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Current Workshop Call

2026 Junior Scholars Workshop

Call for Participation

The Umwelt Center at the Ohio State University invites submissions for its 2026 Junior Scholars Workshop, open to untenured professors, advanced graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and independent scholars working in the fields of Germanic Studies and Environmental Humanities. We invite works-in-progress (articles, dissertation chapters, book chapters, etc.) engaging with any aspect or topic at the intersection of Germanic Studies and Environmental Humanities. Papers will be pre-circulated among participants for the workshop on April 17-18, 2026.

Between 6-8 junior scholars will be selected to present their papers and receive feedback from the other participants, Umwelt Center faculty, and guest scholars Professor Caroline Schaumann (Emory University) and Professor Seth Peabody (Carleton College). In addition to forging new scholarly connections, there may also be the possibility to publish the papers as a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal. 

We will only consider papers that are true works in progress. Articles or chapters that are already in proofs or otherwise unable to be revised after the date of the Workshop are ineligible. 

***The Umwelt Center will pay the travel and hotel expenses for selected participants.***

Submission Instructions

Applicants should submit a one- to two-page summary of the paper, along with a short bibliography. If the paper is from a larger project, it should be accompanied by a one-page outline of that project. 

Applications are due on January 19. If selected, a complete draft of the paper will be due on March 15. Please do not apply if you will not be able to meet that deadline. Final submissions must be works-in-progress 7,500-15,000 words in length (including notes). 

Applications should be sent as Microsoft Word files by January 19 to Matthew Birkhold at: birkhold.22@osu.edu. Please include your name, institutional affiliation (if any), and e-mail contact information in your covering email. For more information, please contact the Umwelt Center Faculty Director Matthew Birkhold at: birkhold.22@osu.edu.