The International Relations and Comparative Politics Workshop Series provides feedback that also gives the author (PhD students, faculty or visiting faculty) an opportunity to make a presentation and engage POIR PhD students and faculty. The workshops also facilitate publishable papers for PhD students and develop critique skills for discussants and attendees.

• Papers are drafts for prospective journal articles in international relations and/or comparative politics.
• Presenters are distributed equally each semester from PhD students, POIR faculty, and external guests.
• On days featuring external guests we encourage both students and faculty to take part in networking events, including 1-1 meetings, coffee with students, and dinner with faculty.
• Sessions begin with 15-minute presentations from the author followed by comments from a discussant (7–10 minutes); the floor then opens to questions that engage the presenter in a back and forth; the presenter ends the session with five-minute remarks.
• Presentations from externals might run 20–25 minutes.
• Discussants can consider using slides for their comments.
• Sessions last 75 minutes.

The workshops strive to build community among faculty and graduate students while fostering professional development through mentorship.

All participants of the workshops (as well as affiliated practice sessions for job talks or conferences) are asked to abide by the norms and standards of collegial behavior. These include:

• Participants are expected to read the full article in advance of the workshop.
• Participants share responsibility in achieving the goals of the workshop:
  • Presenters: State what feedback you most want.
  • Participants: Keep critiques relevant and solution-focused.
• Whenever possible, the workshop moderator will seek questions from doctoral students first before calling on faculty for questions and comments.
• One finger from a participant indicates a new comment or question; two fingers indicates a comment on the current discussion item.
• All participants will show respect for the author’s work and for other participants and their viewpoints. Critique the work, never the person.
• Acknowledge strengths before suggesting improvements; aim for a balance of affirmation and challenge.
• Participants should strive to be concise and share speaking time; use professional, collegial language.
• POIR faculty and doctoral-student attendees should consider which of their feedback is most productive to provide to the author in the context of a public workshop, and which feedback is most constructive to provide privately.
• The moderator reserves the right to manage the flow and discussion at the workshop.
• Repeatedly harsh, personal, or demeaning feedback is not acceptable; concerns can be raised confidentially with the moderator, CIS director, or director of graduate studies.

The center supports rigorous scholarship with respect. The goals of the workshops are best achieved when feedback is challenging, constructive, and humane.

In all public programs, the center subscribes to USC’s Integrity and Accountability Code, including the commitment to respecting the rights and dignity of all persons. Adherence to these guidelines and principles not only ensures that authors and participants act with integrity; it also guarantees that center-affiliated scholars produce high-quality research with the support of an academic community.