The Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University invites PhD students working on dissertations involving archival research (particularly in newly accessible archives) in modern history and international relations to apply for its 5th Annual Summer Institute on Conducting Archival Research (SICAR). The summer institute will be held June 11–15, 2007, at George Washington in Washington, D.C.

SICAR trains graduate students to maximize their research in archives and includes sessions on preparing to go to an archive and structuring time once there, understanding how archival documents come to be written and deposited in archives, and tackling the challenges of interpreting archival documents, including issues of culture and foreign language. George Washington University will cover the costs of housing and meals. Accepted students can apply for help with travel costs. SICAR is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Those interested in participating can find an application form at http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/students/sicar.cfm. For more information, call (202) 994-6342, or e-mail: sicar@gwu.edu. The deadline for applications is February 19, 2007, and decisions will be announced by March 1, 2007.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.