Arab Council for the Social Sciences held its inaugural ACSS Academy from July 1 to July 11, 2021. Originally planned as an in-person event in Beirut, Lebanon, the Academy took place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy will be a biennial event organized by the Council to provide an opportunity for junior researchers in the Arab region to engage with critical theory and analysis, advanced writing, professionalization skills and networking.
The themes of the first Academy revolved around the 3 ACSS working groups:
The 50 participants from nine countries (selected after a 2-step application process) attended keynote lectures by the working group faculty members, professionalization/ training sessions as well as mentoring sessions on their research papers.
“My experience with the Academy was incredibly meaningful to me. It helped me reconnect with academia after being away from it for almost two years, rekindled my passion for it, and imbued me with a sense of belonging, “fitting” into social sciences.” (Academy participant)
Goals of the Academy:
- Preparing junior researchers for cross-disciplinary research that critically interrogates social and humanistic research questions through:
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- Exploring guiding concepts in Arab critical thought
- Understanding genealogies and canons of leading theories and frameworks relevant to the region
- Constructively evaluating academic research and writing
- Collaborating with peers from across the Arab region
- Incorporating learnings from the academy into research
- Providing a space for participants to present their research and receive verbal and written feedback from the faculty members as well as from other participants
- Bringing participants and faculty members together in order to discuss issues around publishing, teaching and other professional concerns
The Academy program adopted complementary teaching strategies:
- Working Groups: participants were divided between the 3 working groups, which gave them the opportunity to work and network within smaller groups
- Thematic sessions: This involved lectures by core faculty and guest lecturers to introduce participants to the above-mentioned themes and the ways in which critical research within these themes can be conducted. Faculty members also presented their contribution to these themes and their ongoing work.
- Mentoring & writing sessions: The purpose of these sessions was for participants to present their research within smaller groups and to receive written and verbal feedback from faculty members as well as their peers.
“Thank you ACSS for this insane feat in a time when people can hardly put two words together let alone pull off something like this!” (Faculty member)
The program also included keynote lectures and professionalization/professional development sessions that brought together the students from across the working groups:
- Keynote lectures: Two keynote sessions were organized on the themes: “What is the Arab Region?” and “Criticality in the Social Sciences”. The prominent social scientists presenting were Mohammed Bamyeh and Adam Hanieh for the first session and Ghassan Hage and Sara Mourad for the second session
- Trainings: Given by experts in their fields, these included “Professional Self Presentation”, “Publishing in the Social Sciences”, “Writing for Diverse Audiences and Digital Media Skills”, “Research Ethics in the Social Sciences”.
- Professionalization/professional development sessions: Participants and faculty members came together to discuss issues around publishing, fieldwork, teaching, and other professional concerns.
“The Academy met my expectations of meeting with fellow Arab region researchers, and get engaged with critical texts and essays. I really enjoyed the debates within my own working group.” (Academy participant)