AAR ANNUAL MEETING GRADUATE STUDENT COMMITTEE
CALL FOR PAPERS
The 2018 Call for Papers for this year’s AAR Annual Meeting in Denver is open. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 5:00 pm EST. Please note: Submissions to any of the following calls does not count against your two-submission limit in the AAR PAPERS system.
SPECIAL TOPICS FORUM
“The World Needs Us: Serving the Public Sphere Through the Study of Religion”
The world needs us. Within increasingly polemical, insular, and sometimes hostile public conversations, scholars of religion offer vital insights and interrogations into the issues that touch the heart of political and public discourse: the value and freedom of the human person, the extent of human responsibility to the natural world, the place of religious belief within political bodies, the ethical responsibility to give voice to the marginalized and oppressed, etc. In this forum, a panel of scholars will explore the many ways to serve the public sphere through the study of religion. What is the place of the religious scholar within public discourse around hot-button issues, civic and political life, etc.?
The Graduate Student Committee invites proposals that reflect on experiences or potential avenues for scholars of religion to serve the public sphere. Please send proposals of no more than 200 words, plus CV to Rachel Toombs at [email protected]. Click here for more information and to submit a proposal.
STUDENT LOUNGE ROUNDTABLE SERIES
The Student Lounge Roundtable Series (SLRS) consists of a series of roundtable workshops/conversations dedicated to professional development and the current needs of graduate students. These roundtable conversations/workshops are meant to encourage dialogue, learning, and collaboration that allow graduate students to engage with the various topics in a collegial setting. Rather than being traditional conference presentations, the SLRS workshops are meant to stimulate discussion and learning over a particular area of focus. The SLRS is sponsored by the Graduate Student Committee and is led by graduate students, professors, and other professionals with the relevant expertise to offer.
The Graduate Student Committee invites scholars of religion to share their hard-earned wisdom in the Student Lounge Roundtable Series. We are looking for individuals who will be responsible for leading a conversation or workshop (60-90 minutes) about a topic of practical interest to student members. A variety of formats are welcome.
Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Online resources and computer programs to aid research, writing, or teaching
• Managing a specific stage of graduate school (courses, exams, thesis, ABD, etc.)
• Research project design or methods
• Balancing graduate school with other dimensions of life and identity
• Coping with the mental and emotional pressures of graduate school and/or the job search
• Strategies for thriving as a member of an underrepresented community in the academy
• Creating or managing an online presence (websites, blogging, online portfolios, etc.)
• Job market (applications, interviews, alt-ac, etc.)
• Publishing (open access vs. peer review; alternative forms of publishing, etc.)
• Teaching (activities, online, technology, controversial issues, etc.)
• Presenting research to the public
• Networking
• Grant writing
• CV writing
• Leadership
Please send a brief proposal (~150 words) and a CV to Emma Rifai at [email protected] by March 1, 2018 and cc: GSC Chair and AAR Student Director, Rachel Toombs at [email protected]. Please indicate if you are willing to co-present if your topic aligns with another proposal. Roundtable time slots are flexible. If accepted, please be prepared to create a short video to be used by the GSC for publicity purposes prior to the annual conference. Click here for more information and to submit a proposal.
