With funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Russian Studies Workshop at Indiana University will host a two-day methods training workshop for U.S.-based pre-dissertation PhD students in the social sciences with a focus on Russia. Ideal applicants should be PhD students in the United States whose work is in the social sciences (broadly defined, and including history, law, geography, etc.) and who are at the pre-dissertation research stage.
The workshop is September 14-15, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Successful applicants will receive paid domestic travel, lodging, and meals/per diem for the length of the workshop.
Carrying out research in Russia, be it quantitative or qualitative, has particular challenges—navigating the complex archival and library systems, conducting personal interviews, collecting survey data, and keeping data secure—that can make it difficult for graduate students to make efficient and effective use of their time while in country. The “Graduate Methods Training Workshop: Focus on Russia” at IU will enable pre-dissertation PhD students in the social sciences to engage in training and dialogue with experts from IU and elsewhere with a focus on particular challenges of research in Russia.
The two-day workshop will include opportunities for participants to present their own proposed research in a Lightning Round session, conduct one-on-one consultations with faculty experts, and attend from 5-6 workshops, covering:
- Qualitative Methods, including interviews
- Survey Methods
- Navigating Russia’s Library System and Archives from the U.S. and in Russia
- Datasets and Digital Methods
- Media and Discourse Analysis
The larger goals of the workshop are to build a community of pre-dissertation PhD students in the social sciences studying Russia, to promote networking and professionalization opportunities for emerging Russian Studies scholars with prominent faculty in the social sciences, and to expose emerging scholars to innovative methodological approaches in the social sciences, for studying Russia in particular.
Application deadline: June 15, 2018
All questions should be directed to rsw@iu.edu. For application instructions, visit https://rsw.indiana.edu/research/workshops-and-conferences.html