Virtual Methods Seminar

 

Ongoing travel restrictions, health concerns, and funding shortages caused by COVID-19 have significantly impacted the way that political scientists collect, analyze, and share data. These challenges can be especially damaging to Ph.D. students and early career scholars who must consider how and when to do fieldwork or adopt data collection techniques that are more suitable to the virtual environment. Fortunately, we’ve seen a variety of new webinars, publications, and online resources which address issues of research ethics, digital fieldwork challenges, and developing new tools for ‘distanced research.’ APSA will contribute to these resources by convening a series of online discussions on virtual research methods, focusing specifically on scholars of MENA Politics research.

The seminar series will feature detailed and critical discussion of several different research methodologies, focusing on their application to various types of research questions, best practices, and ethical considerations. Participating scholars will also have an opportunity to reflect on their research plans in small groups. Additional sessions will discuss the implications of COVID-19 on networking, publishing, and job market decisions.

The five webinar sessions (approximately 120 mins each) will be held over zoom from May 12 – 25, 2021. Attendance will be free. Pre-registration is required. Although scholars can choose to attend as many sessions as they like, attendance at each session will be capped to allow for small group break-out discussions, if desired.

Please share our flyer.pdf and register to attend one of more of these sessions by May 10! 


Introduction

facilitated by Janine Clark (University of Toronto), Sarah Parkinson (Johns Hopkins University), Laryssa Chomiak (Centre d’Etudes Maghrébines à Tunis)

RESCHEDULED to Thursday May 27 (10am EST-USA / 2pm Rabat / 4pm Cairo / 5pm Beirut / 6pm Dubai)


Text Analysis

facilitated by Alexandra Siegel (University of Colorado-Boulder), Richard Nielsen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Safa Al Saeedi (Northwestern University)

Tuesday May 18 (10am EST-USA / 2pm Rabat / 4pm Cairo / 5pm Beirut / 6pm Dubai)


Interviews

facilitated by Wendy Pearlman (Northwestern University), Rima Majed (American University of Beirut)

Wednesday May 19 (10am EST-USA / 2pm Rabat / 4pm Cairo / 5pm Beirut / 6pm Dubai)


Surveys 

facilitated by: Michael Robbins (Arab Barometer), Kristen Kao (University of Gothenburg), Mazen Hassan (Cairo University)

Thursday May 20 (9am EST-USA / 1pm Rabat / 3pm Cairo / 4pm Beirut / 5pm Dubai)


Archives

facilitated by Jeffrey Karam (Lebanese American University), Peter Krause (Boston College)

Tuesday May 25 (10am EST-USA / 2pm Rabat / 4pm Cairo / 5pm Beirut / 6pm Dubai)