Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Global Studies (CGS) is inviting applications for the Global Studies Dissertation Fellows program that will be offered in association with the College of the Liberal Arts’ Departmental Dissertation Release Awards. These fellowship awards are intended to support Humanities graduate students working in the field of global studies in their dissertations. The grant offers students a sum of $500 to support their research-related activities in the semester in which he/she receives a Department Dissertation Release Award. The recipient of the award also gets the title of Center for Global Studies Fellow.
The Center for Global Studies Fellow will be informed of all CGS events and asked to participate in those events that are of interest to them or that would benefit their research. Furthermore, the Center for Global Studies Fellow will be required to present their dissertation research at a CGS event or at a Global Studies K-12 Teachers Workshop.
Eligibility and Provisions
To be eligible for a dissertation release award, students must be ABD and be supported on an assistantship for the period covered by the dissertation release. Fixed-term faculty are not eligible for dissertation releases. Unless the Associate Dean approves an exception under special circumstances, it is assumed that departments will continue to pay regular assistantship stipends and tuition grant in aids for students receiving awards during fall and spring semesters.
Dissertation releases will be paid for by means of a $4000 grant to departments, to permit departments to replace the affected students; or $3000 grants to students directly, in the case of a summer release. In order to participate, departments must arrange to replace fully the teaching responsibilities or other departmental duties of a student who receives a dissertation release so that students may devote full time to work on the dissertation. In other words, the students cannot be given a partial release from teaching or other duties; they must be given a complete semester release. Departments which violate this understanding may be dropped from the program.
Students are expected to remain in residence at University Park during the period of the release unless they receive permission from their Graduate Director to travel for the sake of research or other legitimate academic purposes.
The Associate Dean’s office serves mainly as a clearinghouse for the determination of eligibility. Students will be certified as eligible when the Graduate Director in each department certifies that the student has completed an acceptable dissertation proposal.
How to Apply
Up to two fellows may be named per academic year, on a competitive basis, to support students’ dissertation research. Students eligible for the Humanities Initiative Dissertation Support who wish to be considered for the Center for Global Studies Fellow Award should submit an application in PDF format by email.
Applications should include the following:
– A brief description of the dissertation project and why research support is required (include the status of the dissertation proposal and when it is scheduled for approval)
– A one-page statement explaining how the dissertation project fits the general mission of the Center for Global Studies
– An updated curriculum vitae that includes full contact information and student ID number
Last date for submitting the applications is November 1, 2011.
For more information and details, please visit this link.
