Call for Application: Academic Writing Workshop
Promoting Feminist Scholarship and Knowledge Production
with Amina Singh
Organized by Martin Chautari
Feminist activism is often informed by specific feminist ideologies and concepts. In the context of Nepal, the very idea of ‘feminism’ is often critiqued upon as a ‘western’ concept imposed by development agencies and hence deemed irrelevant and even counter-productive for social transformation. This raises some questions about feminist practices and activism in Nepal: what are the main feminist agendas in the context of Nepal (if at all)? Whose concerns and issues are included in the agenda? Who decides how to address these concerns? Whose voices are prominent and heard in the debates and for whom do they claim to speak? Underlying these questions is another important question: What is the body of knowledge informing these practices? A major concern facing feminist activism in Nepal is the lack of a rigorous feminist scholarship that produces localized and situated feminist knowledge to inform feminist practice and activism. Even in cases where there is locally produced knowledge, these often go undocumented and unrecognized as valid sources of knowledge. This has led to the tendency to dismiss any kind of feminist work in Nepal as being myopic, even reductionist and lacking academic rigour.
This workshop aims to make a contribution towards building feminist scholarship in Nepal by creating a learning forum for those interested in enhancing their academic writing skills informed by a feminist perspective while also developing in-depth knowledge in a specific thematic issue related to feminism. The workshop will include a discussion of various theoretical positions and methodological issues related to feminist writing. As a tangible outcome, participants are expected to produce an academic paper informed by a feminist perspective. Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be able to demonstrate their skills of
- Writing an academic paper framed within a feminist perspective (writing abstracts, conceptualizing and problematizing a feminist issue for academic inquiry, establishing an argument, generating relevant data for analysis and theory-informed conclusions)
- Practising peer review, commenting and academic engagement
- Effective communication and presentation of the paper in an academic forum
This academic writing workshop has been designed for scholars, researchers and students who have some prior experience in reading and writing for academic purposes and conducting research. The workshop will be conducted in a reading seminar style in weekly 3 hour sessions for about six weeks to cover the theoretical foundations on feminist perspectives and academic writing. It will then resume on a monthly basis for five months. The monthly face to face sessions will include peer reviews of writing and ongoing discussion to continue support for writing. The specific content for discussion in the monthly meetings will be determined based on consultations with the participants and their need for support.
Eligibility and course requirements
- Participants must have a minimum of Master’s degree with a research component. Interested participants currently enrolled in a Master’s degree program and in the thesis writing stage will be given consideration based upon availability of seats. Candidates with prior experience in doing research work will also be considered.
- Participants must have experience in academic reading and writing in both Nepali and English as participants will be required to critically read the assigned academic papers and come thoroughly prepared to the classes with their notes and questions.
- Participants should have some experience in conducting research (doing interviews, observations or other methods of collecting data). Those who have already done academic research may use their existing work to develop their paper.
- During the course of the program, the designated participants must be willing to submit their written work for discussion and feedback prior to the monthly workshop.
- Participants designated as peer reviewers must be willing to read the assigned work of a fellow participant and provide feedback and comments during the workshop meetings.
- Participants must be willing to coordinate, by rotation, parts of the workshop proceedings. They will be expected to build a collegiate out of the workshop group in which respect for differing opinions will be accorded in a democratic and professional manner.
Application Process
Please submit the following in an email with a clear subject line indicating your interest in the MC Academic Writing workshop:
- A cover letter, either in Nepali or English, describing your interest in the writing program, your current academic engagement, if any, and what you hope to achieve from this workshop.
- A brief CV that mentions your contact information, educational and disciplinary achievements, relevant work experiences and publications.
- A concept note (1000 - 1500 words) describing the issue or argument that you plan to use in writing your paper for this workshop.
Applications can only be accepted if all the documents requested are submitted as one single attached file appropriately named and sent to chautari@mos.com.np with “Application for Academic Writing Workshop” on the subject line.
Venue
Seminar Hall, Martin Chautari
27, Jeetjung Marg, Thapathali, Kathmandu
Course fee: NRs. 5000
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.martinchautari.org.np/index.php/mcannouncements/?id=93