Joint Princeton-Northwestern Junior Scholars' Workshop April 11 - 14, 2002

Small Group Sessions

Time Period and Location

All sessions convene in Wallace Hall. The sessions for the first topic clusters will take place on Friday (11:15am to 1pm and 2 to 4pm). The second topic cluster sessions will meet on Saturday (10am to 12pm and 3:15 to 5:15pm). Meeting rooms are listed below along with group assignments.

Objective

The small group sessions form the core of the workshop. The general idea is to offer an environment for intensive and productive exchange across disciplines while working around a common theme. For this idea to work it is of utmost importance that you have read all the papers in your topic cluster groups in advance.

The primary objective of this session is to give and receive detailed feedback on your papers. Another objective, which goes hand in hand with the first, is to listen to your colleaguesbThe primary objective of this session is to give and receive detailed feedback on your papers. Another objective, which goes hand in hand with the first, is to listen to your colleagues. This might be more challenging than it sounds right now, but we do come from different disciplines, different cultural and educational backgrounds, and might speak different languages, in more than just one sense. comments. This may be more challenging than it appears, partly because we come from different disciplines, different cultural and educational backgrounds, and might speak different languages, in more than just one sense.

We hope that we can all agree to take this as an exercise of fair and productive criticism. You might not always agree with your colleagues' approach to the subject. For example, arguments about the chosen theoretical literature are often quick to ensue. But let's try to avoid denunciations of another person's work altogether. We can all learn a lot from each other's work!

Participants

Participants have been divided into five groups based primarily on the topic of research but also with consideration given to discipline and region of interest. Each group also has been assigned a faculty mentor.

Format

We very much would like to encourage each small group to follow a format akin to SSRC dissertation workshops. A discussant will introduce the paper (first 5 min) and coordinate the discussion (approx. 40 min), the author will respond only at the end of her/his allotted time period (for another 10 min), though s/he may also choose to solicit more comments rather than take up time with answers. Faculty mentors have been asked to refrain from commenting on each paper until at least midway into the discussion. Each discussant will be responsible for moderating the discussion and monitoring time. Short clarifications from the author may be necessary, but should be kept to a minimum.

Everyone serves as a discussant once per cluster. To determine for which paper you will be the discussant, please take a look at the list of members of your small group as listed below and once more on the workshop schedule. You are responsible for introducing the paper belonging to the name listed before your own on the list.

Thus, for example, in Group A Haeng-ja will introduce Sarah's paper, Bernard will introduce Haeng-ja's paper, etc. The first person on the list will introduce the paper belonging to the last person. Thus, again in Group A, Sarah will introduce Deniz' paper.