CFP: Methods Workshop for the Study of Race,

Graduate Workshop Series on Research Methods: Studying Race, Class, and Gender Across the Disciplines

Over the 2021-2022 Academic Year we will convene a series of workshops that will address interdisciplinary methodologies for the study of race, class and gender.

As interdisciplinary research becomes increasingly important to work within and beyond the academy, graduate students face new challenges to master the methods of multiple fields. The study of race, class, and gender is one area in which interdisciplinary methods are critical to drive new research questions. We therefore are organizing a series of methods workshops wherein graduate students from different departments introduce major approaches to intersectionality within their fields. This initiative will provide an intellectually rigorous yet low- stakes environment where students from different backgrounds can learn together and collaborate across departments. Furthermore, it will encourage students who do not yet do intersectional research to see the advantages and disadvantages of different theoretical and methodological approaches, enriching and expanding the study of race, class, and gender across fields.

This workshop is aimed at both MA and PhD students. We encourage submissions from across the humanities and social sciences.

The workshop will meet once monthly at 5pm on the second Wednesday of the month from October-May. One or two graduate students will facilitate a one-hour workshop on methods for studying race, class, and gender within their field, encouraging participants to consider interdisciplinary and intersectional methodological solutions to shared challenges. Following a presentation on methods, the graduate student(s) presiding over each workshop session will facilitate discussion and questions amongst the workshop participants.

Presenters are not expected to be experts in the topic of their proposed workshop. Rather, these sessions are meant as a space to share ideas and think together about issues encountered while working with methods outside your field for the study of race, class, and gender. Instead of expertise, we aim to generate discussions and questions that we may not have the answers to.

We have 8 positions for current enrolled graduate students in any relevant field. Graduate students from all programs and schools are welcome to apply. Presenters will receive $100 in stipend support for their participation in the workshop.

Submission instructions: To apply, please submit a brief statement (1–2 paragraphs) to Susan Abraham (ssa5dxy@virginia.edu) outlining your interest in the workshop, your proposed workshop activities/ideas and, if applicable, how it relates to your research interests by Monday, September 13. Also include your department, year, and a short CV (1–2 page).

This workshop series will be convened by Susan Abraham (Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) and Winnie Pérez Martínez (Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese). We are grateful to the Directors of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese for their support in funding this workshop series.