2018 APSA MENA Workshops
Call for Proposals
Workshop Leaders for the 2018 APSA MENA Workshops
Deadline: Sunday, October 29, 2017
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is pleased to announce a call for proposals from political scientists interested in serving as co-leaders for the 5th annual MENA Workshop program. The 2018 program will be conducted as a series of two one-week sessions (held in the spring and fall) linked by a 3-4 month break for writing, research, and manuscript revision. For a full description of the program and application process, see the project website.
Background
Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the MENA Workshops are a multi-year effort to support political science research and networking among early-career scholars across the region. The workshops extend APSA’s engagement with the international political science community and strengthen efforts to support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas.
Hosted in cooperation with universities and research institutions across the MENA region, previous workshops have been held at the Alsalam Center for Development and Strategic Studies in Kuwait, the American University in Cairo (AUC), the American University of Beirut (AUB), the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, the Center for Maghreb Studies in Tunis (CEMAT), Lebanese American University (LAU) in Beirut, and Qatar University’s Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI). Each program is dedicated to a substantive issue in political science, with a unique schedule of lectures, discussions, topical presentations and debates, guest speakers, peer review sessions, professional development seminars, and local field trips. Throughout the workshops, fellows receive critical feedback on their own research and work to refine these manuscripts for publication.
Workshops are led by a team of two scholars based at universities in the MENA region and two scholars based in the US or Europe. Co-leaders serve as academic directors of the program and are responsible for identifying universities or research institutes in the MENA region to host the workshops, preparing a unique syllabus with readings and discussion sessions, and providing detailed feedback on participants’ research. Program administration and logistics will be led by APSA staff in conjunction with local host partners. An honorarium will be provided and related expenses (meals, transportation, and lodging) will be covered.
Participants will include approximately twenty competitively-selected PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers from across the MENA region. The working language of the program is English.
Application Instructions and Criteria
Workshop proposals should be submitted jointly by four co-leaders (two MENA-based and two US/Europebased). Leadership teams should include both women and men. Teams may include a combination of junior (assistant professor) and senior scholars (associate or full professor); however, must include at least one senior scholar with experience advising PhD candidates. Proposals should explain the scope of the professional ties between workshop co-leaders, with preference given to teams demonstrating previous collaboration.
Workshop proposals should specify, with justification, where the workshops will take place and with which host organizations. Strong preference will be given to proposals that include the MENA-based co-leaders’ institutions as host organizations. Local partners must present a welcoming environment for social science research and have the institutional capacity to support a successful residential workshop, including close linkages to local institutions of higher education and research communities.
Proposals should be written in three sections:
I. Workshop Theme (1-2 pages)
The workshop theme proposal should provide a coherent intellectual foundation for the overall program. Prospective co-leaders should specify a thematic focus and outline relevant sub-themes from which they will build a reading list and set the schedule of events for both workshop weeks. Any research topic or substantive theme in political science is welcome. Proposals should address how the theme will incorporate theoretical and methodological training, how it will incorporate new developments in the field and literature, and how it will achieve the program goals of supporting regional networking and publication.
II. Leaders and Partners (3-4 pages)
In this section, co-leaders must provide detailed information on the following:
- Identify the workshop co-leaders and describe the professional ties between them.
- A specific division of labor among the workshop leaders. For example, which workshop leaders are best suited to assume responsibility for particular sub-themes? Which workshop leaders can help identify local guest speakers for particular topics?
- Proposed location and institutional partner, including:
> Specification and justification for workshop locations and host university/research institutes
> Overview of recommended host institutions and relevant background, including:
- Description of institutional capacity to host a residential workshop for 25 participants
- Explanation of existing ties to local research communities and universities
- Description of past experience in hosting social science conferences or events
- Proposing possible dates for both workshop weeks. Our schedule supposes an initial spring workshop (early/mid-May) with a follow-up workshop in the fall (late-August/early-September); however, alternative schedules may be considered. Co-leaders should identify two available weeks for each oneweek workshop. Final dates will be set in consultation with APSA staff, co-leaders, and host partners.
- Commitment to the collective leadership of the workshop, including devoting sufficient time to:
- reviewing all participant applications o finalizing the workshop syllabus and schedule
- preparing for and attending both weeks of the workshop in residence
- matching participants with manuscript-reviewers over the interim period
- consulting regularly with APSA staff throughout the workshop program
- communicating with fellows over the course of the workshop program as needed
III. Supplementary Information (no page limit)
This section of the proposal should provide:
- Recent CVs for all prospective workshop co-leaders
- A discussion of any relevant experience in organizing workshops
- A draft reading list and/or workshop schedule (optional)
- A letter of support from the proposed institutional partner (optional)
Application Timeline and Information
Proposals should be submitted via the online form no later than Sunday, October 29, 2017. Attachments should be in Microsoft Word format, 12-point font, and double-spaced. Team selection will be announced in December 2018. Prospective leaders interested in discussing their ideas and/or receiving feedback on a draft proposal are encouraged to reach out to APSA well before the deadline.
Contact Information
Send an email to menaworkshops@apsanet.org if you have questions or would like more information about the workshops and/or application process.