Deadline: May 21, 2023
Call for Applications
ASU’s Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies invites applications for its second annual in-person workshop on multi-media methods in public scholarship , which will be held on ASU’s Tempe campus on August 10-12, 2023. Applications are invited from early-career scholars and practitioners (including advanced PhD and master’s students and recent graduates) with an interest in taking knowledge public. The workshop will provide participants with professional and technical support to effectively translate in-depth regional knowledge of Russia, Eurasia and East Europe to engage public and policy audiences.
Program Description and Focus
Through their selection to participate in this public scholarship program, participants will have the opportunity to share their research, develop skills in pitching, writing/producing and editing content for different audiences, and create at least one piece of original written or multi-media work that will contribute to public understanding of Russia, Eurasia and/or East Europe. The workshop will emphasize hands-on and case-based peer learning and skill building. We anticipate the workshop will be of direct benefit to participants in helping them recognize and communicate how their skill set, earned through graduate study, equip them to participate in conversations and careers beyond the academy. In addition, we hope that engagement with peers in the program, and with formats and approaches developed at ASU, will enhance efforts to support policymakers and broader, diverse US audiences alike in understanding and responding to the challenges arising out of past, present and future grievances, antagonisms, conflicts and rhetorics within Eurasia and East Europe. Applications are especially welcome that address themes related to indigenous Russia; borderland lives and livelihoods; colonial legacies; or civic activism and democratic expression.
Logistics
The workshop will run from noon on Thursday, August 10, through 5pm on Saturday, August 12. All working sessions will be held at Durham Hall, on ASU’s campus: participants will be housed at the Graduate Hotel, within flat walking distance of Durham Hall. Non-US citizens are eligible to apply. Costs of economy-class travel (within North America), meals, and 3 nights’ accommodation will be covered, and participants will receive an honorarium of $250.
The workshop will be led by Keith Brown, Melikian Center Director; Steven Beschloss, the Director of ASU’s Narrative Storytelling Initiative and Professor of Practice at ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism; and digital media producer Ari Gajraj, proprietor of the audio, video and design consultancy Listen Without Borders.
Prior outcomes/examples
The workshop is part of an ongoing ASU project supported by the US Russia Foundation, to strengthen Russian Studies in the US and to provide Professional Development Opportunities in Russian Studies. Prior participants placed a range of articles, including on Russian nuclear testing in the National Interest and environmentalism and conflict mediation in the Caucasus on Eurasianet.org. Multimedia projects include this overview of Sergei Loznitsa’s documentary work. The aspiration for the 2023 workshop is that participants will develop two different presentations based on their core expertise and theme.
Requirements
Participants are expected to bring at least one idea for taking knowledge public to the workshop; to commit to attending all sessions during the three-day workshop; and to provide an update on outcomes within 3 months of the workshop. Applications are especially encouraged from advanced master’s and pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars from public universities, and especially those from underserved populations, who are interested in contributing directly to public debates beyond the academy, drawing on and translating their own expertise.
Application
To apply, please submit:
- a cover letter, describing the focus of your research and teaching, and your interest and experience in taking knowledge public;
- at least one, and not more than two, 250-word summary/abstract which states a question or issue, why and for whom it matters, and the key sources that bring it to life;
- a short CV/resume (up to one page).
Please submit these documents as a single PDF file named YourLastName_2023 Melikian Public Scholars Program by email to melikiancenter@asu.edu, with the file name in the subject line.
Applications received by midnight Pacific Daylight Time/Mountain Standard Time on Sunday, May 21, will receive full consideration; offers will be made by June 7.
Questions can be directed to:
Keith Brown
Director, The Melikian Center: Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies
Arizona State University
Keith_Brown@asu.edu