SSRC/ACLC Internatoinal Dissertatoin Field Reserach Grans

SSRC-ACLS International Dissertation Field Research Fellowship Program
Application Deadline: postmarked by November 12, 2002

The Council is pleased to announce the 2003 competition of the International
Dissertation Field Research Fellowship Program, which provides support for
humanists and social scientists to conduct dissertation field research in
all areas and regions of the world. Up to fifty fellowships will be awarded
in 2003. The program is administered by the Social Science Research Council
in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies. Funds are
provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The fellowships enable doctoral candidates to use their knowledge of
distinctive areas, cultures, languages, economics, polities, and historical
experiences, in combination with their disciplinary training, to address
issues that transcend their disciplines or area specializations.

Fellows participate in multi-disciplinary workshops upon completion of their
field research. Workshops highlight fellows' research agendas and address
themes that resonate across cultures and regions. They are intended to
facilitate networks and cross-disciplinary exchanges, and to help fellows
engage in issues beyond their doctoral research.

ELIGIBILITY

The program is open to full-time graduate students in the humanities and
social sciences - regardless of citizenship - enrolled in doctoral programs
in the United States. The program invites proposals for field research on
all areas or regions of the world, as well as for research that is
comparative, cross-regional, and/or cross-cultural. Proposals that identify
the U.S. as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome; however, proposals
that require no field research outside the United States are not eligible.
Proposals requesting support for a second year of field research will be
funded only under exceptional circumstances.

Applicants must have completed all Ph.D. requirements except the field
research component by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2003,
whichever comes first.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

The IDRF program helps promising scholars launch their careers with
substantive knowledge about societies, cultures, economies, and/or polities
outside the United States. It promotes scholarship that treats place and
setting in relation to broader phenomena as well as particular histories and
cultures.

Applicants are expected to write in clear, intelligible prose for a
selection committee that is multi-disciplinary and cross-regional. Proposals
should display a thorough knowledge of the major concepts and methods
relevant to the research, both in the applicant's discipline or subfield and
in other fields where appropriate. The proposed research will be assessed in
terms of the probability that it can inform debates that go beyond the
specific topic and place chosen for study. Applications should exhibit a
grounding in the methods and theories of a particular discipline or
subdiscipline, but also must be of demonstrable cross-disciplinary interest.

Applicants should specify why an extended period of field-based research is
critical to the successful completion of the proposed doctoral dissertation.
The research design of proposals should be realistic in scope, clearly
formulated, and responsive to theoretical and methodological concerns.
Applicants should provide evidence of having attained an appropriate level
of training and skill to undertake the proposed field research, including
evidence of a degree of language fluency adequate to complete the project.

APPLICATION RECEIPT DEADLINE

November 12, 2002

An application form should be requested well before the submission deadline.
Applications sent by fax or electronic means, or received after the deadline
will not be accepted. All materials must be typed or computer-printed
according to instructions on the application. A digital copy of the
application form may be downloaded from the SSRC website, but applications
must be submitted by mail.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a single application packet
consisting of completed application forms, a proposal, three letters of
reference, language evaluation(s), and graduate school transcripts.
Proposals should be no longer than ten pages, followed by a one or two page
bibliography or bibliographic essay.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS

By April 30, 2003

FELLOWSHIP TERMS

Standard fellowships will rarely exceed $17,000 in field research support.
In exceptional circumstances the candidate may proposed less than nine
months of field work, but no award will be given for less than six months of
fieldwork. The fellowship must be held for a single continuous period within
the eighteen months between July 2003 and December 2004.

Contact information:

IDRF Program
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10019 USA
Phone: (212) 377-2700
Fax: (212) 377-2727
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ssrc.org

The Council does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, creed,
disability, gender, marital status, national origin, race, or sexual
orientation.