APSA sponsors in person & virtual dissertation workshops annually. Our in-person events are held the Wednesday prior to the APSA Annual Meeting. Each full-day workshop includes six PhD candidates who present a dissertation chapter, along with two faculty members who lead the workshop and moderate discussions. Our virtual workshops are held over a three-week period during the summer.
These in-person workshops will take place on Wednesday, August 30th, in conjunction with the 2023 APSA Annual Meeting, held in Los Angeles, CA.
- Black Politics in the United States
Application Deadline: April 30, 2023 | Apply Here - Migration and Citizenship
Application Deadline: April 30, 2023 | Apply Here
This virtual workshop includes six PhD candidates who present a dissertation chapter, along with two faculty members who lead the workshop and moderate discussions.
- New Topics in European Politics
Application Deadline: April 30, 2023 | Apply Here
‣ Black Politics in the United States | Apply Here
Co-Leaders: Dr. Periloux Peay, Georgia State University and Dr. Jenn Jackson, Syracuse University
Workshop Description: Many scholars of Black Politics find themselves at a troubling crossroads. There is currently a concerted effort at the local, state, and federal levels of government to undermine, discredit, and discourage those tasked with teaching and studying Black Politics. This reality is almost certainly impacting the development of graduate students interested in illuminating and explaining the conditions many Black Americans face in the United States and beyond.
We seek to combat ideologically extreme and racist ideas that threaten our collective knowledge by providing space to develop and engage with emerging scholars whose dissertations explore Black Politics in America. This workshop will be held in person on Wednesday, August 30th, at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA. The ideal candidates will be ABD students who have defended their dissertation prospectus in a topic focused on Black Politics. Candidates will be asked to submit a single chapter from their dissertation project for feedback and discussion. They will also have an opportunity to provide a brief presentation of the broader project to begin the conversation with colleagues at the mini-conference.
We invite submissions in the following, but not exhaustive, topical areas of Black Politics situated across the full spectrum of theoretical and methodological orientations:
- Critical studies rooted in Blackness/anti-Blackness
- Black political behavior
- Black representation
- Black-led social movements
- Black political psychology
- Intersectionality
- LGBTQ+ identity and Black politics
- Black rural politics
- Policies that disproportionately impact Black communities
- Black incarceration
This in-person workshop will be organized into two parts. The first section will be devoted to providing targeted feedback and facilitating robust conversations around chapters submitted by the individual students. The second section will focus on developing strategies for completing the dissertation, positioning the work on the academic job market, and advancing the dissertation project while on the tenure track.
Through this process, we will provide individual students with guidance and create a space for a broader discussion about the state of the literature and avenues for new research. The workshop will require participants to engage in peer review and will be a collaborative space. Students will leave the workshop with directed revisions to strengthen both their theoretical and methodological approaches to dissertations and future studies. Finally, this workshop will create a stronger relationship with their peers and others that they are in intellectual conversation with. We intend for students to use this opportunity to build their scholarly network, engage with peers and faculty with shared interests and experiences, and commune with one another – “Relax. Relate. Release.”
‣ Migration and Citizenship | Apply Here
Co-leaders: Dr. Margaret Peters, University of California Los Angeles and Dr. Adrian Shin, University of Colorado Boulder
Workshop Description: This in-person dissertation workshop welcomes proposals from PhD candidates working on any aspect of citizenship and/or migration, such as those highlighted by the APSA Migration and Citizenship Organized Section:
- The local, national, transnational, international, and global politics of voluntary and forced migration, including political attitudes and orientations both towards and of all categories of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and economic, family, circular, business, high-skilled, and irregular migrants;
- Immigration and emigration policies and laws, including the international relations, international political economy, and political philosophy aspects of such policies and laws;
- Immigrant integration and refugee resettlement policies and their implementation, including immigrant and refugee civic engagement, political incorporation, and citizen-making;
- Border and security studies as well as studies on intranational, regional, transnational, and international cooperation on the management and control of migration;
- The changing meanings and practices of citizenship, including the relationship between citizenship and identity, gender, multiculturalism, race and ethnicity, racism and xenophobia, human rights, indigenous peoples, empires and imperialism, civic engagement, transnationality, welfare, and public policy;
- The relationship between citizenship and transformations in or political contestation of sovereignty and political community, including state formation or disintegration, nationalism, sovereignty or secession movements, language, ethnic or other minorities, the politics of diaspora mobilization (including conflicts, democratization, voting, and economic development), and subnational, supranational (e.g., European Union), multilevel, corporate, or global citizenship;
- The politics of nationality and citizenship (and the distinctions between them), including the moral and empirical rights and obligations attached to citizenship, comparative or historical nationality law, statelessness, and policies and practices concerning the acquisition and loss of nationality through such procedures as naturalization and expatriation as well as dual or multiple citizenship.
‣ New Topics in European Politics (Virtual) | Apply Here
Co-leaders: Dr. Mareike Kleine, London School of Economics and Dr. Lukas Obholzer, Leiden University
Workshop Description: We invite any and all graduate students studying European politics to submit proposals. Mareike Kleine has special expertise in EU politics, international political economy, and international organizations. Lukas Obholzer has special expertise in political behavior, legislative politics, social media, and comparative politics. However, we are open to any and all submissions that engage European politics and that would benefit from feedback. All methods are welcome to this virtual workshop. A summary of the schedule is as follows:
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- Week 1 (June 12-June 16): Group presentations and one-on-one sessions with faculty co-leaders. Please note: chapters will be due on June 1 for leaders and participants to review before the workshop
- Week 2 (June 19-June 23): Independent writing & revising week.
- Week 3 (June 26-June 30): Group presentations, feedback, and debrief session, with optional one-on-one sessions with faculty co-leaders.
- Please note: Weeks 1 & 3 will include approximately 8-10 hours of meeting time, while the exact days of the week and times will be determined once the participants have been selected to best accommodate the time zones represented.
If you are interested in co-leading a 2023 workshop, please email grad@apsanet.org. Co-leaders are provided with honoraria for their work.