Summer Program & Mini-Course
2026 United States Summer Program and Annual Conference: June 1st-5th.
ARC invites PhD students and early-career faculty in Political Science and related fields who are planning to conduct research in fragile and violence-affected settings to submit applications to attend the ARC Consortium’s three-day Summer Program and two-day Annual Conference.
The ARC Summer Program is primarily designed for PhD students and early-career scholars in comparative politics, peace and conflict studies, development studies, and international relations who are preparing to embark on research in fragile, conflict-affected, or otherwise challenging field sites. However, applications from scholars in all subfields will be considered. This program is not designed for practitioners.
The Summer Program is scheduled for June 1-3rd in Harrisonburg, VA. The Annual Conference, in which all Summer Program students participate, immediately follows on the 4-5th in Washington, DC at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Please see details and application instructions here.
ARC UK will run September 13-16, 2026 in Oxford.
Stay tuned for application instructions!
Founded in 2018, the ARC Consortium Summer Program hosts a week-long residential training for Political Science and International Studies PhD students preparing for research in fragile and violence-affected settings. The course includes rigorous instruction in the practical design and implementation of qualitative and quantitative field methods, intensive discussion of research ethics, and conversations regarding trauma-sensitive research approaches. Students also receive training in first aid, data protection and management, risk assessment, and managing IRB protocols.
Each year, the ARC program culminates in a two-day conference featuring distinguished scholars who conduct research in fragile and violence-affected settings. The conference includes discussion-oriented panels focused on the ethical, methodological, and logistical implications of conducting research in field sites affected by violence. Students also have the opportunity to present their own work-in-progress for feedback while engaging with a broad community of experienced researchers.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York, the American Political Science Association’s Centennial Fund, the Johns Hopkins University-SAIS Conflict Management and Middle East Studies Programs, the Johns Hopkins University NEXUS Grant, and the London School of Economics have provided generous financial support for current and past ARC programming.