Summer Program & Mini-Course
2026 Mini Course: September 13-16
All Souls College, Oxford UK
ARC invites PhD students and other early-career researchers in Political Science and related fields who are planning to conduct research in fragile and violence-affected field sites to submit applications to attend our four-day Field Research Mini-Course at Oxford University.
The mini-course will prepare students to conduct rigorous academic research in these contexts in addition to facilitating the development of professional support networks that include faculty and peers engaged in similar work. It will conclude with a half-day conference where participants can present in-progress work to the group and outside faculty experts.
Please see details and application instructions here.
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.