Social Science Research Council

From 1995 to 2007, the SSRC Japan Studies Dissertation Workshop brought together twelve Ph.D. students and four faculty mentors each year to give and receive critical feedback on dissertations in progress. Representing diverse fields in the social sciences and humanities, workshop participants came from institutions throughout the US and, later, Canada to the scenic Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California. Individual students led discussions of their research with faculty mentors and student peers from various disciplines to receive creative and critical input on improving their fieldwork plans or writing strategies. The participants, at various stages of writing their dissertations, engaged in discussions of methodological and thematic issues as well as strategies for succeeding in academia. Another goal of the SSRC Japan Studies Dissertation Workshop was to establish a sustained network of faculty and advanced graduate students, particularly those from universities that are not considered major Japan Studies institutions. Over the thirteen years of the workshop, 156 participants formed bonds that endured long after the three-day workshop. The SSRC Japan Studies Dissertation Workshop was funded through the generosity of the Japan Foundation.