Harvard Review of Philosophy added to database!

I just added the Harvard Review of Philosophy to the database after receiving information from their editorial board today. This is really exciting news for philosophy majors. This journal has been in print for almost twenty years and is distributed to over 1000 institutions and philosophers around the world. They publish every Fall, with their submission deadline at the end of February. I encourage all philosophy students to aim for publication in the Harvard Review or another of the prestigious journals in print for undergraduates.

Cognitive Science Journal Added to the Database!

I have just added the Indiana Undergraduate Journal of Cognitive Science to our database. They just published the Winter 2010 volume which looks really interesting. This journal is very well managed and has consistently released volumes since 2006. Psychology and Linguistics majors should keep an eye on this one for 2010/2011. Maybe sift through the archives to see what types of articles they like to publish.

Psychology Journal Deadline Extended to April 4th

Students in the psychology department will be getting this email later this week. For everyone else, I will post it here as well.

The Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Cognitive Science has extended their Call for Papers to April 4th, 2010 to be published in the Summer 2010 Issue. If you have a paper that you wish to be published, please contact The Glendon Society for Undergraduate Scholarship for more information.

The Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Cognitive Science a prolongé leur date limite pour essai jusqu’au 4 avril, 2010 pour être publié dans l’issue été 2010.  Si vous avez un essai / dissertation que vous souhaitez être publié, n’hésitez pas à contacter La Société de Glendon pour l’érudition du Premier Cycle.

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This is a really important journal in Canada. It is one of the oldest and has remained very active since its inception in 2002. There are not that many psychology journals around compared to other disciplines, so I encourage all students with papers in cognitive sciences to contact us for submission details.

University of Western Ontario’s Journal: NeoAmericanist

The great thing about most of the journals that publish exclusively undergraduate scholarship is that they are largely operated by undergraduates; although usually with some faculty help for peer-reviewing. As I have been building the catalogue with journals, publishing schedules, manuscript guidelines etc. it has become increasingly apparent that most of the journals are hosted by elite, U.S. universities like Princeton, Yale, Duke, Columbia, Rutgers, John Hopkins etc. In the department of undergraduate research and publishing, Canada is being led by McGill. They actually have an Office of Undergraduate Research!

When I first saw NeoAmericanist, it looked so good that I thought it must have been hosted by offspring of American aristocracy (Kennedy, Bush, Clinton, Kerry etc.) in one of those really well-funded schools I just mentioned. To my surprise, it turns out it is hosted by undergrads at The University of Western Ontario.

It has really inventive and fresh perspectives on contemporary currents affecting the United States. A really interesting read is an article on the Indian diaspora and first-generation Indian-American identity; another article powerfully criticises and examines the consequences of  American faux-news shows orated by personalities like Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs and Keith Olbermann. They run an incredible website that allows you to quickly skim through articles and download the full-blown .pdf right from the sidebar.

NeoAmericanist is a good demonstration that undergraduates are capable of managing strong journals like this; even outside of the auspices of Ivey League colleges. This journal would be a good target for Glendon students to aim their submissions towards.

openDemocracy as a tool for research and publishing

I’ve been using openDemocracy for a few years now for research on just about anything that has happened recently on our blue planet. The articles are quick, critical, insightful, and very light ; or “accessible” as they term it. It was founded in 2001 (before 9/11) by a group of writers who believe that there is a need for a more cosmopolitan, democratic conversation about the world and how we govern ourselves. openDemocracy has expanded considerably since 2001 as a space of conversation through its forums, and presentation through its broad selection of articles, videos and photos created by everyday observers around the world.

openDemocracy believes there is an urgent need for a global culture of views and argument that is:

Serious, thoughtful and attractively written

Accessible to all

Open to ideas and submissions from anywhere, part of a global human conversation that is not distorted by parochial national interests.

Original and creative, able to propose and debate solutions to the real problems that we all face.

The depth of information available on openDemocracy is profound. 50.50 is a project on women’s rights and equality; and openEconomy discusses open-minded economics. That just names a few. There really is just about something for anyone researching the human condition in today’s world. openDemocracy really demonstrates how original and insightful commentary on events that occur daily can be produced by anyone.

Next time you have an insightful idea on an event, or photographed/filmed a powerful scene, consider submitting it.

www.opendemocracy.net

University of Texas creates class to manage undergrad journal

For the first time this spring, the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Liberal Arts offered a course that is designed for students who are running the school’s undergraduate journal, Sociological Insight. The course is designed to teach methods of peer-reviewing; the process of manuscript reviewing and editorial decision-making; and directly applying this knowledge to the production of the annual edution of the Sociological Insight. This avant-garde teaching philosophy seems so critical as a pathway for students to quickly adjust to graduate studies. I suspect we will be seeing more and more courses and programmes such as this to help the increasing numbers of students moving into the graduate studies.

Grading

Several short papers responding to readings 30%
Several reviews of manuscripts submitted to Sociological Insight 40%
Peer critiques of reviews by classmates and others 20%
Regular attendance and active participation 10%

Overview

Academic journals are absolutely crucial for the dissemination of new knowledge in the social sciences. This is how fresh theoretical developments and research findings enter the public domain in a timely fashion. Yet although students are often asked to read articles in such journals as part of coursework, there is very little discussion of how journal publication happens, i.e., how articles are produced, adjudicated, revised, and eventually accepted for print. Last year the Department of Sociology at UT-Austin began sponsorship of an annual journal devoted specifically to undergraduate research: Sociological Insight. The journal publishes high-quality work by undergraduates from around the country (and perhaps beyond), but it is produced exclusively by UT students, with assistance (upon request) from faculty advisors.

The Course & Syllabus

The Journal

Glendon Student Wins Atlantic Council of Canada Essay Competition

Tom Shephard of Glendon was one of four winners of The Atlantic Council of Canada’s 2009 Essay Competition.

His paper is titled (click to download a copy): “The Lion and the Sheep: Ending the War in Afghanistan”