Manuscript Review Program
The Oakley Center annually sponsors and organizes up to six one-day manuscript review sessions to provide specialized feedback to those faculty members in Divisions I and II who are preparing monographs or other similarly large academic works prior to submission for publication. Please note that this program is open to Williams faculty only and review sessions are granted by application only. For full details and applications instructions, please read the program guidelines.
Research Seminars
The Oakley Center sponsors research seminars each year that involve a semester- or year-long commitment to convene regularly (8-10 meetings total) at the Oakley Center to engage with scholarship or creative work around a particular subject, and/or share work in progress. The number of participants typically ranges from five to ten. If circumstances are appropriate, however, it is possible to organize a year-long seminar that meets as many times but at less frequent intervals. The Center is open to hybrid proposals that combine discussion with the circulation of research papers by participants.
Seminar applicants should submit proposals to the Administrative Director. The deadline for receipt of seminar applications for fall 2020 is May 15; proposals for spring semester 2021 are due by October 15, 2020, or can be submitted by the May deadline. The Center pays a stipend of $600 to the organizer(s) and $400 to other participants. The organizer(s) may also request a supplementary budget of up to $1800 to advance the goals of the seminar–e.g., by bringing to campus a scholar with relevant expertise for a lecture or workshop. (Although such seminar-related events may be held at the Oakley Center on a space-available basis, organizers are expected to manage their own budget and handle logistics themselves.) If the group plans activities that may overrun the $1800 supplemental funds, the organizer(s) may apply for additional funding once the initial budget has been spent. The deadlines for such requests are October 15 for fall seminars, and March 15 for spring and year-long seminars. This additional funding is not guaranteed, but every effort will be made to offer some assistance when the Center budget allows it.
Research Seminar proposals should be 1-2 pages in length and should describe the topic of the group and identify key questions, explain why the topic is important, address the means by which the group will investigate relevant theme(s), include a bibliography, and list some of the people who are most likely to attend. The proposal should also include a budget for supplementary funds and an explanation of how they will be used. At the conclusion of the seminar, a summary and evaluation will be submitted by the organizer(s) to the Center.
Please note: The Center places highest priority on Research Seminars that explore new methodologies or fields of study and which incorporate participants from a range of disciplines or areas of expertise. Proposals largely focused on curricular or pedagogical questions in established departments/programs will be accorded lower priority when ranking proposals.
Recently Sponsored Research Seminars
Fall 2019 & Spring 2020
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Epistemic Injustice” |
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Organizer |
Gail Newman, German |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Imagined Optics: Perception, Reception, and Power of Images” |
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Organizer |
Susanne Ryurin Kerekes, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Garden” |
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Organizer |
Henry Art, Biology |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Readings in Affect Theory” |
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Organizer |
Prisca Gayles, Africana Studies |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Weaponizing Gender” |
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Organizer |
Helga Druxes, German |
Fall 2017 & Spring 2018
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Discussion Seminar: |
“From Russia with Love” |
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Organizer |
Steve Nafziger, Economics |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Heidigger and the Environment” |
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Organizers |
Christopher Pye, English |
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Walter Johnston, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Critical Indigenous Theory” |
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Organizers |
Eli Nelson, American Studies |
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Mark Reinhardt, Political Science |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Into the Darkness: Knowing that which Cannot be Seen” |
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Organizer |
Kai Green, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“New Directions in Performance Studies” |
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Organizer |
Gregory Mitchell, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“What is (the) Matter in New Materialism” |
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Organizers |
Susanne Kerekes, Religion and Asian Studies |
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Phillip Webster, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“New Research in Philosophy of Social Science” |
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Organizers |
Keith McPartland, Philosophy |
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Jason Josephson Storm, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“New Work in Gender and Science” |
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Organizer |
Alison Case, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Psychoanalytic Lens on Humanities and Social Sciences” |
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Organizer |
Bojana Mladenovic, Philosophy |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Thinking Local: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the study of Berkshire County” |
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Organizers |
Nicolas Howe, Environmental Studies |
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Annie Valk, Public Humanities and History |
Fall 2016 & Spring 2017
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Afrofuturism” |
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Organizer |
Paul Park, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Autobiographical Philosophy of Education” |
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Organizer |
Steven Gerrard, Philosophy |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Before Copernicus: Cultures and Contexts of Scientific Learning in the Fifteenth Century“ |
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Organizer |
Jamil Ragep, History of Science |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Ethical Eating” |
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Organizers |
Les Beldo, Environmental Sciences |
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Sarah Jacobson, Economics |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“The Hammer of Witches, or: The Origin and Meaning of Witchcraft” |
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Organizers |
Eric Knibbs, History |
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Jason Josephson Storm, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Heidigger Now” |
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Organizers |
Walter Johnston, English |
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Christopher Pye, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Post-Freudian Psychodynamic Theories in Humanities and Social Sciences” |
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Organizer |
Bojana Mladenovic, Philosophy |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Moving With Words: Performative Writing in Academic Scholarship” |
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Organizer |
Rashida Braggs, Africana Studies |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Race, Politics, and Urban Change” |
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Organizers |
Steven Nafziger, Economics |
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Mason Williams, Leadership Studies and Political Science |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Rethinking the Public: Humanistic Responses to Neoliberalism” |
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Organizer |
Helga Druxes, German |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Word and Image: The Documentary Process in the 21st Century” |
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Organizers |
Barry Goldstein, Humanities |
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Olga Shevchenko, Sociology |
Fall 2015 & Spring 2016
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Knotty Business: Disentangling the Culture of Hair” |
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Organizer |
Janneke van de Stadt, Russian |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Memory and Place” |
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Organizers |
Christina Simko, Sociology |
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Annie Valk, History & Public Humanities |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“New Directions in Formalist Criticism” |
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Organizers |
Emily Vasiliauskas, English |
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Dorothy Wang, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Rethinking Wilderness” |
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Organizers |
Nicolas Howe, Environmental Studies |
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Karen Merrill, History |
Fall 2014 & Spring 2015
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Film and Media Studies'” |
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Organizer |
Shawn Rosenheim, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Intersectionality Studies” |
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Organizers |
Jacqueline Hidalgo, Religion |
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Saadia Yacoob, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Performance Studies, Part II:Affect Across Disciplines” |
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Organizer |
Amy Holzapfel, Theatre |
Fall 2013 & Spring 2014
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Corporations, Cooperatives, and Collective Ownership'” |
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Organizer |
Steven Nafziger, Economics |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Ethics and the Good Life” |
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Organizers |
Jason Josephson, Religion & Jeff Israel, Religion |
Fall 2012 & Spring 2013
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Contemporary Global Migration Narratives'” |
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Organizers |
Helga Druxes, German |
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Katarzyna Pieprzak, French |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Imagining Joseph” |
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Organizer |
Peter Just, Anthropology |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Institutions and Development” |
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Organizer |
Ashok Rai, Economics |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“On Comparison: Theory, Method, Institutionalization” |
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Organizers |
James Manigault-Bryant, Africana Studies |
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Vincent Schleitwiler, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“On Debt” |
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Organizers |
Jason Josephson, Religion |
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Amanda Wilcox, Classics |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“The Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings” |
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Organizer |
Magnus Bernhardsson, History |
Fall 2011 & Spring 2012
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Charles Taylor’s ‘A Secular Age'” |
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Organizer |
Darel Paul, Political Science |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Consider the Log: Reflecting on the present and future practice of the liberal arts” |
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Organizers |
Amanda Wilcox, Classics |
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Edan Dekel, Classics |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Emotion and Environment” |
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Organizers |
Jennifer French, Spanish |
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Nicolas Howe, Environmental Studies |
Fall 2010 & Spring 2011
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Rethinking Africana Studies” |
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Organizers |
Devyn S. Benson, History & Africana Studies |
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Neil Roberts, Africana Studies |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Rethinking Theories & Methods in American Studies” |
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Organizer |
Mark Reinhardt |
Fall 2009 & Spring 2010
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Discussion Seminar: |
“The Cuban Revolution: 50 Years After” |
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Organizers: |
Devyn S. Benson, History & Africana Studies |
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Jessica M. Chapman, History |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Transnational Feminisms” |
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Organizer: |
Kathryn R. Kent, English & Women’s and Gender Studies |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Reading Talmud” |
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Organizer: |
Peter Just, Anthropology |
Fall 2008 & Spring 2009
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Discussion Seminar: |
“K-12 Education” |
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Organizer: |
Susan L. Engel, Psychology |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“About Carl Schmitt” |
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Organizer: |
Christopher L. Pye, English |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Program in Public Health” |
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Organizer: |
Lara D. Shore-Sheppard, Economics |
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Discussion Seminar |
“Teaching Ethics and the Ethics of Teaching” |
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Organizer |
William R. Darrow, Religion |
Fall 2007 & Spring 2008
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Ghostly Matters” |
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Organizers: |
Denise K. Buell, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Old and New Land Empires” |
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Organizers: |
William R. Darrow, Religion |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Propaedeutics: Reimagining Foundational Studies” |
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Organizer |
Peter Just, Anthropology & Sociology |
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Discussion Seminar: |
“Feminism and Disability Studies” |
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Organizers: |
Kathryn R. Kent, English |
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Shared Research Seminar: |
“Theorizing Crisis” |
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Organizer |
Stephen J. Tifft, English |
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Shared Research Seminar: |
“Exile” |
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Organizers: |
Edan Dekel, Classics |