American Historical Association

Graduate Students and Early Career Professionals

126th Annual Meeting

The following events are recommended for graduate students and early career professionals.

Thursday, January 5

8:55 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Teaching Workshop: Recognizing Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
This three-part workshop includes an "Introduction to Recognizing Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching" (8:55-9:00 a.m.), "Teaching Undergraduates with Technology" (9:00-10:30 a.m.), and "What Works and What Does Not Work in the Survey and Assessment" (10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.).

12:00–6:00 p.m.

THAT Camp (The Humanities and Technology Camp) AHA (Local Arrangements Committee)
Thursday, January 5, 12:00-6:00 p.m. | Parlor C (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers) 
THATCamp (The Humanities and Technology Camp) is a free, open "unconference" where attendees create sessions, ideas, and collaborations on the spot. There are no podiums or PowerPoint slides; instead, campers learn directly from one another. THATCamp is a productive and fun event for scholars and technologists, digital humanities practitioners, and those who don't know much about digital humanities but wish to learn. There is no fee for attending. However, because space is limited, registration is required. Sign up at THATCamp.org.

4:00–5:00 p.m.

Getting the Most Out of the Annual Meeting
Thursday, January 5, 4:00-5:00 p.m. | Missouri Room (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
An orientation for first-time participants in the annual meeting. Speakers will talk about how to navigate the annual meeting and get the most out of the professional development opportunities it provides. Participants will have a chance to ask questions informally, suggest ways to improve the meeting, and to meet others attending the annual meeting for the first time. Immediately following the session, participants can continue the conversation at the reception for graduate students.

5:00–6:30 p.m.

Graduate Student Reception
Thursday, January 5, 5:00-6:30 p.m. | Mayfair Room (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
The AHA Graduate and Early Career Committee invites graduate students attending the 2012 annual meeting to a reception in the Sheraton's Mayfair Room to meet fellow students from other institutions as well as the Association’s leadership.

Friday, January 6

9:30–11:30 a.m.

Workshop: Interviewing in the Job Market in the Twenty-First Century
Friday, January 6, 9:30-11:30 a.m. | Chicago Ballroom VIII (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
Since the mid-1990s, the Professional Division has organized an annual workshop to provide advice to historians on the job market. By participating in these workshops, job candidates can approach interviews better prepared to present themselves and their qualifications for the job. This is good for the candidates, good for hiring departments, and good for the profession.

Did We Go Wrong? The Past and Prospects of the History Profession
Friday, January 6, 9:30-11:30 a.m. | Sheraton Ballroom V (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
This session addresses the current employment situation in History via an historical survey of American graduate education, in general and in history. The number of jobs available at last year's meeting in Boston was the lowest in many years, and was far exceeded by the number of members seeking them. The great recession of 2008 and university cutbacks are part of the explanation, of course, but commentators have also suggested that American research universities are overproducing overspecialized Ph.D.s for the existing market and have been for some time.  The panel will test these hypotheses and speculate cautiously about the future state of both graduate education and the professional market for our graduates.

1:00–2:00 p.m.

Social Science Research Council’s Fellowship Information Session
Friday, January 6, 1:00-2:00 p.m. | Chicago Ballroom X (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
Social Science Research Council's Fellowship Information Session, with information on Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF), International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF), and Drugs, Security, and Democracy (DSD) programs.

2:30–4:30 p.m.

Professional Development: Turning Your Dissertation into a Book
Friday, January 6, 2:30-4:30 p.m. | Chicago Ballroom VI (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
This panel will help graduate students understand the process of turning their dissertations into publishable books appropriate for today’s book market. Our panelists include distinguished authors, an author who has recently turned his dissertation into a book, and a representative from a university press. Each speaker will discuss his/her personal experience and advice for budding authors, and the balance of the time will be open for questions from the floor.

Creating Creativity: A Roundtable Discussion of Moving Beyond Lecture in Today’s College Classroom
Friday, January 6, 2:30-4:30 p.m. | Chicago Ballroom VIII (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
The panel at this roundtable session will discuss how instructors of history have in the past and can in the future both teach creatively and teach creativity.

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Graduate and Early Career Committee Open Forum
Friday, January 6, 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Colorado Room (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
The AHA Graduate and Early Career Committee invites graduate students and early-career professionals to a forum to discuss issues of common interest.

Saturday, January 7

9:00–11:00 a.m.

Higher Education Today: The Academic Community in an Uncertain Time
Saturday, January 7, 9:00-11:00 a.m. | Chicago Ballroom D (Chicago Marriott Downtown)
This panel addresses current issues in higher education, including the impact of the increasing percentage of part-time and temporary instructors on the nation’s faculties, legal issues ( from affirmative action to libel suits) transforming and deforming higher education,  the impact of that entrepreneurialism, and more.

Fulbright Scholar Program Information Session
Saturday, January 7, 9:00-11:00 a.m. | Lincolnshire Room (Chicago Marriott Downtown)
Institute of International Education/CIES Fulbright Scholar Program Information Session.

11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Talk Data to Me: A Conversation with Historians about Using Large-Scale Digital Data in Research and Teaching
Saturday, January 7, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Armitage Room (Chicago Marriott Downtown)
Participants at this roundtable have all used large-scale databases in their research and teaching, and will share their experiences.

Poster Session, Part 1
Saturday, January 7, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | Sheraton Ballroom II (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
Poster sessions part 1 and part 2 (below) provide a venue for the newest developing historical research. The setup of the poster sessions allows for presenters and viewers to have considered dialogue and engaging interaction.

2:30–4:30 p.m.

Poster Session, Part 2
Saturday, January 7, 2:30-4:30 p.m. | Sheraton Ballroom II (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
Poster sessions part 1 (above) and part 2 provide a venue for the newest developing historical research. The setup of the poster sessions allows for presenters and viewers to have considered dialogue and engaging interaction.

Sunday, January 8

8:30–10:30 a.m.

A Winner's Guide to Graduate and Postdoctoral Grant and Fellowship Competitions
Sunday, January 8, 8:30-10:30 a.m. | Chicago Ballroom VI (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
This session invites graduate students and early career professionals to meet experienced colleagues who have served on selection committees for prestigious national competitions, directors of site- and subfield-specific award programs, and early career colleagues who seem to have figured out the magic formula for successfully navigating the grant and fellowship process.