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CALL FOR PAPERS
Graduate Student Lounge Series
The Graduate Student Committee invites you to share your hard-earned wisdom with other students in the Student Lounge Roundtable series. We are looking for individuals who will be responsible for developing a topic and directing an hour-long conversation or workshop about a practical dimension of graduate studies. A variety of formats are welcome. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to:
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Managing the emotions of graduate school
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Professional etiquette in the academic world
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Networking skills
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Mentoring relationships
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Studying for comprehensive exams
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Research skills
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Teaching (online teaching, teaching portfolios, syllabus design, teaching technology, etc.)
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Presenting research to the public
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Job applications (cover letters, CVs, asking for recommendation letters, interview skills)
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Tips for balancing work and family
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Publishing tips
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Grant writing
Send a 150-word proposal and a CV to GSC member Kristy Slominski at slominski@umail.ucsb.edu. Please indicate if you are willing to co-present with another graduate student if your topic aligns with another proposal. Roundtable time slots are flexible. The deadline for submissions is June 15th.
Religion Beyond Boundaries
The Graduate Student Committee welcomes submissions for the fifth annual AAR Religion Beyond the Boundaries series. This forum encourages students to step outside the more formal academic setting of the national meeting and present their work as part of a series of talks for the general public. Six 35-minute presentations will be selected for two evenings of public talks during the national meeting, November 17-20, 2012, in Chicago.
Although proposals may be submitted on any topic relevant to religious studies, the committee especially welcomes proposals on the following themes:
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Religion and Economics (e.g., economic theory and religion; religion and the marketplace; the role of religion in economic development or gentrification)
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Religion and 2012 U.S. Politics (e.g., race/religion and the presidential election; religion and the perception of candidates; religious advocacy and political engagement)
This is an opportunity to put your research into a new framework, to be a public intellectual, to practice your job talk, and to explain the relevance of your work to your peers. Keep in mind that the talks are directed to the general public as well as annual meeting participants and so jargon should be kept to a minimum.
If you are interested, please send a 150-word abstract to GSC member Ben Sanders III at bensanders05@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is June 15th.
REGIONAL STUDENT NEWS
Regional Student Appointments Announced
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Kristy Slominski, University of California, Santa Barbara, Western region
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Emma Brodeur, Syracuse University, Eastern International region
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Scott Singer, Temple University, Mid-Atlantic region
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Rachel Schneider Vlachos, Rice University, Southwest reigion
Regional student directors are still needed for the following areas: Midwest, New England Maritimes, Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains Great Plains, Southeast, and Upper Midwest. Please see the regional websites for further details.
Student Developments in the Western Region
At the recent annual meeting for the Western Region, held March 25th-26th at Santa Clara University, student members were well represented among the conference presenters. Two graduate students were awarded Student Paper Prizes for their exceptional contributions. First place went to Torang Asadi from the University of Kansas for a paper entitled "Repristination": the Exegetical Ingenuity of the Twelve Tribes Community. Elizabeth Ritter-Conn from the Graduate Theological Union earned second place with her paper on Images of the Body as Sacred Text: Art, Athletes, and the Apophasis of Genitalia.
The conference featured a graduate student workshop on "Course Design: Syllabi, Technology, and More," led by the regional student representative. This session explored syllabi formats and components, creative classroom activities, and the use of student response systems. In order to continue with sessions such as this, the Regional Board approved a new section for next year on Graduate Professional Development. In the next Call for Papers, which will be distributed during the summer, members will be invited to submit proposals to this section for panels or workshops addressing issues of professionalization, such as the development of teaching, researching, publishing, networking, or writing applications.
After serving a two-year term as student representative, the region voted to re-elect Kristy Slominski, Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, for an additional two-year term. In the future, the region will vote to expand the number of possible student representatives to three in order to represent students from multiple areas within this large region of the AAR. One of the three student representatives will be elected to also serve on the national AAR Graduate Student Committee, which works to develop student programming at the Annual Meeting. These changes are positive steps towards increasing opportunities for students, as well as addressing the needs of the student membership in the Western Region of the AAR.
PRE-MEETING WORKSHOP
Pre-meeting Workshop for Graduate Students at the 2012 AAR Annual Meeting
Friday, November 16, 2012
Cosponsored by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, the American Academy of Religion Graduate Student Committee, and the Society of Biblical Literature Student Advisory Board. Co-directing this workshop will be Eugene Gallagher, Connecticut College and Rolf Jacobson, Luther Seminary.
Note: The workshop is already fully enrolled, however, interested students are encouraged to contact Trish Overpeck, overpecp@wabash.edu, and submit their names to the waiting list.
Open to graduate students who are teaching or may in the near future teach, this workshop focuses turning one's teaching philosophy into effective lesson planning and design. Participants will submit by October 1 a one-page teaching philosophy statement and a sample syllabi from a course they have taught, want to teach, or that has been taught in their department. Intentional reflection on the context of teaching and the student learners at its core will lead to practical classroom strategies for the participant's own context. Instructional experts will present and lead discussion. Because one's teaching philosophy is a crucial element to any job interview, graduate students involved in teaching will surely not want to miss this opportunity.
AAR STUDENT FACEBOOK
The Student Members and Friends of the American Academy of Religion Facebook is available for all members and friends of the AAR. Members have posted calls for papers, job listings, requests for more information, forthcoming publications, and more.
Please join us on Facebook and keep up with graduate student events, news, opportunities, conversations, and useful resources. Free registration with Facebook required.
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
Brandy Daniels: New Speaking of Students Editor
I thought I would also take the opportunity to introduce myself briefly in this edition of Speaking of Students, as its new editor. I'm Brandy Daniels, and am working on my Ph.D. in Theological Studies at Vanderbilt University, where I am also a fellow in the Theology and Practice program. My research is in theological anthropology, and I am particularly interested in how queer theory can both speak to and learn from theological claims, particularly in thinking about identity and kinship. When I am not busy with school, I like to go for long runs and bike rides, drink good coffee and beer, and hang out with friends. I would love to hear any thoughts you have for or about Speaking of Students, so feel free to email me at any time!
Seeking News and Announcements!
If you are involved with the coordination of an upcoming student-led conference or have some other opportunity for students about which you'd like to spread the word, please contact the editor at brandydaniels@gmail.com, for free publicity in the upcoming edition of Speaking of Students. SOS is distributed to each student member of AAR, thus ensuring that your announcement will enjoy a broad readership.
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