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Scholars Unbound

Scholars Unbound

By Dahlia Simangan

Scholars Unbound is a monthly podcast/video series that showcases the voices of scholars who know no boundaries when it comes to the pursuit of knowledge. You will hear insights from their experiences as international scholars and how these influenced their research, hoping to inspire future scholars to be fearless, global, and unbound.
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Currently playing episode

The Power of Saying No

Scholars UnboundJul 16, 2021

00:00
11:29
Episode 44: Academic Reset
Nov 30, 202207:52
Episode 43: Publishing & Flourishing in Graduate School
Nov 15, 202222:04
Episode 42: Publishing a book with your students
Oct 31, 202212:13
Episode 41: Ready to write your first book?
Oct 15, 202209:13
Episode 40: Publishing Your First Monograph
Sep 30, 202228:33
Episode 39: Challenges of Global South Scholars
Sep 15, 202212:06
Episode 38: Assessing and sustaining your academic career
Aug 15, 202216:10
Episode 37: What is your relationship with time?
Aug 01, 202210:53
Episode 36: Building Up Your Academic Expertise
Jul 15, 202211:17
Episode 35: Checking in with Yourself Mid-Year
Jun 30, 202211:18
Listen Again: The Power of Saying No
Apr 16, 202211:29
Editors Explain the Elements of an Effective Book Proposal

Editors Explain the Elements of an Effective Book Proposal

Episode 34: Dr. Nicolas Lemay-Hébert (former Routledge editor) and Mr. Dominic Byatt (publisher at Oxford University Press) share with us some insider tips on what makes a good book proposal. 

Books mentioned in this episode: (1) International Peacebuilding and Local Involvement by Dr Dahlia Simangan; (2) Ethnoreligious Otherings and Passionate Conflicts by Dr Michael Magcamit

Support this project by subscribing to our newsletter, joining our Facebook Group, and joining the Scholars Unbound Patreon community.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. Intro and outro music by Lava Koirala. Transition music is a trimmed version of "12 Dream-Teachers by Ketsa" licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mar 31, 202216:52
The Pros and Cons of Writing a Book Chapter
Mar 15, 202213:49
Authoring vs Editing a Book
Feb 28, 202236:54
Your Thesis is Not the Book
Feb 15, 202212:03
Turning My Dissertation into a Book

Turning My Dissertation into a Book

Episode 30: You're done with your dissertation! Now what? Why not turn your dissertation into a book? In this episode, I share how I published my first book within two years after my PhD. 

My book with Routledge on International Peacebuilding and Local Involvement can be purchased here.

Support this project by subscribing to our newsletter, joining our Facebook Group, and joining the Scholars Unbound Patreon community.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. Intro and outro music by Lava Koirala. Transition music is a trimmed version of "12 Dream-Teachers by Ketsa" licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Jan 31, 202212:30
More than Enough

More than Enough

Episode 29: In this first episode of season 2, I looked back to 2021 and reminded myself that I've done more than enough. We've done more than enough! Enough to look ahead to 2022 with renewed but cautious optimism.

Support this project by subscribing to our newsletter, joining our Facebook Group, and joining the Scholars Unbound Patreon community.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. Intro and outro music by Lava Koirala. Transition music is a trimmed version of "12 Dream-Teachers by Ketsa" licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 

Jan 15, 202212:30
Season 2 Trailer: It's All About Writing
Dec 31, 202100:47
Academic Snakes and Ladders
Nov 15, 202116:28
Season 1 Finale: 2022 Plans
Oct 15, 202105:59
Lessons from a Year of Podcasting
Sep 30, 202105:55
Revising an Academic Paper
Sep 15, 202112:41
Decolonising Academia

Decolonising Academia

Episode 25: Dr Harvy Joy Liwanag, a medical doctor and health systems specialist from the Philippines, discusses the importance of decolonising global health and academia and encourages us to practice reflexivity in our research activities.

Dr Liwanag's profile at the United Nations University-International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH)

UNU-IIGH's Decolonisation Conversations Series
Episode 1: Reflexivity through Conversations
Episode 2: Learning & Education

Dr Liwanag's recent article on "Dialogical reflexivity towards collective action to transform global health."

Support this project by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Facebook Group.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

Music by Lava Koirala


Aug 31, 202121:20
Rising Above Rejections
Aug 16, 202109:37
Doing a PhD during the Pandemic
Jul 31, 202120:55
The Power of Saying No
Jul 16, 202111:29
ACUNS Tokyo - Researching Peace in the Philippines
Jul 02, 202123:34
Productivity vs Creativity
Jun 16, 202112:13
Strategies for Managing Academic and Family Lives
May 31, 202118:22
What's Wrong With Work-Life Balance?
May 14, 202109:58
Raising a Family During Your PhD
May 01, 202127:13
Working with Your PhD Supervisor
Apr 19, 202113:15
What Makes a Good PhD Research Proposal?
Mar 31, 202115:53
Personal Relevance of Research
Mar 15, 202114:16
ACUNS Tokyo - Choosing a PhD Research Topic

ACUNS Tokyo - Choosing a PhD Research Topic

Episode 13: For this second installment of the Scholars Unbound-ACUNS Tokyo Series, I had a conversation with Elizabeth Katherine Gamarra and Vanessa Abou-Khalil, both PhD students in the field of politics and international relations. Elizabeth’s PhD research is on the narratives of securitizing refugees in American press media in the context of Spanish and English languages. Vanessa, meanwhile, is researching conflict resolution in Japan’s foreign policy in countries with a hostile relationship with the United States. We talked about their research motivations and the importance of drawing on personal experiences when choosing research topics. 

ACUNS Tokyo Liaison Office

Elizabeth is a former Fulbright and World Rotary Peace Fellow. She is currently a MEXT Fellow at International Christian University (ICU) pursuing her PhD studies in International Relations under the mentorship of Dr. Giorgio Shani. She has a double Masters in the field of Mental Health (US) and Peace and Conflict Studies (Japan) which has permitted her to work as a therapist and mediator with refugees and indigenous communities from the US, as well as engage in nonprofit work in Latin America. At the age of 14, she founded "generations of legacies," which is an initiative focused on educational empowerment. After completing her graduate-level studies at the age of 19, she continued to grow this initiative from abroad. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ).
Tedx Talk on Human Mobility: https://youtu.be/OW2UzHfcYlw
GPAJ profile: http://www.gpaj.org/activities/members/elizabeth-gamarra
Featured in El Objetivo article: https://bit.ly/3sFWht0
Research article: https://bit.ly/3ky3AAk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-katherine-gamarra-50a315b5/
Instagram: elicitq

Vanessa completed her bachelor in French and Lebanese Law at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. She then received a MEXT scholarship, funded by the Japanese government, and pursued her higher education in Japan. She obtained a master’s degree in Political Science from Kobe University and is now in her third year of PhD. She is also a contributing writer at The Japan Times. She worked as a teaching assistant and gave undergraduate-level lectures on Japan Diplomatic History at Kobe University. She is currently a member of the Research Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs (RIIPA).
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-abou-khalil-666186117
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanessa_ak

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- Music by Lava Koirala

[Editing note: My microphone malfunctioned during the recording so I had to re-record myself but I kept my original questions and points of discussion from the actual call.]

Mar 01, 202126:59
Is a PhD for me?
Feb 15, 202109:47
Preparing for a PhD Program

Preparing for a PhD Program

Episode 11: What are the things you need to consider before embarking on a PhD program? In this episode, I reunited with my very good friend and fellow IUJ graduate, Dr Prabhat Barnwal, now an Assistant Professor of Economics at Michigan State University. Prabhat had applied to PhD programs at several universities in the US and elsewhere while he was working towards his master's degree at IUJ. With this experience, he has many practical tips for those who are planning to do a PhD. This is a must-listen for those who are still undecided about their PhD plans.

Support this project by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Facebook Group.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

Music by Lava Koirala

Jan 31, 202120:32
Cultivating Academic Networks
Jan 16, 202112:39
ACUNS Tokyo - Networking while in Graduate School
Jan 01, 202129:01
Louder and Stronger
Dec 15, 202006:19
Diversifying Narratives of Knowledge
Dec 01, 202021:35
A Crisis of Opportunities

A Crisis of Opportunities

Episode 6: This episode is a reading of an article I've written for the International Affairs blog, entitled "I hope this finds you well living in the Anthropocene," drawing on my research published in the International Affairs journal. You can find the much more complete version of the blog post here and the journal article here. I wanted to talk about academic opportunities, following my conversation with Dr Leticia dos Muchangos in Episode 6, but the typhoons that recently devasted the Philipines made it difficult for me to talk about these. Instead, I encourage you to consider donating to the typhoon victims in my home country. Here is the list of aid agencies accepting donations.

Support this project by subscribing to our newsletter and joining our Facebook Group.

Also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

Music by Lava Koirala

Nov 18, 202010:53
Discovering and Creating Opportunities
Nov 01, 202024:51
Learning in Perpetuity
Oct 16, 202008:02
A Career Outside Academia
Sep 30, 202029:50
Comfort and Outrage at Home
Sep 15, 202009:59
From the Philippines to New Zealand and Beyond
Aug 31, 202018:51