2013 PhD Workshop - APPLICATION DEADLINE APRIL 26

Hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
August 8-10, 2013

Preliminary Agenda and Workshop Application - Application Submission Deadline: April 26

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning invites doctoral students of planning working on their dissertation research to attend the 2013 ACSP PhD Workshop. This year, the workshop will be hosted in the Boston area by MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Workshop attracts PhD students from planning programs from around the world to gather and discuss the practical details of creating, producing, distributing and consuming planning knowledge among scholars. Workshop participants will learn to conceive, organize, and present PhD-quality research to multiple audiences, including, most centrally, their peers. Students will advise one another as scholars pursuing unique research paths within a community of shared inquiry. The faculty work mainly as advisors and coaches. International students are welcome to apply.

PARTICIPANTS and FACULTY
The Workshop is geared toward planning doctoral students who will be taking, or have recently passed their PhD qualifying examination (or equivalent). Students will have multiple opportunities to present their work to their fellow students and workshop faculty in smaller breakout sessions. Students will be expected to have submitted some written work beforehand, whether a dissertation prospectus, research workplan, or draft chapter. The workshop will be limited to approximately 25 students to ensure adequate time for participation and feedback. This year’s workshop faculty will include be drawn from several institutions. All have extensive experience advising PhD students in multiple areas. This year’s workshop faculty will include prominent faculty from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, as well as Professor John Landis from the University of Pennsylvania.

WORKSHOP FACILITIES & FEES
The workshop will be held on the MIT campus. The Workshop registration fee will cover on-campus lodging and many meals. Students will be expected to provide their own laptop computers for work, although e-mail and web connections will be provided by the hosts.

WORKSHOP THEMES
The workshop will include both plenary and small-group sessions. Each student will make at least two presentations about their research during the course of the workshop. The workshop organization will reflect four basic research questions: Why, What, How, and Who?

• WHY: What purpose does your inquiry serve? Why should others care about your research? What difference will your inquiry and results make?
• WHAT: What is your hypothesis or proposition, or argument? What knowledge claims do you expect your research to support? What questions do you hope to answer?
• HOW: How do you expect to conduct your inquiry? How will you organize your inquire (Research design)? What tools do you need to answer your major questions (Methodology)?
• WHO: Who is the audience for your research? Will it be undertaken and presented in a manner that is understandable to your audience?

WORKSHOP FEES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The workshop fee is $425. This includes four nights lodging plus assorted daily meals—typically breakfast and lunch. Dinners on Day 1 and 3 will be on your own. The workshop fee does not include travel costs. The fee for those not staying at the workshop venue is $200.

A limited number of $200 scholarships are available from ACSP to assist with workshop fees. Students are encouraged first to request funds from their universities to help offset travel and workshop-related expenses. Those requesting assistance from ACSP should do so as part of their application in the form of a brief statement describing your reasons for requesting financial support. You may ask the faculty who writes your letter of recommendation to address your need for financial assistance as well.

TRANSPORTATION
Boston’s Logan Airport is well-served by national and international airlines, especially Delta, US Airways, and JetBlue. Air travel plans should be made at least four weeks in advance to obtain a reasonable fare. The MBTA, Boston’s public transit system, provides frequent and inexpensive bus/subway service directly from Logan Airport to Kendall Square in Cambridge.

HOW TO APPLY
Complete the attached application form and return it with the necessary attachments. Be sure to include the following items with your application.

1. Application form (see next page)
2. Resume or CV
3. A letter from your principle academic or dissertation advisor endorsing your application and indicating that you have completed your PhD dissertation qualifying exam within the previous six months, or are expected to complete it shortly.

Applications should be e-mailed to: jlan@design.upenn.edu or roslynne@design.upenn.edu

If e-mail is unavailable, applications may be mailed to:

2013 ACSP PhD Workshop
Prof. John Landis/Department of City and Regional Planning
University of Pennsylvania
126 Meyerson Hall
210 South 34th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6311

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, April 26, 2013
Application will be reviewed by the ACSP PhD Workshop Committee. Participants will be notified of acceptance no later than May 10, 2013. Previous years’ workshops have been able to accommodate about 60% of those who applied.

DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS
All those selected to participate must submit a five-page dissertation research summary or proposal no later than June 28, 2013. These will be distributed among all participating students and faculty prior to the Workshop. In addition, all participants will be expected to make a 15-minute, 5-slide presentation of their research on the first day of the Workshop.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact John Landis at jlan@design.upenn.edu