2019 Graduate Symposium: Calling students interested in defence and security issues

Are you a current graduate student studying defence and security issues in Canada?

The Balsillie School of International Affairs, in partnership with the CDA Institute, is hosting the annual E3 (Engage, Exchange, Educate) Graduate Student Symposium (GSS) from May 6-8, 2019 in Waterloo, Ontario.

The E3 is the signature component of the CDA Institute’s Student Engagement Programme, for the cultivation of the next generation of Canadian security and defence scholars and public service leaders. Approximately 80 graduate students working toward their master’s or doctoral degrees in the fields of foreign policy, security and defence will be invited to participate.

We are currently welcoming proposals for papers across the spectrum of Canadian defence and security interests and issues. Proposals should include an abstract of no longer than 750 words accompanied by a one-page CV and should be emailed to E3@cdainstitute.ca no later than March 22, 2019. (For topics of interest, see here.)

We are also opening up a separate invitation to submit a written essay on defence and security issues of up to 1200 words, also due by March 22, 2019. (See below for further instruction.)

Select authors may be invited to attend the symposium and/or have the opportunity to have their work published, either on OpenCanada.org or as a CDA Institute Vimy Paper. They may also be invited to join the Canadian Network of Defence and Security Analysis, of which BSIA and the CDA Institute are founding organizations, which gathers 75 experts across the country to advise the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

Essay submissions

Submit an original essay of up to 1200 words, written in a conversational, accessible tone, similar to the style found on OpenCanada.org, where a group of selected essays will be published.

Authors should answer the question: What is one of the most critical future defence and security challenges for Canada, and how should it be tackled? This could be a topic already widely discussed by government or in the media but with an innovative solution presented; it could be a new or underreported issue; it could be an opportunity for Canada to address in 2019, or one to be worked on over the next decade.

Essays can be in French or English. They must be submitted in a Word document, and include hyperlinks (though optional) instead of footnotes. They must not have been published previously and should be the author’s original work. Essays will be judged for their originality, effectiveness and clarity of argument, quality of writing, and relevance to Canadian defence and security matters.

All students enrolled in a graduate studies program in Canada and those who have graduated with a graduate degree within the last three years are eligible to submit.

Submit your essay to editorial@opencanada.org by Friday, March 22 at 11:59pm ET. Please include your name and “defence essay competition 2019” in the subject line. All essay finalists will be required to agree to contributors’ terms.