New for our 2013 ISA Annual Convention, we are excited to announce the Junior Scholar Symposium (JSS). The JSS offers junior scholars the opportunity to present and discuss their research in an environment focused on graduate student professional development. It affords participants a focused, dedicated, atmosphere to provide consistent and useful feedback. The JSS also provides fantastic networking opportunities; participants will interact closely with senior scholars in their field as well as with peers across universities.
The JSS is a special opportunity for graduate students and junior scholars. Each JSS panel will bring together approximately 16 junior scholar projects with four senior discussants from among ISA’s leading scholars. Following a broad introduction to the session, the symposium will divide into four small thematic groups wherein participants will present and discuss their work in this small group setting. Each presenter will spend 15 minutes presenting and discussing their paper together with their small group and discussant.
This new format provides a fantastic opportunity for junior scholars to meet and connect with senior scholars in their field. The sessions will be held in normal panel sessions but will take place early in the convention cycle. For the 2013 ISA annual convention in San Francisco, the JSS panels will be held on Thursday, April 4th, 2013. This way, participants will have met and worked closely with some senior scholars - most of whom play an active role in ISA's current leadership - and have a friendly connection through the remainder of the conference. It is also a great chance to meet similar junior scholars from other universities.
Who is Involved?
The symposium brings together current faculty from universities across the world. Most of the faculty participants are drawn from ISA's leadership. This year, faculty participants include:
David Lake
Distinguished Professor, University of California, San Diego
Former ISA President
Jack Levy
Board of Governors' Professor, Rutgers University
Former ISA President
Etel Solingen
Chancellor's Professor, University of California, Irvine
ISA President
J. Ann Tickner
Professor, University of Southern California
Former ISA President
How Can I Participate
Junior Scholar Symposium proposals are submitted as a normal submission to ISA's Annual Convention under the same participant guidelines as other proposals. Prepare a title and 200-word abstract and submit your proposal through MyISA.
The submission deadline is June 1st, 2012.Questions and Answers
Q. What makes a good proposal?
A. A good proposal might include a variety of different formats. We are looking for work in progress and early conceptual research. This might include a masters’ or dissertation prospectus or a chapter from a thesis or dissertation. It might also include more polished research that is almost ready for publication review by a journal.
Q. How is this different than a normal panel?
A. Traditional panels involve four or five papers being presented in quick succession. The panel format works well for presenting information, but sometimes does not provide as good of a professional development opportunity for graduate students. The JSS is designed to put you in a close environment with senior scholars to discuss your work. It will also allow you to critique others' work in a similar manner.
Because of the focused atmosphere, you will meet and work very closely with your chair and discussant. In a traditional panel, sometimes you only get a brief minute to say "hello" at the opening and closing of the session. Here, you will spend the bulk of the session working closely with them - both on your work and in evaluating other's work.
For the purposes of applying for travel funding from home institutions, the JSS panels will “count” as an ISA panel, and be listed this way in our annual convention program.
Q. Do I do a normal presentation?
A. In a way... The actual presentations for the symposiums are done through posters, but, you will nevertheless do a small presentation. After the session starts, the larger group will divide in to four small groups. Each small group will contain four papers and a discussant. Each paper presenter will have 15 minutes to present and discuss their work with the small group. So, plan on about a five-minute presentation. You will all be standing at your poster during the presentation. When your presentation and discussion finishes, you will move, with your group, to the next poster where that/those author(s) will present. Each small group will then have their own table where they can sit down, after the individual presentations are complete, and continue to discuss common themes and issues across the pieces. Because we are nurturing an environment to support dialogue and networking, panelists will not have access to the internet or PowerPoint for presentation purposes.
Q. Who counts as a "Junior" scholar?
A. These panels give a strong focus on professional development and networking. So, they are designed to be most useful to graduate students and scholars within three years receipt of their PhD.
Q. I am a faculty member, how can I get involved?
A. We are always looking for chairs and discussants who are particularly interested in graduate student professionalization and assistance. Contact Andrea Gerlak at ISA-HQ (isa@isanet.org) to see how you can help.
Q. Do I need to write a paper?
A. Yes! While you will present your work in a poster format, we still ask that you write a paper and upload it normally. To facilitate meaningful discussion at the JSS panels in San Francisco, all papers must be uploaded in MyISA by March 1, 2013. You should also share your paper with your discussant and fellow panelists.
