Summer Programs: Student Research Fellowships
New for Summer 2012
The John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities—recognizing a particular need for augmented student research funding in the humanities and text-based social sciences—establishes a pair of Research Fellowships for the summer of 2012. These competitive grants are designed to support thesis-related or otherwise substantive research projects, enabling students to spend the summer visiting archives, learning a language necessary to project research, or dedicating their time to a focused program of engaged reading. As the senior thesis serves as the cornerstone of the student academic experience at Haverford, the Center hopes this program will mark a small step toward the creation of a broader, College-wide fund for student research, reaffirming the institution's commitment to making a strong thesis experience a reality for all of its students, regardless of major or academic division.
Eligibility & Outcomes
Rising juniors and seniors working in the humanities or text-based social sciences at Haverford, as well as Bryn Mawr students majoring at Haverford and doing the same, are eligible to apply. Students proposing a research project must work closely with a faculty member and Library staff to articulate a focused question, problem, or area of study to be explored; if proposing travel, students must verify in consultation with Library staff that the suggested location of research is necessary to the project, i.e. the correct collection, archive, or library. Students must also demonstrate prior interest, background, and/or competence in the proposed area of study, having ideally taken at least one course at an advanced level in that field.
Summer Research Fellowships may last up to 10 weeks in length. Fellows must propose a research budget, including food, lodging, travel, commuting costs, and any related research expenses particular to the project (admission to libraries, archives, museums, galleries, or relevant performances; the purchase of books, films, or other texts). Students receiving financial aid who have a summer earnings contribution may apply to the Hurford Center for supplemental support.
Throughout the summer, students will maintain a blog on the College website, documenting their work and thoughts. While the intended final outcome for the grant is a completed thesis or research project, students will also present their summer research at a "Works-in-Progress" reception in the fall, hosted by the Hurford Center. The Center also encourages creative, continuing projects inspired by or based on summer research, including small exhibitions, student-led reading groups, Haverford Journal/Body Text/Margin essays, and any other endeavors which bring student research in the humanities and text-based social sciences into public discourse at Haverford.
How to Apply
Open to Haverford students and Bryn Mawr students majoring at Haverford; priority given to proposals for research in the humanities or text-based (History, Anthropology, Sociology) social sciences. If you are working in a field outside of these areas but nevertheless feel your work meets the thematic criteria for the grant, please contact HCAH Associate Director James Weissinger at jweissin@haverford.edu to discuss your potential eligibility.
Applications are due via email to HHC@haverford.edu by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012. Please put "[your last name] Research Fellowship" in the subject line.