The Social Science Research Council Japan Program invites applications from advanced graduate students in all humanities and social science disciplines for the ninth annual Japan Studies Dissertation Workshop, to be held at Asilomar Conference Center in Monterey, California from December 17-21, 2003. In most cases SSRC will bear the costs of participants' travel, lodging and meals for the workshop. Funds for the workshop are provided by the Japan Foundation.

The workshop aims to provide a unique opportunity for participants to work together to enhance individual dissertation projects and engage in discussions of common themes and methods. Through presentations and focused sessions, guided by senior scholars from different disciplines, students give and receive critical feedback on proposals, fieldwork plans and writing up, and contribute to group discussions. Proposals are welcome from students in literature, art history and other humanities disciplines, as well as from the traditional social sciences.

Students are selected for participation based on proposals submitted as part of the application, with special attention given to those who are not from universities housing major Japanese Studies centers and those whose projects would benefit most from multidisciplinary discussion with others in related fields. Prior to the workshop, students will be asked to write a 10-page essay based on all proposals in the group, analyzing and linking the projects together across disciplines.

Eligibility and application:
Full-time graduate students, regardless of citizenship, enrolled at U.S. institutions, who have an approved dissertation prospectus, are eligible. Priority will be given to those students whose stage of dissertation falls between early fieldwork through the middle stage of dissertation writing. We anticipate this year that the workshop will again include several students currently in Japan doing fieldwork. A letter from the applicant's dissertation adviser is also required. Instructions for applications are on the SSRC website below. Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process by November 1.