Call for Applicants
GSA Emerging Scholars Workshop (ESW)
We are excited to issue this call for the Emerging Scholars Workshop (ESW) to be hosted for the third time at the 46th German Studies Association Conference in Houston, Texas from September 15-18, 2022. This workshop is exclusively for graduate students. The Emerging Scholars Workshop (ESW) will run parallel to the established seminars and in addition to regular conference sessions and roundtables (for general conference information see https://www.thegsa.org/conference).Over the past decade or so, graduate programs across the country have contracted. Fewer graduate students now encounter fewer regular graduate courses that have often also become more general in content in order to produce satisfactory enrollment. As a result, much of the specialized but crucial field training has moved into one-on-one tutorials and directed readings. The new Emerging Scholars Workshop seeks to give the up-and-coming cohort of scholars access to the leading faculty in their field, increase the advice and mentoring they receive, and allow them to come together for sustained professional conversations. The goal is to enable the next generation of Germanists and Historians to produce their best possible work, be competitive across fields, and contribute to the vitality, relevance, and productivity of our field at large.
There will be one ESW session taught by two instructors:
“New Pathways for Black German Studies,” facilitated by Priscilla Layne (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and Kira Thurman (University of Michigan)
This seminar is designed for graduate students at any level interested in historical and cultural approaches to Black German Studies. The purpose of the seminar is to support graduate students’ research. As a collective we will ask, how has the field changed since the publication of texts like Tina Campt’s Other Germans (2005) and May Ayim, Katharina Oguntoye and Dagmar Schultz’s edited volume Farbe bekennen? (1986). What new methodologies and theories have been introduced to further the study of the Black German community? What gaps exist in our knowledge? How do we best work as allies to the Black German community in a way that empowers and amplifies their voices? Our discussions will include, but are not limited to topics such as subjectivity, positionality, intersectionality and aesthetics. We will ask ourselves not only what are the best ways to study Black German culture and history, but how does one do so ethically? Some advance reading will be required. During the summer, you will receive some short readings that will serve as a common ground for the seminar. One month prior to the seminar you are required to submit a positionality statement (250 words) and a 1-3 page (double spaced) response to the readings which will both be shared with the other participants. Your response paper can gladly include thoughts and questions about Black German texts and topics tangential to the readings.
Students from all disciplines within German Studies (literature, history, cultural studies, art history, musicology, anthropology, Queer Studies, architectural history, political science, sociology, and others) are invited to apply to a workshop of their choosing.
The workshops will convene parallel to the regular seminars, Friday through Sunday, 8:00-10am. Participants must commit to participate in all three workshop meetings. Please note that workshop participants will not be allowed to submit a paper in a regular panel session. However, they may take on one additional role in the conference independent of their role in a workshop – as a moderator of another session or as a participant in a roundtable. ESW participation counts as full GSA conference participation and may be listed on a CV accordingly.
The ESW is open to students enrolled in a graduate program. To be considered, students need to submit a well-crafted cover letter (2 pages max.) in which they introduce themselves and their scholarly interests. Entry-level graduate students should introduce their research focus and likely MA-thesis or dissertation plans. Advanced graduate students should address their dissertation projects. The letter should also outline their interest in the subject of this year’s workshop.
The deadline for the submission of the application letter is Thursday, December 30, 2021 by 11:59 pm EST. Please email your letter to both Astrid M. Eckert and Priscilla D. Layne. Late applications will not be considered.
Following the submission of applications, the ESW Committee, in conjunction with the workshop leaders, will select the participants. Applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decisions by January 4, 2022. Students who cannot be accommodated this time will still have the opportunity to apply to one of the regular GSA seminars or sessions.
The ESW Committee consists of:
- Astrid M. Eckert (Emory University) | aeckert@emory.edu
- Priscilla D. Layne (UNC-Chapel Hill) | playne@email.unc.edu
Please direct inquiries to both ESW Committee members.
We are looking forward to receiving your application!