Graduate School

Integrated Graduate School of Metaphors of Religion (GSMR)

The “Graduate School of Metaphor and Religion” (GSMR) is the central instrument for supporting early-career researchers (ECRs) within the Collaborative Research Center 1475 (CRC). The GSMR connects all CRC-associated doctoral students, early career postdocs and advanced master students and welcomes applications from other junior researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) working on related topics. It serves as a platform for networking and knowledge exchange, fostering collaboration among ECRs across different disciplines and institutions involved in the CRC.

By adhering to the highest standards for mentorship and training—including a curriculum-based, individualized training and supervision plan—the GSMR fosters a new generation of researchers equipped to meet current and future challenges at the intersection of religious studies, philology, corpus linguistics, and computational linguistics.

GSMR's Activities

GSMR's activities include a range of interdisciplinary programs aimed at enriching the research experience of its members. These include introductory courses on the CRC’s interdisciplinary research focus, particularly the convergence of corpus linguistics and religious studies, biweekly research colloquia, annual progress presentations, weekly CRC plenary sessions, and semiannual workshops on research methods. Monthly journal clubs and the CRC’s annual meeting further provide opportunities for ECRs to engage with their peers and the broader research community.

In addition to its educational and networking opportunities, GSMR offers funding opportunities. GSMR members can, for example, apply for funding for conference trips, research stays abroad or the organization of workshops. An application for cost coverage must be completed and sent to the GSMR coordinator. External ECRs can also apply for scholarships, and the program facilitates short-term visits from guest researchers, encouraging productive exchanges between internal and external experts and ECRs.

Beyond the CRC’s offerings, GSMR members benefit from the extensive programs available at RUB, such as the RUB Research School, Research Academy Ruhr (RAR), the RUB Center for Methods, and the Digital Humanities Center. This combination of subject-specific training and complementary skills development—covering areas like academic writing, career mentoring, and knowledge transfer—ensures that GSMR members are well-prepared for both current and future challenges within or outside of academia