15th annual Western History Dissertation Workshop, May 8, 2026 at the University of California, Davis.

This writing workshop offers vigorous dissertation support to advanced western history PhD students in a collegial group of 10-12 leading scholars from participating institutions across the United States. Applicants who are most likely to benefit from this workshop are those who have completed a few chapters of their dissertation and who expect to defend in the 2026-27 academic year. Selected participants will share one chapter (of no more than fifty pages) at the workshop and receive feedback from other participants and from senior scholars affiliated with the sponsoring institutions.

The workshop

This year’s workshop is hosted by the Department of History at the University of California, Davis. UC Davis will pay travel expenses for up to five advanced graduate students writing a dissertation exploring any topic dealing with the history and culture of the American West. The workshop is co-sponsored by: the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington; the Center for the Southwest at the University of New Mexico; the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West; the Center of the American West/University of Colorado Boulder Department of History; the University of Nebraska Department of History; the Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University; the Pennsylvania State University History Department; the Princeton University Department of History; the UCLA Department of History; and the University of Kansas Department of History.

How to apply

Please provide a brief cover letter, a short CV, and a dissertation prospectus/description of not more than two single-spaced pages. Your cover letter should indicate which chapter of your dissertation you intend to circulate for the workshop. Send all items in a single PDF document to Rachel St. John (rcstjohn@ucdavis.edu). Please arrange for your dissertation adviser to send a letter of recommendation via email to Rachel St. John as well; that letter should address the significance and the status of the dissertation to date. Applications are due April 1, 2026, and participants will be notified of their selection by April 13. Selected applicants must submit a complete draft of a dissertation chapter for distribution to the group by April 30