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Undergraduate Research Poster Session

 
 

CALL FOR PAPERS

 

MIDDLE EAST STUDIES ASSOCIATION

2026 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH WORKSHOP

Sponsored by MESA’s Committee on Undergraduate Middle East Studies (CUMES)

 
WORKSHOP COORDINATORS: 
Dr. Victoria Hightower ([email protected])
Dr. Jane Murphy ([email protected])
Dr. Joseph Kotinsly ([email protected])
 
The Committee on Undergraduate Middle East Studies (CUMES) is sponsoring our annual undergraduate research workshop on Saturday Nov. 21, 2026 in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Association of North America Annual Conference (Nov. 21-24) in Boston, MA. This workshop will be valuable for students planning graduate work in Middle East Studies.
 
Eligibility: Students pursuing a bachelor’s program or recent graduates who have not yet begun a graduate degree are eligible. All fields and disciplines are welcome. 
 
Format: The workshop has 3 components: 1) small panel presentation (15-20 minutes per student; based on a 10-12 page paper) and discussion;  2) professional development session; 3) poster sessions. 
 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION AND DEADLINES

Early acceptance deadline: August 15, 2026
Late acceptance deadline: September 15, 2026
  1. Fill out this form with your personal information and your research information including: Topic, Methodology, Sourcebase, Conclusions, Contribution to Scholarship (300 words) 
  2. A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION from a research mentor commenting on the quality of the proposal and why the student would benefit from the workshop. Submitted by recommender to [email protected].
Proposals will be selected based on the quality of the proposal, diversity of disciplinary areas, and with an eye towards maximizing the diversity of the colleges and universities represented. To provide personalized attention and mentorship, the workshop is limited to 20 student participants.
 
REGISTRATION FEES & GRANTS
The fee for the workshop and access to the full MESA conference is $50. CUMES will also have a small number of travel grants up to $500 to support student travel to the conference.
 
JEFF A. VANDENBERG UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARD 
Inaugurated in 2025, this award recognizes the best project submitted for the Undergraduate Research Workshop. This is based on quality of scholarship–sources, scholarly discussion, and potential contribution to the field. 
 
 

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