Workshop Opportunities
posted by Kaimipono D. Wenger
The “Blogging and the New Professor” session was interesting and informative. I’ll post some more detailed discussion when I’m not on a rent-a-terminal at the Wardman; for this post, I’d like to break out one point.
Larry Solum emphasized the importance of workshopping one’s work. He noted that, if a professor can workshop her article at several schools, she may double or triple her article’s real readership. And as we know, many schools offer ongoing workshop opportunities, often under titles like “workshop series,” “colloquia series,” “brown bag,” or “works in progress series.” Professor Solum emphasized the importance of workshopping one’s work at those kinds of venues.
An audience member then asked the natural follow up question: Where does one find information about workshop opportunities, organizers and chairs?
Of course, some information about workshop series crops up online. Information is available on SSRN about some workshops. Announcements appear on individual blogs, and I know that workshop series are sometimes announced on Legal Theory blog. (Is there another clearinghouse that I’m unaware of?) The fact remains that many workshop opportunities are not widespread public knowledge. This post is one step towards reducing that information gap (and will follow in the tradition of the “Hiring chairs, please identify yourselves” line of posts).
So: If you are a chair or organizer of a workshop series or program at your school, please weigh in in the comments. Your name, your school, your contact information, any workshop goals or requirements your workshop series has (”we’re looking for papers on mass torts” or the like). If you are not a workshop chair but your school has such a program and there is another chairperson you can point to, feel free to do that as well.
I’ll start the festivities by noting that I am co-chair (along with current Co-Op guest blogger Deven Desai) of Thomas Jefferson’s scholarship committee, and that we operate one such works-in-progress workshopping series. (Further details to follow in a blog comment.) Workshop chairs everywhere, identify yourselves! You have nothing to lose but your relative obscurity.
Hopefully, we can get feedback from enough workshop organizers to end up with a working (incomplete, but still quite helpful) list of workshop opportunities. I’ll put that information into chart form in post updates, and keep it as updated as possible with occasional reminders.
January 5, 2007 at 10:46 am
Posted in: Conferences, Law School (Scholarship)
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Responses (3)
Kaimi - January 5, 2007 at 11:24 am
I am co-chair (along with current Co-Op guest blogger Deven Desai) of Thomas Jefferson’s scholarship committee, and we operate one such works-in-progress workshopping series.
We’ve had some interesting people from other schools who have presented works in progress, and are actively seeking new people. There is no topical restriction in the TJSL workshop series. If you have a work in progress you would like to workshop at TJSL, feel free to e-mail Deven or myself and we will be happy to discuss it.
Note that all the usual caveats and limitations apply: This is a general announcement and not a specific offer for workshopping of any particular piece; questions on whether we can fit you and your article will depend on the usual factors of scheduling (”is this person available only on a date that’s already booked?”), faculty interest (”does this person write on a topic that faculty wants to hear about, or will it be three people in the room?”), travel, and so forth. Direct questions, comments, inquiries, to Deven or myself. Thank you.
Jason Czarnezki - January 5, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I (Jason Czarnezki) am Chair of the Academic Programs Committee at Marquette University Law School, which runs a works-in-progress workshop series.
Ellen S Podgor - January 6, 2007 at 11:43 pm
At Stetson we have a Speaker Exchange Program with several law schools that allow faculty exchanges for Works-In-Progress.
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