CALL FOR PAPERS

MIDDLE EAST STUDIES ASSOCIATION
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH WORKSHOP

Saturday, October 10, 2020
1:00-5:00pm
Marriott Wardman Park
Washington, DC

Sponsored by the Committee on Undergraduate Middle East Studies (CUMES)

The Committee on Undergraduate Middle East Studies (CUMES) is sponsoring an undergraduate research workshop to be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association. The workshop is an opportunity for students in any academic discipline with a focus on the Middle East to present their research to other students and to get feedback and research advice from faculty facilitators. The workshop will be led by a diverse group of Middle East studies scholars, drawn from CUMES, MESA award winners, and other leading academics.

The workshop will help students hone their research skills by placing their work in the academic literature, developing research methods, and exposing students to data, archives, and other sources in Middle East studies. The workshop will conclude with a poster session open to all conference attendees.

Students participating in the workshop are invited to attend the full MESA conference, gaining an exposure to the most recent research and experiencing the intellectual vibrancy of a professional academic gathering. This workshop will valuable for students planning graduate work in Middle East Studies.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION AND DEADLINES

Paper proposals should be submitted by May 1, 2020. Applicants will be notified by May 31, 2020. Proposals should include an abstract and a letter of recommendation from a professor at the student’s home university commenting on the quality of the proposal and why the student would benefit from the workshop. Each paper abstract must be between 200 and 300 words.

Proposals should be scholarly, with a strong, focused statement of thesis or significance, and a discussion of the research methods and data to be used.

Please submit paper proposals and letters of recommendation by email to Dr. Stephen Tamari, Workshop Coordinator, at [email protected]. Papers will be selected based on the quality of the proposal, diversity of disciplinary areas, and with an eye towards maximizing the diversity of the colleges and universities represented. The workshop will be limited to 16 student participants.

REGISTRATION FEES

The fee for the workshop is $50, which also provides full access to the Middle East Studies Association conference October 10-13. Students are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. Successful applicants will be able to apply for $250.00 in travel support from MESA. Membership in MESA is not required for participation in the workshop.

For more information, contact Workshop Coordinators Dr. Stephen Tamari ([email protected]; 618-650-3967) or Dr. Jeff VanDenBerg ([email protected]; 417-873-6947).