Spring/Summer 2010 Graduate Student eNewsletter

The APSA Graduate Student eNewsletter provides graduate student members with information about APSA programs, the Annual Meeting, and other events. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, we'd like to hear from you. Send an email to grad@apsanet.org

2010 ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION AND EVENTS:

1. Online Program Available: Start Planning Your Schedule
2. Preregister by August 6 for the Lower Student Rate
3. Book Your Hotel
4. Annual Meeting Working Groups
5. Short Course Information
6. Schedule a Job Interview
7. Networking Opportunities at Annual Meeting Receptions

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:

1. The Centennial Center: Your Home for Research in Washington, D.C.
2. Grants and Funding for Graduate Students

GET CONNECTED:

1. FREE Membership for First Year Graduate Students
2. Participate in APSA's Mentoring Initiative
3. Announcing New APSA Organized Section, Experimental Research
4. APSA Connect for Professional Networking and Collaboration
5. APSA Student Snapshot

RESOURCES IN THE DISCIPLINE:

1. Visit the APSA Graduate Student Connection Online!
2. Interdisciplinary Report
3. Conferences, Workshops, and Seminars in the Profession

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2010 ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION AND EVENTS:

1. Online Program Available: Start Planning Your Schedule
   The online program is now available at www.apsanet.org/mtgs/program_2010/. Use the fully searchable online program to find out the day and time of your panels. TOP


2. Preregister by August 6 for the Lower Student Rate
   We encourage participants, whether or not they are presenting at the conference, to preregister for the Annual Meeting, rather than waiting to register on site, because the preregistration fee is much lower. You can preregister online. Details can be found at www.apsanet.org/2010.
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3. Book Your Hotel
   APSA Working Groups consist of small groups of scholars who convene throughout the conference to discuss a common topic in-depth. Working Groups will draw on the rich and diverse content of the Annual Meeting and allow small groups the opportunity to interact intensively on a common set of themes. Working Groups are intended to enrich graduate student participation by creating a community experience and encourage networking.  With 13 established topics ranging from Democratic Policy Processes to Citizenship and Migration, there is a Working Group for every graduate student. You can find a detailed listing of Working Groups at www.apsanet.org/section_584.cfm. Space is limited, so sign up today! >
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4. Annual Meeting Working Groups
   Annual Meeting working groups consist of small groups of scholars who convene throughout the duration of the conference to discuss a common topic. The working groups draw on the rich content of the Annual Meeting to allow small groups to interact intensively and on a sustained basis on a common set of themes. Once the groups are established, information on how to participate in them will be posted at www.apsanet.org/content_27609.cfm?navID=937.
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5. Short Course Information
   Details for attending 2010 Annual Meeting Short Courses will be posted on the conference website in early June. Short courses are half- or full-day sessions that provide opportunities for attendees to enhance their knowledge and reinvigorate teaching and research skills, as well as connect with scholars from a range of backgrounds. Short courses are offered on the Wednesday before the start of the Annual Meeting and registration prior to the meeting is required to participate.
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6. Schedule a Job Interview
   The eJobs Annual Meeting Placement Interview Service allows employers and candidates to arrange interviews during the summer months preceding the APSA Annual Meeting. Candidates and employers are able to scan the eJobs database to coordinate interviews in advance. At the Annual Meeting, APSA provides space and facilities for employers who have posted on eJobs to interview candidates. The eJobs Annual Meeting Placement Interview Service attracts over 700 candidates and employers. To learn more about the placement service, including the times and locations it will be available, visit the eJob Placement Service general information webpage.
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7. Networking Opportunities at Annual Meeting Receptions
   This is your opportunity to network with senior scholars from all over the country by attending some of the many receptions at the Annual Meeting. You may find a comprehensive list of these events at www.apsanet.org/mtgs/program_2009/receptions.cfm.
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RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:

1. The Centennial Center: Your Home for Research in Washington, D.C.
   The Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs is now accepting applications for 2010. Since 2003 the Centennial Center has hosted more than 100 scholars whose research brought them to Washington, D.C., in order to collect data, do library and archival research, and observe national and international political organizations. The Centennial Center, located in the Dupont Circle region of the District, provides users with the necessary research and training infrastructure to complete their work, which includes fully furnished office space, computer, printer, phone, fax, conference space, and library access.
   
   Due to the great support from our members and friends of the Centennial Campaign, APSA has developed a number of endowments to support research expenses and stays in the Centennial Center. Senior and junior faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, and advanced graduate students are encouraged to apply. All interested scholars must submit a short application form and submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For more details, including application and grant information, please visit the Centennial Center website at www.apsanet.org/centennialcenter.
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2. Grants and Funding for Graduate Students
   APSA has a sizable directory of grants and funding opportunities listed on the APSA website including the opportunities listed above. The list contains both private and public funding sources. When available, the item links to the organization responsible for the program, otherwise the item links to contact information for further details. Review the grant directory.
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GET CONNECTED:

1. FREE Membership for First Year Graduate Students
   Do you have friends in your department who aren't APSA members? A key element to professional growth is connecting with your professional association. Encourage them to join APSA, and have them check with the graduate program director about the APSA Free Graduate Student Membership Program. The program is open to first and second year MA and Ph.D. students, and provides one year of membership with the cost being shared by the department and APSA. Free is good. Learn more at: www.apsanet.org/content_9878.cfm.
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2. Participate in APSA's Mentoring Initiative
   The APSA Mentoring Initiative is an opportunity for all students, faculty and political scientists to network and share experiences and insights about career planning, scholarship, and a variety of professional issues. Find A Mentor Graduate students, young scholars and teachers, minorities and women, senior faculty confronting retirement, or any colleagues in the discipline may sign up for a mentor. When you request a mentor, you will be provided with a list of contacts in the field who have expressed willingness to serve as a mentor on the issues that you specify. You may then select from this list the individual you would like to contact and then contact them directly. Visit the mentoring webpage to learn more.
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3. Announcing New APSA Organized Section, Experimental Research
   In April, APSA Council approved a new Organized Section called Experimental Research. The Section hopes to build on the rapid growth and development of experimental methods in political science and provide a forum where research based on these techniques can be shared and discussed. The Section will hold its first business meeting at the 2010 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. APSA members will be able to join this section online soon after the Annual Meeting. APSA Organized Sections connect you to a community of scholars who share an interest in particular areas of study. For information on joining an Organized Section, visit the section general information webpage. If you have questions or need assistance joining or renewing, contact Sean Twombly at twombly@ap sanet.org .
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4. APSA Connect for Professional Networking and Collaboration
   
   
   APSA Connect is APSA's newest web resource offering professional networking and collaboration tools for the political science community. While the resource is available to all, APSA members receive the most complete access to the full directory and the complete set of features within APSA Connect.
   
   We encourage you to explore APSA Connect and please take advantage of the opportunity to build your profile.  Go to www.apsaconnect.org and use your main APSA login to access APSA Connect - you'll find helpful tips and instructions on how to use the site once on the site.
   
   We are planning to launch a community for graduate students on APSA Connect. More information about this new service will be sent to you in the coming months.
   
   FEATURES
   
   • Expanded profile: include information on your current research, recent publications, blogs (or the ones you follow), membership in other organizations, fields/areas of specialization, and personal interest
   • Networking: find colleagues through advanced searching tools and suggested auto-networks
   • Contacts: build a list of colleague contacts
   • Discussion: conduct private and public community discussion with a browser-based discussion list and one-on-one messaging
   • File sharing: post and share Word, Excel, PDF, video, and audio files
   • Coming soon: website hosting for public and private groups
   
   ACCESS
   • Anyone with a login to the APSA website can view and update their own profile, search the directory, and make connections to other individuals. APSA members receive the most complete access to the full directory and the complete set of features within APSA Connect.
   • Go to APSA Connect (www.apsaconnect.org)»
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5. APSA Student Snapshot
   The community of students within APSA is over 5000 strong and represents a very diverse set of academic and research interests. Here is a look at fields of interest and areas of specialization for students who self-identify as MA or Ph.D. students. If you haven't updated your fields of interest be sure to do so by logging into your MyAPSA account on the APSA website. Go to the "personal information" section to update your information.
   
   Primary Field of Interest:
   

   Comparative Politics	23.95%
   International Politics	23.81%
   American Politics	16.76%
   Political Philosophy	10.54%
   Public Policy	7.89%
   Methodology	6.85%
   Public Law	3.55%
   Public Administration	3.27%

   
   N=11,438
   Note: An individual may select up to two fields of interest.
   
   Area of Specialization:
   Top six overall selections
   

   International Security	4.55%
   Foreign Policy	4.09%
   Political Economy	3.50%
   International Political Economy	3.24%
   Research Methods	2.87%
   Political Thought: Historical	2.85%

   
   N=14,652
   Note: An individual may select up to two fields of interest.
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RESOURCES IN THE DISCIPLINE:

1. Visit the APSA Graduate Student Connection Online!
   Please visit the APSA Graduate Student Connection page, www.apsanet.org/content_6911.cfm, for updates on programs for graduate students, resources, conferences and other opportunities for political science graduate students. We also post information about many other resources on that page. We encourage you to check it out and to let us know what you think.
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2. Interdisciplinary Report
   Recently, an APSA task force was formed to collect and disseminate best practices for promoting interdisciplinary research and teaching. The task force focused on the procedural side of best practices at universities - including incentives (and disincentives) for faculty to engage in interdisciplinary work, the organizational structures that are effective in sustaining it, ways to disseminate scholarship across and within the disciplines, and techniques to educate students and scholars to work effectively with interdisciplinary approaches, and alliances and associations.
   
   Graduate students may face increasing expectations about doing interdisciplinary work in research and teaching. Sometimes the benefits from such work appear so compelling that the challenges of undertaking and sustaining it are not appreciated.
   
   APSA has two publications that address interdisciplinarity. The APSA Task Force on Interdisciplinarity addressed these issues in a brief report seeking to advance interdisciplinarity in the social and behavioral sciences and humanities by identifying, examining, and recommending best practices for its development. Second, the 2008 Annual Meeting Workshop for Chairs focused the unique challenges, implications, and opportunities posed by the growing movement toward interdisciplinarity. A transcript of the session is available for purchase at www.apsanet.org/content_53695.cfm?navID=251. The workshop featured presentations by Graham Wilson, Boston University; Neal Beck, New York University; Lynne Ford, College of Charleston, Virginia Sapiro, Boston University; and Carol Van Hartesveldt; National Science Foundation.
   
   Visit www.apsanet.org/content_4579.cfm to see all of the APSA Task Force reports to date.
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3. Find Upcoming Conferences and Calls for Proposals
   

   Date	Conference ("Call" indicates call for submissions deadline)
   June 2010
   19-20	Joint ISA-APSA-IPSA Human Rights Sections Conference
   21-July 5	EITM Europe 2010 at Mannheim Summer School
   21-23	Case Teaching Workshop
   23-25	5th International Conference in Interpretive Policy Analysis
   23-25	Deliberative and Participatory Democracy in the UK
   24-25	Ethical Issues in Medical Tourism
   24-26	5th Pan-European Conference on the EU
   25-27	Networking Democracy: New Media Innovations in Participatory Politics
   26	Seventh Annual Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) Paper Development Workshop
   28-30	4th IMA International Analysing Conflict Transformation Conference
   28-30	New Steering Concepts in Public Management - Workings towards Social Integration
   29-30	CRONEM 6th Annual Conference 'Living Together':Civic, Political and Cultural Engagement Among Migrants, Minorities and National Populations: Multidisciplinary Perspectives
   30-July 2	Fourth Oceanic Conference on International Studies
   30-July 2	Beyond Citizenship: Feminism and the Transformation of Belonging
   July 2010
   19-20	Thinking (With)Out Borders II
   21-July 5	10th International CISS Millennium Conference
   21-23	Media Development and Democratization: Understanding and Implementing Monitoring and Evaluation Programs; Summer Course
   8-9	Conference on the Politics of Antarctica
   9	Call: Regionalism and Authoritarianism in the Contemporary Arab World: An Interdisciplinary Research Workshop
   12-Aug 6	NEH Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers: Descartes, Galileo, Hobbes
   15	Call: Georgia Political Science Association Annual Meeting
   15	Networking Democracy: New Media Innovations in Participatory Politics
   12-Aug 6	Call: Interpreting Authoritarianism: Politics, Practices, Meanings
   15	4th IMA International Analysing Conflict Transformation Conference
   19-20	2010 Melbourne Conference on China: Chinese Elites and their Rivals – Past, Present and Future
   19-Aug 6	APSA Africa Workshop: Global Perspectives on Politics and Gender
   19-29	The Istanbul-Ankara Exchange
   21-24	2nd Paris International Conference on Education, Economy, and Society
   27-31	International Society for Research on Aggression (ISRA) 2010 World Conference
   30-Aug 1	Association of Chinese Political Studies: International Symposium on "China in search of Sustainable Development , Social Harmony and Soft Power"
   30	Call: Office of Science and Technology Policy: Science of Science Measurement Workshop
   31	Call: ISAC/ISSS Annual Meeting
   Upcoming APSA Conferences
   Sept. 3-6	APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition (Washington, D.C.)

Find more conferences in the complete conference calendar.

The APSA Graduate Student eNewsletter provides graduate student members with information about APSA programs, the Annual Meeting, and other events. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, we'd like to hear from you. Send an email to grad@apsanet.org.