Program on Conducting Archival Research

The Program on Conducting Archival Research has three components:

• a week long summer institute on archival research;
• one day workshops on conducting Freedom of Information Act requests and conducting research in non-American archives; and
• a Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in contemporary history.

One-Day workshops

On March 8, 2010, the National Security Archive and George Washington University will join forces for a day-long workshop on "Effective FOIA Requesting for Researchers." This session will offer a unique opportunity for graduate students to learn the fundamentals of the Freedom of Information Act and how to use it. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2010.

In 2010-2011, there will be a workshop on conducting research in non-American archives.

SICAR

The Summer Institute on Conducting Archival Research (SICAR) is a five-day seminar in which Ph.D. students receive training in conducting archival research. Although archival research is an integral part of many academic disciplines, it is virtually never taught at the graduate level. In an effort to address this deficiency, the George Washington University began the Summer Institute in 2003. SICAR welcomes students working on dissertation topics related modern history and international affairs. In 2010, the Summer Institute will continue to welcome participants from various disciplines including history, government and politics, international relations, sociology, anthropology, and public policy, as well as area and regional studies. Preference will be given to students who have defended their dissertation proposal and who are about to embark on archival research.

The Summer Institute is directed by the faculty of the GW Cold War Group and researchers at both the National Security Archive and the Cold War International History Project. SICAR is generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

SICAR this year will be held June 7-11, 2010. To apply to SICAR 2010, click here.

(Left) Participants in the 5th annual Summer Institute on Conducting Archival Research (Right) Participants in the 4th annual Summer Institute on Conducting Archival Research

Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Contemporary History

The George Washington University's Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) will sponsor a Mellon Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Contemporary History for 2010-2011. Applicants need to have completed archival research for their dissertation in two or more countries and be at the final writing stage of their dissertation. The Fellow must be in residence at IERES from September 2010 through June 2011 and will be provided with an office and computer. The Fellow will also help IERES Director Henry E. Hale administer several workshops that train Ph.D. candidates to conduct archival research. The award will offer support in the amount of $25,000 per year, plus benefits. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, click here.

Elidor Mehilli has joined the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies in 2009-2010 as the second Pre-doctoral Mellon Fellow in Contemporary History.  He is a Ph.D. candidate at  Princeton University and is completing his dissertation on the Sovietization of Albania and the Eastern bloc through exchanges in practices, people and technology. He has completed extensive archival research in Albania, Germany, Russia, the UK, and Italy.  Mehilli completed his B.A. in European Studies and also received a B.S. in the History of Architecture and Urbanism at Cornell University. He received an Excellence in Graduate Teaching award from Princeton University in May 2008.

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