Note on Timing
The Lebanon Dissertation Summer Institute is currently accepting applications for its 2017 installment, which will be held 12-23 June 2017 in Beirut. Please read the entire call for participants carefully as applicants must meet all elegibility requirements and submit complete applications by 5 March 2017 to be considered. Applicants will be notified by no later than 5 April 2017 of the decision concerning their application.
Introduction
The Arab Studies Institute (ASI) and AUB’s Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (CAMES) are pleased to announce the second installment of the Lebanon-focused Doctoral Dissertation Summer Institute, to be held in Beirut 12-23 June 2017. The program aims to provide a framework for facilitating and advancing rigorous inter-disciplinary doctoral dissertation research on Lebanon.
Scholarly literature on Lebanon is seldom fully integrated into the graduate coursework of PhD students focusing on the Middle East and North Africa region. Furthermore, such students rarely find themselves at institutions with access to a scholar of Lebanon to fulfill the role of course professor, academic advisor, field examiner, or dissertation committee member. These dynamics are particularly important given the frequent and problematic ways that historical and contemporary political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics in Lebanon are exceptionalized vis-à-vis the comparative study of societies in general and the Middle East in particular.
By bringing together PhD students of various disciplinary training and topical foci, this program creates a space to interrogate, modify, and develop critical approaches to the study of Lebanon. Central to this process is increasing students’ familiarity with the contours of knowledge production as well as field research in Lebanon.
The goals of the doctoral dissertation summer workshop are as follows:
- Deepen participants’ theoretical and empirical foundations for the study;
- Introduce applicants to the main questions and methods of various disciplines;
- Facilitate logistical preparation for archival and other forms of research fieldwork;
- Contribute to the development of a doctoral dissertation research and writing community;
- Expand critical knowledge production on Lebanon.
A cohort of PhD students, representing an array of disciplines, research agendas, and institutional affiliations, will be chosen from an open pool of applicants through a competitive selection process.
Cost of Attendance
There is no participation cost other than international travel and local accommodation. The Arab Studies Institute (ASI) and Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (CAMES) are covering the costs associated with the implementation of all summer workshop activities, including most related local meals and all local transportation, as well as a one-year research affiliation with CAMES. Please note each accepted participant will be responsible for funding and securing their international airfare, entry visa, and local accommodation. If necessary, the co-directors of the summer workshop will provide participants with access to reserved accommodations made available at a special group rate.
Eligibility
In order to apply and be considered for admission into the doctoral dissertation summer institute, individuals must fulfill the following criteria:
- Currently enrolled in an accredited doctoral program of any university around the world (including those residing in Lebanon, or enrolled at a university in Lebanon). Applicants can be based in humanities or social science divisions of their academic institutions, and can be seeking a discipline-specific or interdisciplinary degree.
- Advanced to candidacy or ABD (i.e., have formally defended their dissertation research proposal and passed their general and/or qualifying exams) by no later than 1 June of the participating summer.
- Possess advanced Arabic proficiency in reading and speaking and intermediate Arabic proficiency in writing.
Application
All applicants must submit the following materials via email to Lebanon.Dissertaton@gmail.com by no later than 5 March 2017 :
- Cover Letter (must include reasons for applying to the workshop; summary of research agenda; description of academic preparation; and mention of prior experience in the region and/or Lebanon).
- Current Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- Letter of Recommendation from Primary Advisor and/or Dissertation Chair.
- Copy of Research Prospectus Approved by Home University (15-page limit).
- Completed Academic and Language Training Form (click here to download).
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://lebanondissertation.weebly.com/call-for-participants.html