The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) aims to give African-based early career researchers who are working on the themes of peace, democracy, and climate change on the continent access to the space and intellectual community needed to turn a draft paper into a journal article that can be published. The goal of the five-day writing workshop is to provide early-career academics the chance to contribute to the body of knowledge in one of the three areas of study that will be covered: climate change, democracy, or peace.
Objectives:
- To strengthen the academic writing skills of African early career scholars, with particular attention to female scholars,
- To enhance the success rate of early career African scholars’ submissions to high quality journals,
- To build a network of Africa-based scholars working on the themes of peace, democracy and climate change.
Programme:
With daily seminars and writing sessions, the 5-day program will be structured as a writing retreat. Practical advice on academic writing and journal publication will be covered in the lectures. Academic editors and mentors with expertise in climate change, democracy, and peace will assist the daily writing sessions.
Eligibility:
Applications are welcomed from early career researchers who meet the following eligibility criteria:
- A doctorate which was awarded within 5 years of the application deadline, i.e. doctoral certificate awarded after January 2018 to date,
- Employed at a recognised university or research institute in Sub-Saharan Africa,
- Fluency in written and spoken English (there will be no translation services provided).
Benefits:
Successful applicants will be provided with funding to cover travel expenses to Ghana from Sub-Saharan Africa along with accommodation and subsistence costs for the duration of the workshop. If the ongoing pandemic will make an in-person workshop impossible, the writing retreat will be organised virtually instead.
Selection Criteria:
Applications will be assessed and selected through a strictly merit-based procedure. The main selection criteria are:
- A PhD certificate granted between January 2018 and January 2023,
- Employment at a university or research institute on the African continent,
- Excellence, relevance and originality of the draft research paper,
- Fit of the research with the themes of peace, democracy and climate change.
The workshop is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) based at the University of Ghana, Legon. The organisers of the workshop are MIASA at the University of Ghana in cooperation with ZIAF/University of Frankfurt, Germany.
Application:
The application should include the following:
- a motivation letter (1-page maximum) outlining reasons for wishing to attend the writing workshop and the benefits to be gained,
- a draft research paper (5,000-8,000 words in English) that contains original data and preliminary data analysis in the areas of peace, democracy and climate change, and which is aimed at journal submission,
- an abstract of the paper (max. 500 words),
- a full CV,
- a PhD award certificate.
- Applications should be filled using the link
- Abstracts/Research Paper/CVs/Certificates should be sent in pdf format to email: miasawritingschool@ug.edu.gh
- Submission deadline: 20th January 2023
- Any enquiries should be directed to miasawritingschool@ug.edu.gh
