Research Fellows

HUMANITIES FACULTY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

Deadline: November 30, 2018

THI Research Fellowships provide faculty in the Humanities Division with one course replacement in order to pursue their research. Each fellowship recipient is also awarded $800 to be used for research expenses, which can include the hiring of a GSR, travel, and the purchase of research related equipment. Proposals must be for research performed during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Eligibility: 
The faculty member must be a senate faculty in the Humanities Division at UCSC. Preference will be given to junior faculty when possible.

Note:
Fellowship recipients will be expected to present on their work following their fellowship.

Application consists of:

1. cover letter providing a brief description of research plans,

2. two-page curriculum vitae that includes selected publications, as well as grants and awards received in the past three years,

3. three-page research proposal containing a description of the topic of research, the publication (or other result) to which the fellowship period will contribute, and a selected bibliography,

4. brief email from the department chair expressing support of the proposal and acknowledgment that the fellowship, if awarded, will involve a course release during one quarter, with $8,775 in compensation to the department.

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

The Humanities Institute Offers the Following Graduate Research Fellowships:

SSRC Dissertation Proposal Development Program: New Deadline February 8, 2019
Public Humanities Graduate Student Instructors: Application Deadline September 12, 2018
THI Public Fellows 2018-19 (3 Quarter Opportunity): Application Deadline June 8, 2018
THI Public Fellows Summer 2018: Application Deadline May 15, 2018
Dissertation Completion: Application Deadline March 30, 2018
Summer Dissertation: Application Deadline March 30, 2018
Summer Research: Application Deadline March 30, 2018

UC SANTA CRUZ – SSRC DISSERTATION PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

New Deadline: Friday, February 8, 2019

Call: We are soliciting applications for 12 students to participate in the Social Science Research Council’s Dissertation Proposal Development (SSRC-DPD) program. The SSRC-DPD program supports dissertation proposal development through interdisciplinary peer discussion and faculty perspectives; training in key research and related professional skills; introduction to a range of social science, cultural, and humanistic methodologies; and practical workshop activities to advance PhD students’ progress towards candidacy and dissertation research/writing. This grant funded program is hosted by The Humanities Institute in conjunction with the Division of Graduate Studies, with support from the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts Divisions. Click here to learn more about the SSRC-DPD program and current UCSC fellows.

Faculty Co-Lead Administrators:
Grace Peña Delgado, Associate Professor of History
Deborah Gould, Associate Professor of Sociology

Award: Each award includes:

● $5000 summer funding for support of exploratory research (six weeks minimum) in Summer 2019. Successful proposals will demonstrate specific need to use particular archives and collections, conduct interviews and/or ethnographic investigations, conduct oral histories, consult with important experts and informants, gather film or recorded documentation, etc. Time spent primarily in language preparation, surveying basic scholarly literature, course preparation and teaching, or other competing research activity, workshop, or conferences not clearly connected with the prospective dissertation topic will be evaluated less favorably.

● Mandatory participation in all five Spring 2019 Quarter workshops and cohort activities. Workshops will be held on Friday, April 12 9-12 PM; Friday April 19, 9-12 PM; Friday, April 26, 9-12 PM; Friday, May 3, 9-12 PM, and Friday, May 10, 9-12 PM to prepare students to conduct dissertation research and for prospectus and funding proposal writing; regular attendance is mandatory for all participants. Workshops will be in the Humanities Building on campus.

● Two final workshops on September 16 and 17, 2019 to present results of summer research and preparation for writing dissertation prospectus / funding proposals. Attendance is mandatory. Workshops will be in the Humanities Building on campus.

Eligibility:

UCSC PhD students in the Division of Social Sciences, the Division of Humanities, or the Division of Arts may apply, with the following restrictions:

a) Applicants must be currently registered (not on leave) to apply and must plan to be registered and in Santa Cruz during the Spring 2019 quarter.

b) Applicants must be in year two or three of their PhD program in the 2018-19 academic year. No applications from students in other years will be accepted.

c) Applicants must be in good academic standing.

d) Previously awarded SSRC-DPD fellows are not eligible.

Guidelines for Application:

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF, including all elements listed below. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

1) Confirmation that you can attend and actively participate in all mandatory research and dissertation proposal development workshops in Spring 2019 and two summer workshops held on September 16 and 17, 2019.

2) A list of courses, including course title / instructor / department, taken as a PhD student at UCSC.

3) Discuss how your proposed summer research relates to and helps develop your prospective dissertation topic. Please provide each part requested, observing the following guidelines and word limits:

a. Abstract (150-word maximum)
b. Introduction of your research topic to an academic reader unfamiliar with your specific topic, region of study, and disciplinary approach. What is your central research question or problem you want to investigate? In what ways is your project timely, important, or relevant? (400-word maximum)
c. What original contribution do you expect your dissertation to make to the existing literature on your prospective topic? (300-word maximum)
d. What sources, sites, and time periods do you propose to investigate in your dissertation research, and what are the justifications for focusing on them? (300-word maximum)
e. Describe your methodological approach for the investigation and analysis of your research materials. (300-word maximum)
f. Describe the exploratory research you propose to conduct this summer. What type of research (eg. interviews, field observation, database analysis, archival or library work, etc.) will you conduct and where? How do you expect this exploratory research to affect your dissertation? (400-word maximum)
g. Provide up to 10 references to research literature (books, papers, etc.) that informs your approach to your topic. This is not intended to be an exhaustive scholarly survey of major literature in your field. Choose works that indicate your basic topical, theoretical, and/or methodological approach, and works that have been particularly influential in shaping your research direction.

4) A summer research budget, with a breakdown of funds requested and a short description and justification of the uses. (250-word maximum)

5) Letter of recommendation confirming support for the applicant’s participation in the SSRC-DPD, either from the proposed advisor or from the Graduate Director of the applicant’s PhD program. In addition to an evaluation of the student’s potential to contribute to an interdisciplinary social sciences/humanistic graduate researcher cohort and the potential benefits of the student’s participation in the UCSC-SSRC program, the letter writer should commit to meeting prior to and following the program (March-September) to discuss student goals and progress with the faculty program leads; and finally, the letter should confirm student participation in all proposal development workshops stated above. (Letters should be emailed to thi@ucsc.edu).

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.

PUBLIC HUMANITIES GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTORS

Deadline: Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Call: We are seeking applications from qualified PhD students to serve as Graduate Student Instructors to teach a course in the Spring 2019 quarter as part of a new “Questions That Matter” course series. Over the past few years, The Humanities Institute (THI) has hosted a series of cross-disciplinary, humanities grounded conversations in downtown Santa Cruz about “Questions That Matter.” The course series expands the impact of these public events into the undergraduate classroom as part of the Mellon Funded Expanding Humanities Impact and Publics project

This is an opportunity for graduate students to teach their own course and gain skills in course development. Selected graduate students will work with faculty mentors to develop a new undergraduate syllabus exploring the theme, “Data and Democracy.” Students will then teach this new course in one of 3 UCSC residential colleges with additional support from peer mentors.

Award: Selected applicants will be paid GSI salary and benefits for Spring 2018, plus $5,000 summer fellowship; with in-state tuition, fees and health insurance paid by the Graduate Division.

Course Details:

• Spring quarter 2019
• 5 credit, upper-division, undergraduate course
• 30 student maximum
• Theme will be “Data and Democracy”
• Will be offered in 3 Colleges with shared, collaboratively-designed syllabus

Eligibility/GSI Application Requirements:

1. PhD students in good standing and within normative time in the following departments are eligible to apply for the Public Humanities Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) position:

• All departments in the Humanities Division
• Visual Studies
• Film and Digital Media
• Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS)

2. Applicants must be registered and in residence during the 2018-19 academic year (ineligible to apply while on leave)

3. Advancement to candidacy strongly preferred

Participant Requirements: All participating Graduate Student Instructors must agree to teach the course in Spring quarter 2019 and agree to the following terms:

1. 4 meetings with faculty mentors in Fall 2018 to design the syllabus and prepare the course for university approval
2. 1-2 meetings in Winter 2019 with faculty mentors plus additional pedagogy workshops
3. Mandatory attendance at the “Questions That Matter” public event on January 29, 2019 in downtown Santa Cruz.
4. 2-3 meetings in Spring 2019, plus at least one classroom visit from faculty mentors

Application consists of:

1. Cover letter of no more than 3 pages describing why applicant wants to teach the course; relevant qualifications; general teaching philosophy; particular approach to the theme of Data and Democracy. Please include a statement of commitment that you meet the eligibility and participant requirements.
2. Unofficial transcript
3. One-page CV
4. Applicants must provide all teaching evaluations as TA and GSI
5. Letter of recommendation from PhD advisor (emailed separately to thi@ucsc.edu)

Click here to submit your application online (must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this form).

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

Questions? Please contact Rachel Deblinger, Research Program Manager, THI

New Program! THI PUBLIC FELLOWS 2018-19 (3 Quarter Opportunity)

Deadline: June 8, 2018

Stipend Amount: $8,000/quarter (tuition and fees for in-state students fully covered)

Number of Fellowships: TBD (based on the availability of funds)

These fellowships provide the opportunity for Humanities doctoral students to contribute to research, programming, communications and fundraising at companies, non-profit organizations, or cultural institutions. This extended fellowship allows students to apply and expand their skills in a non-academic setting through impactful projects that benefit their partner organizations.

Year long fellows will join and contribute to a cohort of Public Fellows. Throughout the year, the cohort will meet regularly with THI staff to address challenges and reflect on their ongoing projects.

Partner organization should be located in Santa Cruz County. Exceptions can be made for partners in the greater Bay Area if the organization is open to an ongoing relationship with THI. Consider pursuing opportunities from organizations listed below.

Before applying, students are required to meet with THI staff by May 15 (contact info below).

Fellows will receive:

1. A fellowship stipend of up to $8,000

2. Mentoring from The Humanities Institute and partner organization

Eligibility: The student must be:

a) Enrolled in a doctoral program in one of the humanities departments

b) Be within normative time and in good academic standing

c) Enrolled in at least five credits of graduate-level coursework. Students are ineligible to apply while on leave.

d) Enrolled in the program at least through June 30, 2019.

Application consists of:

1) Cover Letter (1-2 pages) outlining your interests in a specific position and your qualifications (your research focus can but does not have to align with the project)

2) Resume (1-2 pages)

3) Work agreement – no more than one page – signed by the applicant and a dedicated mentor at the partner organization. The work agreement should address the work that has been agreed on, the timeline for the project, and its deliverables.

Partner Organizations:

Below are possible organizations you can work with in Santa Cruz County. If you are interested in working with the organization below, THI staff can put you in touch with the best contact person. Students are also welcome to find their own partner organizations.

• Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
• Cal Humanities
• Digital NEST
• Food What?
• KZSC
• Museum of Art and History
• Santa Cruz Public Libraries
• Santa Cruz Shakespeare
• Senderos
• Watsonville Film Festival

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.

THI PUBLIC FELLOWS SUMMER 2018

Deadline: May 15, 2018

Amount: Up to $5,000 

Number of Fellowships: TBD (based on the availability of funds

These fellowships provide the opportunity for humanities doctoral students to contribute to research, programming, communications and fundraising at non-profit organizations, cultural institutions, or companies and are meant to allow the students to apply and expand their skills in a non-academic setting while engaged in graduate study. Majority of the work should be completed during Summer 2018. Students are welcome to find their own partner organizations or to pursue opportunities from organizations listed below.

Applicants are required to have attended the Info Session in April, or met with Irena Polic, Managing Director of The Humanities Institute.

Fellows will receive:

1. A fellowship stipend of up to $5,000 (for up to 250 hours of work, at the rate of $20 per hour)

2. Mentoring from The Humanities Institute and from partner organization

Eligibility: The student must be:

a) Enrolled in a doctoral program in one of the humanities departments

b) Be within normative time and in good academic standing

c) Enrolled in at least five credits of graduate-level coursework. Students are ineligible to apply while on leave.

d) Enrolled in the program at least through June 30, 2019.

Application consists of:

1) Cover Letter (1-2 pages) outlining your interests in a specific position and your qualifications (your research focus can but need not align with the project)

2) Resume (1-2 pages)

3) Work agreement – no more than one page – signed by the applicant and a dedicated mentor at the partner organization. The work agreement should address the work that has been agreed on, the timeline for the project, and its deliverables.

Partner Organizations:

Below are possible organizations you can work with in Santa Cruz County. Students are also welcome to find their own partner organizations.

• Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
• Cal Humanities
• Digital NEST
• Food What?
• KZSC
• Museum of Art and History
• Santa Cruz Public Libraries
• Santa Cruz Shakespeare
• Senderos
• Watsonville Film Festival

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.

PUBLIC HUMANITIES GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTORS

Deadline: Friday, September 1, 2017

Call: We are seeking applications from qualified PhD students to serve as the first cohort of Graduate Student Instructors to teach a new course on “Questions That Matter.” Over the past few years, The Humanities Institute (THI) has hosted a series of cross-disciplinary, humanities grounded conversations in downtown Santa Cruz about “Questions That Matter.” This format has proven extraordinarily successful as a means of public engagement. The university has now received an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant to develop and launch a series of “Questions That Matter” themed undergraduate courses, taught by Graduate Student Instructors working with faculty mentors and offered through UC Santa Cruz’s residential colleges. In 2017-2018, the inaugural year of the program, Oakes, Porter, and Cowell Colleges will offer the first “Questions That Matter” course on the theme of “Freedom and Race,” sponsored by The Humanities Institute.

Award: Selected applicants will be paid GSI salary and benefits for Spring 2018, plus $5,000 summer fellowship; with in-state tuition, fees and health insurance paid by the Graduate Division.

Course Details:

– Spring quarter 2018
– 5 credit, upper-division, undergraduate course
– 30 student maximum
– Tuesday and Thursday schedule
– Theme will be “Freedom and Race”
– Course will satisfy ethnicity and race GE
– Will be offered in 3 Colleges: Porter, Oakes, and Cowell with shared, collaboratively-designed syllabus.

Eligibility/GSI Application Requirements:

a) PhD students in good standing in the following programs are eligible to apply for the Public Humanities Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) position: all departments in the Humanities Division; Visual Studies; Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS).

b) Applicants must be registered and in residence during the 2017-18 academic year (ineligible to apply while on leave).

c) Advancement to candidacy strongly preferred.

Participant Requirements:

All participating Graduate Student Instructors must agree to teach the course in Spring quarter 2018 and agree to the following terms:

a) 4 meetings with faculty mentors in Fall 2017 to design the syllabus and prepare the course for university approval.

b) 1-2 meetings in Winter 2018 with faculty mentors and mandatory attendance at the “Questions That Matter” public event on January 30, 2018 in downtown Santa Cruz.

c) 2-3 meetings in Spring 2018, plus at least one classroom visit from faculty mentors.

Application consists of:

1) Cover letter of no more than 3 pages describing why applicant wants to teach the course; relevant qualifications; general teaching philosophy; particular approach to the theme of freedom and race. Please include a statement of commitment that you meet the eligibility and participant requirements.

2) Unofficial transcript

3) One-page CV

4) Applicants must provide all teaching evaluations as TA and GSI

5) Letter of recommendation from PhD advisor (emailed separately to thi@ucsc.edu)

Click here to submit your application online (must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this form).

Questions? Please contact Nathaniel Deutsch, THI Director, ndeutsch@ucsc.edu.

DISSERTATION COMPLETION FELLOWSHIPS

Deadline: March 30, 2018

Award consists of:
• Stipend in the amount of $21,000 ($7,000 per quarter)
• Tuition, in-state fees, and health insurance

Number of awards: 1

Fellowship recipients are expected to devote themselves to writing during the time of the award (AY 2018-19), and not to hold teaching assistantships or other employment. The applications will be evaluated for academic excellence, as well as the likelihood of completion according to the proposed schedule. Partial-year awards are not permitted.

Eligibility: The student must be:

a) PhD candidate in a graduate program in one of the humanities departments

b) be within normative time and in good academic standing

c) enrolled in at least five credits of graduate-level coursework. Students are ineligible to apply while on leave.

NOTE: Fellows are required to present their work during the annual Graduate Research Symposium, hosted by the UCSC Graduate Division during Spring 2019.

Application consists of:

1. letter of application describing the current status of dissertation research, with a detailed timetable for completion by June 2019

2. brief statement of previous and current awards and grants (award and grant titles, dates, and amounts)

3. summary of the dissertation project (no more than 3 pages), contextualizing the significance of the project for people who are not in their field of study

4. one-page curriculum vitae

5. letter of support from the faculty advisor evaluating the student’s academic work to date, addressing the student’s timetable for completion, verifying that they are within normative time and in good academic standing. Advisors should send the letters of recommendation directly to thi@ucsc.edu.

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form. Applicants can use ONE form to apply to both Dissertation Completion and Summer Dissertation Fellowships.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.

SUMMER DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS

Deadline: March 30, 2018

Amount: $4,000

Summer Dissertation Fellowships provide students financial support to help complete their dissertation research and writing.

Eligibility: The student must be:

a) PhD candidate in a graduate program in one of the humanities departments

b) be within normative time and in good academic standing

NOTE: Fellows are required to present their work during the annual Graduate Research Symposium, hosted by the UCSC Graduate Division during Spring 2019.

Application consists of:

1. letter of application describing the current status of dissertation research

2. brief statement of previous and current awards and grants (award and grant titles, dates, and amounts)

3. summary of the dissertation project (no more than 3 pages), contextualizing the significance of the project for people who are not in their field of study

4. one-page curriculum vitae

5. letter of support from the faculty advisor evaluating the student’s academic work to date, verifying that they are within normative time and in good academic standing. Advisors should send the letters of recommendation directly to thi@ucsc.edu.

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form. Applicants can use ONE form to apply to both Dissertation Completion and Summer Dissertation Fellowships.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.

SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

Deadline: March 30, 2018

Amount: $500-$2,500

Summer research fellowships are to be used for research and research-related travel during Summer 2018.

Eligibility: The student must be:

a) PhD student in a graduate program in one of the humanities departments

b) Be within normative time and in good academic standing

c) Enrolled in at least five credits of graduate-level coursework. Students are ineligible to apply while on leave.

NOTE: Fellows are required to present their work during the annual Graduate Research Symposium, hosted by the UCSC Graduate Division during Spring 2019.

Application consists of:

1) Letter of application (one to two pages) describing the proposed research and a simple budget. The application should address why the research is important, and how it will contribute to the student’s progress toward the degree.

2) Brief statement of previous and current awards and grants (award and grant titles, dates, and amounts)

3) One-page curriculum vitae

4) A brief letter of support should come from the faculty advisor evaluating the student’s academic work to date, verifying that they are within normative time and in good academic standing. The letter should address why the research is important and how it will contribute to the student’s progress toward the degree. Advisors should send the letters of recommendation directly to thi@ucsc.edu.

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.

HUMANITIES UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS (Formerly HUGRA)

Deadline: November 30, 2018

These fellowships support undergraduate research projects at UC Santa Cruz in the humanities. Up to 10 awards in the amount of $500 each are given each year. There are no constraints on the expenditure of the stipend. The top proposal receives the Bertha N. Melkonian prize, an additional $500.

Eligibility:
Any project involving research within or including any of the humanities disciplines is eligible for consideration. Proposals must be for research to be performed during the 2018-2019 academic year.

Note:
All awardees will be expected to make research posters and present at the Humanities Spring Awards & Humanities Undergraduate Research Fellowship poster presentation in Spring 2019.

Proposals will be judged on the basis of:

1. intellectual substance

2. promise of results

3. preparation of applicant

4. feasibility

Application consists of:

a) 1-3 page research proposal, describing the research problem to be addressed, what will be done in the project, and what end product (e.g. research paper, senior thesis, project report) is expected. A timetable should be included.

b) A letter of support from a faculty sponsor addressing items 1. through 4. above. Faculty sponsors should send letters of support directly to thi@ucsc.edu. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the letter of support is submitted by the deadline.

Apply

*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form.

Questions? Please contact Irena Polić, Managing Director, THI; ipolic@ucsc.edu or 831.459.1780.