Fellowship of the Day: SSRC International Dissertation Research

The 2007 SSRC IDRF application is now available online. These fellowships are for dissertation research outside of the United States, in almost any field in the humanities or social sciences, provided you can explain how your work contributes to the understanding of another culture. Lots of good examples of past successful fellowship titles and subjects on the website, going back to 1997. History and anthropology were big in 2006, apparently, but I did notice a few ethnomusicologists and even an environmental scientist.

Fifty fellowships at $20,000 each are awarded for nine to twelve months of study. That's all of the numbers out of the way. If you have any questions, be sure to email me. And be sure to check out further opportunities through the SSRC. Deadline: November 1, 2006.

Pacific Rim Research Program Visit

Sandra Wulff, a program officer for UC's Pacific Rim Research Program, would like to visit campus sometime in the fall. To begin setting up for her visit, I'd like to get a better idea of how many people would like to attend the meeting. If you're interested, please let me know. NB: This isn't an official RSVP, and we still have to work out the date--I'm just trying to gauge interest in some quasi-scientific way.

To find out more about Pac Rim, click here.

Fellowship of the Day: ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship

"The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowships are to assist graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences in the last year of Ph.D. dissertation writing. This program aims to encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. Applicants must be prepared to complete their dissertations within the period of their fellowship tenure or shortly thereafter."

The bottom line: 65 fellowships awarded at $25,000 each, plus research costs up to $3000 and tuition/fees up to $5000. So a good deal, in other words, and maybe even an incentive to complete that dissertation.

More here.

Attention Fulbright Applicants

If you haven't already started the online application but are intending to apply for the September 8, 2006 deadline, please contact me with your proposed country(ies) and field of study so that I can decide on the final composition of the faculty committee.

Three recent Fulbright administrative issues:

1. Form 9 is the recommendation form to submit with the application, but recommendation letters in a standard, narrative form should accompany it. Those should be either sent to me or submitted in sealed envelopes along with the rest of the application on Sept. 8.

2. Form 8 (the language report form) can be submitted online. Although this is the preferred method of submission, hard copies can be printed out and submitted to me.

3. Some countries (notably, Germany) require an academic affiliation because everyone in the country must carry health insurance. Be sure to check back with your individual country summary before submitting the online application.

Fellowship of the Day: Met Art History Fellowships

Just received notice of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 2007-08 fellowships. That's fellowships in the plural, because there are nine of them. Not all are suitable for graduate students, but the very generous Theodore Rousseau Fellowships ($30,000, plus $5000 for travel and expenses) are almost exclusively for grad students to support "first-hand examination of paintings in major European collections." Short-term fellowships for three months are also available.

Most of them encourage fellows to take advantage of the collections at the Met. There's no official application form, but you can find out more about the requirements here. Due date is Nov. 3, 2006.

Appointments, presentations, etc.

Just a reminder, as everyone's getting back to campus, that I have plenty of room in my schedule for appointments. I can show you how to begin a search for general grad funding, go over a proposal statement or research plan, or discuss the finer points of NIH regulations (to some extent, anyway). Emails and phone calls are always welcome. I can accommodate drop-ins most of the time, but I'm occasionally out of the office for meetings.

For the moment, my hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4pm. Starting with fall quarter, my hours will change a little:

M-Th: 7:30am to 5pm
F: 1pm-5pm

If you're a student or staff member who wants me to do a half-hour presentation followed by a question-and-answer session in your department, send me an email or call. As long as you have an available room and a Power Point presentation set-up, this show goes on the road.

Fellowship of the Day: James Madison Fellowships

James Madison Fellowships encourage history and policy sci majors with an interest in teaching to pursue graduate study. Junior fellowships are given to those who have completed or are just about to complete an undergraduate degree and plan to pursue an MA or M.Ed. with a concentration in American history or government. Senior fellowships go to teachers who intend to pursue those same degrees through part-time or night course work.

One more requirement. From the website:

"The Fellow’s proposed plan of graduate study should contain substantial constitutional course work. Fellows are encouraged to choose institutions that offer courses that closely examine the origins and development of the U.S. Constitution, the evolution of political theory and constitutional law, the effects of the Constitution on society and culture in the United States, or other such topics directly related to the Constitution."

At least one fellowship will be awarded in every state, and will offer up to $24,000 in financial support.

Signatures for August and new location

Until September 1, the UCSD official signing for graduate student fellowship will be Richard Attiyeh, Interim Dean of Graduate Studies.

And I'm pleased to announce that as of Monday, August 7, I have a shiny new office on the second floor of 518 University Center, and lots of room in my schedule and in my new digs to meet with students. Stop by between 8am and 4pm or make an appointment.