents a short 25 minute lecture on their course topic. This enables you to get a clearer picture of the core assumptions, goals and ‘toolbox’ within each course. 

Course Taster Session 1 (room 20): 'Correspondence Analysis' with Philippe Blanchard 
You have big or messy data? Numerous variables with complex associations or multiple choices? You wish to mine your data as much as model them? Correspondence analysis is for you, a method essential to the study of political values and attitudes, sociological and ideological profiles of electorates and organisational memberships.

Course Taster Session 2 (room 21): 'Applied Multilevel Modelling' with Zoltán Fazekas
Context matters. Countries, political systems, or neighborhoods are different and comparative theories focus on the influence of contextual heterogeneity. Multilevel modeling offers a way to evaluate such influences and also account for some specific issues related to clustering in your data. Why would you want to stay on one level, when there might be an important second, or a third level?

All SSMT participants are invited to present a poster representing their ‘work in progress’ (typically, this would be a PhD research project but it could also be an ongoing applied research project). The award is named after Dirk Berg-Schlosser in recognition of his instrumental work in bringing the ECPR Summer School in Methods and Techniques to life. 

Posters will be on display (size A1) during the Summer School in the main foyer. First place €250, Second place €150 and third place €100.

If you would like to enter please email your poster as a PDF file, to the Summer School office sabina.otonicar@fdv.uni-lj.si by Monday 20 July. 

Brown Bag Lunch Session (room 1)
This a free lunch-time session, consisting of a presentation by experts in a ‘hot’ methodological topic, followed by an open debate. You can also pre-order a lunch bag for €5 to be delivered to the session. Lunches can be ordered and paid for at the Summer School office before 12:00 Monday 3 August.
Topic: 'The best design (ever)?'
While great research design does not necessarily make great research, it certainly doesn't hurt. In this session, three instructors will each present one published piece of research that they believe is the 'best ever' design in the social sciences. What makes a good design? How do we know a good research design when we see it? Is there a tradeoff between methodological innovation and empirical rigour? 

Speaker: Levi Littvay and Bojana Lobe

MAXQDA is a powerful tool, which makes it easy for you to organise, evaluate, and interpret qualitative and mixed methods data, create easy-to-read reports and visualisations, and connect and share with other researchers www.maxqda.com. 

This informative 60-minute online session is focused on the practical knowledge required for using MAXQDA for the analysis of qualitative data and will introduce you to the basic features. Afterwards you will be able to start your first research project with this software. You will also have a good understanding which deeper analysis techniques and features are available, e.g. automatic coding, searching and how to use memos to hold and organize ideas and thoughts.

Sign up at: www.maxqda.com/ecpr

Participants can log into the webinar from any computer that has a stable internet connection and the ability to play sound (headphones or loudspeakers). You do not need to have MAXQDA installed to take part in the webinar.