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International [HIS] Fellowships

Application deadline: December 3, 2007.

About the Fellowships
Eligibility
Stipends
Requirements
English Language Requirements
Medical Coverage
Visas
About the Application Process
Download a Paper Application Form
Selection Criteria
For More Information

About the Fellowships
The Stanford Humanites Center and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) will jointly award two Humanities and International Studies (HIS) fellowships for the academic year 2008-2009. This fellowship program is designed to offer research opportunities both to members of humanities departments and to other scholars seriously interested in humanistic issues. 

Eligibility
Open to scholars who are not U.S. nationals and who are currently working outside of the United States. Humanities and International Studies fellowships are awarded across the spectrum of academic ranks (assistant, associate, and full professor). These fellowships are intended primarily for individuals currently teaching or affiliated with an academic institution, but independent scholars may apply.

Applicants with Ph.D.s awarded on or before September 2005 are eligible for the 2008-2009 fellowships.  Junior fellows are scholars who will be at least three (and no more than ten) years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. by the start of their prospective fellowship year. Senior fellows are established scholars who are more than ten years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. Only international scholars (i.e. not US nationals) are eligible to apply.

The research proposals by applicants should focus on themes of international studies compatible with the mission of one of the five major research centers at FSI:

Eligible research areas include, but are not limited to: history, philosophy, languages, literature, linguistics, archaeology, ethics, comparative religion, and history and criticism of the arts.  Proposals are welcome from the social sciences employing historical or philosophical approaches, such as social and cultural anthropology, sociology, political theory, and other subjects concerned with questions of values.

Stipends
Fellows are awarded stipends of up to $60,000 and a housing and moving allowance of up to $15,000, dependent upon need. Applicants who require additional support are expected to seek supplementary funding in the form of external grants or sabbatical or other contributions from home institutions.

Facilities
Both centers are centrally located on the Stanford campus within short walking distance to university libraries, the bookstore, the faculty club and Tresidder Union. Fellows have their own offices, and use the centers' fax and photocopying machines and mail service. Each office has network connectiond to link fellows' personal computers to the campus-wide network for access to email, and major library systems and information databases.

Requirements
An essential feature of the center is that fellows make a contribution to the intellectual life of the Stanford community. Each HIS faculty fellow is expected to fulfill this contribution by participating in an FSI working group; contributions will be determined after fellowships are awarded in the spring. An applicant's preference for his or her intellectual contribution is not taken into consideration in the selection process.

This is a residential center and its intellectual life depends on collegial interaction. Accordingly, fellows are required to live within a ten-mile radius of Stanford University and to be in residence during Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters. We cater lunches for fellows every weekday; one lunch per week during the academic year is devoted to research presentations by current fellows. Fellows are expected to attend lunch regularly (at least 4 days a week), and to participate in the research presentations.

English Language Requirements
All applications must be written in English, although the ultimate product of the research (e.g. the proposed book or research paper) may be written another language.  For applicants whose native language is not English, there must be evidence that the applicant is fluent in English so as easily to conduct research, discuss work with colleagues, and make a public presentation.

Medical Coverage
The centers are unable to provide or finance medical insurance, and fellows are required to make individual arrangements for reasonable coverage during their fellowship year.  Basic health coverage is required to obtain a U.S. visa.

Visas
Upon selection, and in accordance with relevant visa regulations, foreign nationals will be assisted in obtaining the appropriate visa for their fellowship at Stanford. Prospective fellows are responsible for making necessary arrangements in their home countries and supplying necessary forms in a timely fashion.

About the Application Process

Online Application System: Applications are not being accepted at this time.

Application Content & Format: Applications for HIS Faculty Fellowships include the following eight parts:

1) Information about the applicant
*Contact information (e.g. name, address, email)
* Education (Degree dates and dissertation title)
* Professional positions (three most recent)
* Tenure status
* Recent grant/leave support (past five years)
* Type of proposed intellectual contribution
* Names of Referees (limit of three; include institutions and email addresses)

2) A curriculum vitae (C.V.) of no more than 10 pages.

3) A statement of significance. Please explain the significance of your project to knowledge in the humanities, broadly considered (100-word maximum).

4) A brief research project summary (not more than 100 words).

5) A brief description (not more than 1,000 words) of a research project, and an optional project bibliography (up to 2 pages).

6) A Financial Information Sheet (submitted separately via mail or fax).

<< Click here to download Financial Information Sheet

7) Reference letters

8) Nomination letter

All applications must be in English. We discourage the submission of additional materials with your application and cannot return such materials to you.

Research Project Description: The project description is of crucial import since many applicants possess substantial records of publications, essential backgrounds and strong recommendations. The project description should:

1) State clearly the objectives of the project.

2) State clearly the significance of the project.

3) State clearly the methodology to be used

4) State what will be original about the work compared to what has already been published on the topic.

5) Explain the broad significance of the project in a manner clear to nonspecialists (the selection committee is composed of a range of scholars from humanities fields and may not include specialists in your field).

6) Include a brief (1-2 pages) bibliography (in addition to the 1,000-word proposal)

Reference and Nomination Letters: HIS Faculty Fellowship applicants are required to have three letters of reference, and one letter of nomination.  Applicants are advised not to have all their reference letters from people at their own institutions. We prefer that letters be written in English and reserve the right to request a translation.  Reference and nomination letters must be received at the Center by the application deadline. Consideration of letters received after that date cannot be guaranteeed.

Nomination Letters: Applicants are required to obtain a letter of nomination from a dean, or other high-ranking administrator at their home institution. We prefer that letters of nomination and reference be written in English; we reserve the right to request a translation.

download sample letter of nomination »

How to Submit Letters: Referees and nominators must send reference letters directly to the Center or electronically through our online application system. Applicants whose referees submit letters online will be automatically notified when the letters are submitted, should they wish this. Referees designated by applicants as prefering online submission will be automatically notified of how to submit their reference letter using our online system.

Referees who wish to sumbit their letter of reference via email or on paper should be directed to our HIS Faculty Fellowships Reference Form, which may be downloaded and printed from our website.  Please direct people who wish to sumbit their letter of nomination via email or on paper to our HIS Faculty Fellowships Nomination Form, which may be download and printed from our website.

Notification: Applicants will be notified when their applications have been received, and will be notified of the fellowship competition outcome in late March.

Download a Paper Application Form
Although we encourage online applications for our fellowships, applicants for the Stanford Humanities Center’s HIS Fellowship competition may instead download and complete a paper application, and send three copies to be received by the application deadline.

Click Here to download a paper application form »

Selection Criteria
Applications will be judged based on the following factors:

1) The promise of the specific research project being proposed.

2) The originality and intellectual distinction of the candidate's previous work.

3) The research project's potential interest to scholars in different fields of the humanities.

4) The applicant's perceived ability to engage in collegial interaction and to contribute to the discussion of presentations.

Scholars who have received a major research grant within the last three years generally will not be as competitive as other applicants. Former fellows who reapply are at an extreme disadvantage in the selection process.

For More Information
For further information, contact the Fellowship Administrator.