Deadline: 5:00 PM (EST), November 11, 2013
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 2014 MENA Workshop program. The program will be conducted as a series of two, related one-week sessions linked by a 3-4 month break for writing, research, and mentorship. The first of the two workshops will take place in May or June, with the follow-up workshop scheduled for August or September. The same leaders are not required to lead both sessions. For a full description of the program and application process, see the project website.
Background
The APSA MENA Workshops program is a multi-year collaboration in the Arab Middle East and North African countries to enhance scholarly capacity and networking among early-career scholars. With support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, APSA is organizing a series of annual political science workshops in cooperation with host universities across the region. Along with APSA’s Africa Workshop program, the MENA Workshops constitute a major component of APSA’s efforts to engage political science communities outside the United States and support research networks linking US scholars with their colleagues overseas. The inaugural MENA workshop on “States in Transition, Constitutional Engineering and Political Science Research” is currently scheduled to take place at the American University in Cairo (AUC) from February 9-14, 2014.
Each workshop is led by a joint team of senior researchers from universities in the MENA region and the US or Europe. Workshop leaders serve as academic directors of the program and will be responsible for designing a unique syllabus and academic program that is structured around experienced and established partnerships. This includes identifying a university or research institute in the MENA region to host the workshop. Workshop administration and logistics will be led by APSA staff in conjunction with local host partners. A modest honorarium will be provided and related expenses (meals, transportation, and lodging) will be covered.
Each one-week program brings together approximately 20 PhD candidates and early-career scholars from across the MENA region, plus several from the United States and Europe. Over the course of the program, participants will receive training in basic research skills, engage in discussions of topical literature, present and refine manuscripts for publication and build professional connections with other scholars. Participants will be use the period between the two complementary sessions to further their own research with both mentoring and small grant support. The working language of the program is English.
Application Instructions and Criteria
Leadership proposals should focus on the first of the two workshop sessions. Prospective leaders who may be interested in leading the May/June session but not the August/September session are still encouraged to apply. Following the inaugural workshops scheduled to take place at AUC next year, prospective co-leaders should propose a non-Egyptian institutional partner for the 2014 MENA Workshop program. Leaders may propose that both sessions be held at the same host institution, or identify two different partner organizations.
Workshop proposals may be submitted by a combination of Junior (assistant professor) and Senior scholars (associate or full professor), however, the senior scholar must be the lead applicant. We welcome submissions jointly by either:
A) Two political scientists based in the US/Europe together with two regionally-based scholars,
B) Two political scientists based in the US/Europe who commit to partnering with two regionally-based scholars nominated by the MENA Project Steering Committee, or
C) two regionally-based scholars who commit to partnering with two political scientists in the US/Europe nominated by the MENA Project Steering Committee. At least one of the team-members must be based at the regional host institution.
Applications should be written in three sections:
I. Workshop Theme Proposal (1-2 pages)
Prospective co-leaders should specify a thematic focus for each one-week session (or for just the initial one- week workshop if unable to lead both sessions), from which they will build a reading list and set the schedule of events. The workshop theme proposal should provide a coherent intellectual foundation for the program. Any research or substantive theme in political science is welcome. Proposals should address how the theme and methodological questions to be raised will achieve workshop goals and incorporate new developments in the field and literature.
II. Substantive Leadership of the Workshop (2-3 pages)
In this section, applicants must provide detailed information on the following:
- Naming the workshop co-leaders and providing an explanation of the professional ties between them. If submitting a proposal with less than four leaders, include a statement on the team’s current capabilities and the complementary research expertise or experience that additional co-leaders should bring.
- A specific division of labor among the workshop leaders. For example, which workshop leaders are best suited to assume responsibility for particular sections? As necessary, include mention of proposed leadership responsibilities during the period between the two workshop sessions.
- Proposed location and institutional partner, including:
- Specification of, and justification for, a workshop location and host university/research institute
- Overview of recommended host institution and relevant background, including specification of institutional capacity to host, support, and organize a residential workshop for up to 30 participants
- Explanation of existing ties to local research communities and institutions of higher education
- Commitment to the collective intellectual leadership of the workshop, including devoting sufficient time
to:
- reviewing all participant applications
- finalizing the workshop syllabus and schedule
- attending week(s) of the workshop in residence
- consulting regularly with APSA staff from selection through the end of the workshop
- communicating with applicants in the run-up to the workshop as needed
III. Supplementary Information (no page limit)
This section of the application should provide:
- Recent CVs for all proposed workshop 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
Applications should be submitted electronically to APSA in Microsoft Word format, 12-point font, and double-spaced (except for Section III Supplementary Information, which can be single spaced). Send applications to menaworkshops@apsanet.org by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on November 11, 2013. Selections will be announced in December 2013. Prospective leadership teams interested in receiving feedback on their proposal ideas are encouraged to reach out to APSA well before the submission deadline.
Contact Us: Send an email at menaworkshops@apsanet.org, or call Andrew Stinson at (202) 349-9364, if you have questions or would like more information about the workshops or application process.
