2021 Seminar: “Beyond Cultural Studies and Critical Theory”

Hosted and Co-Sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program at Cornell University

Faculty
Jonathan Boyarin, Diann G. and Thomas A. Mann Professor of Modern Jewish Studies, Cornell University
Naomi Seidman, Chancellor Jackman Professor of the Arts, University of Toronto

The AAJR is pleased to sponsor a seminar for graduate students in all areas of Jewish studies. The seminar will be held from Sunday evening, June 6, to the afternoon of June 9, 2021, at Cornell University (or online, if we cannot meet in person). The seminar aims to create a community in which graduate students can examine current scholarship in Jewish Studies, and the nature of the academic profession in general and Jewish studies in particular. The focus for this meeting will be on methodologies for Jewish Studies; we will ask whether the paradigms that were so influential in the past few decades (cultural studies, postcolonial studies, queer studies) continue to hold promise, or whether they are being supplanted by other models—and if so, which ones?  Along with these shared questions, graduate students chosen to participate will be asked to present on their research plans.

If in person:  The AAJR will cover the costs of on-campus housing and meals, travel to Cornell from NYC, and up to $400 in additional travel costs.

Enrollment in the seminar is competitive and limited to those who have completed at least one year of doctoral study in any Jewish Studies discipline or time period. 

Applicants must submit:

• A three- to five-page description of their doctoral studies’ focus, their dissertation topic, and foreign language proficiency.  
• A letter from their advisor 
• A transcript
• A curriculum vitae
• A brief (250 word) description of the methodologies they use in their work

The submission deadline is January 29, 2021. Please email all materials to Ayla Cline, akc52@cornell.edu with “AAJR Seminar” in the subject line. Applicants will be notified in early March. For further information or questions, please contact  jboyarin@cornell.edu or naomi.seidman@utoronto.ca.