Department of English
English Graduate PreDoc Funding Blog
Please email Jonathan Dick (jondick@sas.upenn.edu) with updates.
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The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund was established by the Will of Dolores Zohrab Liebmann and is administered by JPMorgan, Trustee. Mrs. Liebmann was the daughter of a prominent Armenian intellectual, writer and statesman and was married to one of the owners of a successful American business. She supported students and educational and charitable organizations during her lifetime. Mrs. Liebmann's primary concern, as expressed in her Will, was to attract and support students with outstanding character and ability who hold promise for achievement and distinction in their chosen fields of study. The trustees welcome applications from students of all national origins who are United States citizens.
Eligibility:
Fellowships are available to students who are currently enrolled in and pursuing a graduate degree at a designated institution of higher learning located in the United States of America.Undergraduate students are no longer qualified candidates.
The program of study being pursued by the candidate may include any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture or other formal professional training).The selection committee has a strong preference for supporting scholarly endeavors.
The candidate must have received a baccalaureate degree at the time of application and have an outstanding undergraduate record.
The candidate must demonstrate a need for financial assistance.
The candidate must be a citizen of the United States of America.
The candidate may be of any national descent or background.
Fellowship Details
The amount of each Fellowship will cover actual tuition costs plus an $18,000 annual stipend to be allocated towards room, board, and ordinary living expenses, as well as any income taxes thereon.
The recipient of a Fellowship shall be known as a Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellow.
Fellowships are awarded annually. Each Fellow MUST APPLY FOR A RENEWAL of his or her fellowship by March 30 of the following year in accordance with the terms in effect at the time the fellowship is awarded. (No reminder will be sent by the Fund or by the University of Pennsylvania). Fellowships will be limited to a maximum of three years.
Awarded fellowships may not be deferred.
A Fellowship may be canceled at any time if a Fellow engages in misconduct affecting the Fund, breaches any of these rules, or provides false information to the Fund either directly or indirectly. The Fund is the sole arbiter of this term and the University of Pennsylvania takes no stance and will provide no mediation.
Penn Application Instructions:
This internal Penn application requires 2 letters of recommendation from professors who have taught or worked closely with you. Please visit the Letter of Recommendation Request form as soon as possible so as to give your recommenders ample time to submit letters of recommendation before the December 1 Penn Deadline. Penn will require a letter from the Dean of your Graduate School or your Department Chair if you are nominated.
Please combine the following into one PDF:
1. A completed version of this document. For now you may omit the financial aid information and tax returns.
2. Most current CV
3. All undergraduate and graduate transcripts
4. Copy of graduate exam scores, or a statement explaining why these were not needed.
5. A Statement of Purpose up to three pages long (double spaced) which considers the relationship between your graduate level study and your intended personal and/or professional goals. Your Statement of Purpose must include a 10-15 line abstract at the top (included in the three pages) that explains, in LAYMAN’S terms, the essence of your proposed topic of study or dissertation, the methodology of its treatment and its anticipated impact on your field of study.
Once that is prepared, visit the Penn Internal Fellowships Application to submit your application.
Please note that official transcripts, official copies of test scores, FAFSA, School Financial Aid Summary and tax returns (along with a letter from the Dean of your Graduate School or your Department Chair) will only be required if you are chosen as one of the three institutional nominees.
Contact Information
Dr. Aaron Olson
For more information or to apply, see Penn's Dolores Zorab Liebmann Fellowship page.
Critical Language Scholarship
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning.
For more information, see their website, or for Penn-related questions, see Penn's local CLS website.
Deadline: November 19, 2019 (by 8:00pm EST)
Penn’s Application Process
- While the Critical Language Scholarship does not require Penn’s nomination, CURF will be happy to provide advice, guidance, and application assistance to interested graduate students. Undergraduate students are encouraged to contact Kristyn Palmiotto in Penn Abroad (krpalm@upenn.edu).
The National Academy of Education and the Spencer Foundation are seeking applications for their Dissertation Fellowship Program. The Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These $27,500 fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, analysis, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.
This highly competitive program aims to identify the most talented researchers conducting dissertation research related to education. The Dissertation Fellowship program receives many more applications than it can fund. This year 35 fellowships will be awarded. For more information or to apply, visit their website.
Every year, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports thirty New Americans, immigrants or the children of immigrants, who are pursuing graduate school in the United States. The application for the 2020 Fellowship is now open.
Each Fellowship supports one to two years of graduate study in any field and in any advanced degree-granting program in the United States. Each award is for up to $25,000 in stipend support a year, as well as 50 percent of required tuition and fees, up to $20,000 per year, for one to two years. The first year of Fellowship funding cannot be deferred.
Most importantly, new Fellows join a strong community of current and past Fellows who all share the New American experience. There is an alumni association, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows Association (PDSFA), which actively engages current and past Fellows in events held across the country. For example, in 2015 the PDSFA held events with US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (1998 Fellow) in both New York City and Washington, DC. In 2016, the PDSFA hosted events with Congressman Keith Ellison, Sachin Jain (2004 Fellow), Abdul El-Sayed (2012 Fellow), and Aarti Shahani (2010 Fellow) among others. They kicked 2017 off with an event in New York City co-hosted by the Marshall Scholars, which featured Thomas Friedman.
Full eligibility requirements can be found here. If you are interested in connecting with a university fellowship advisor, you can find a list of university's with advisors here.
The competition is merit-based. Selection criteria emphasize creativity, originality, initiative, and sustained accomplishment. The program values a commitment to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The program does not have any quotas for types of degrees, universities or programs, countries of origin, or gender, etc. Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply in subsequent years if they are still eligible.
What is required of Fellows? Over the two years of the Fellowship, Fellows are required to attend the annual Fall Conference in New York City, which is fully paid for by the program. The Fall Conference takes place over a weekend in late October and is an opportunity for the new Fellows to get to know one another and the Fellowship staff, alumni, and community, celebrate, and examine the New American experience. In addition, the director or deputy director of the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships will visit each Fellow on their respective campus during the first fall semester of their Fellowship. The Fellowship funding should allow Fellows to focus on their studies full-time, which is why Fellows are not able to work full-time during their graduate program. Finally, Fellows are required to remain in good standing in their graduate program while receiving funding. At the close of their two years as an active fellow, Fellows must submit an exit report. More details on the visit and the requirements of the Fellowship are provided when selected applicants sign a contract with the Fellowship.
For more information or to apply for the fellowship, please visit the P.D. Soros Fellowship website.
Position: Graduate Fellow 2019-2020
Department: Career Services, University of Pennsylvania
Graduate Student/Postdoc Team
www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices
Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania is a centralized office that serves undergraduates, graduate students, alumni of Penn programs, and postdocs. The Graduate Student/Postdoc Team serves graduate students, graduate alumni, and postdocs in humanities, social sciences, STEM, and professional programs. Our goal is to meet the diverse career needs of this population through one-on-one advising, workshops and networking events, experiential opportunities, and by connecting with employers. We focus on creating and implementing innovative approaches to helping graduate students/postdocs in their professional development. An overview of resources for doctoral students and postdocs can be found here: https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/phdpostdoccareers.php
Each year we hire a PhD student to develop and expand on our PhD Externship program that provides the opportunity for students to gain brief, immersive experiences in jobs within academic administration and the non-profit sector to help them gain marketable skills and explore career options. Each new PhD fellow working on this project has supported our goal of growing this program to include more campus hosts, and, most recently, to include off-campus hosts for the first time, and to have more PhD students serve as externs. We are excited to see what new approaches can be taken to make this a meaningful, relevant, and dynamic experience for students engaged in career exploration.
We are seeking a doctoral student from any discipline who would like to take an active role in learning about and highlighting career options for PhDs, and who wants to make a positive impact as part of our team of graduate student/postdoc career advisors. Candidates who can bring a high level of enthusiasm for supporting graduate students and postdocs across campus are encouraged to apply. Skill in writing for a broad audience, event planning, relationship building, organization/time-management, and a willingness to learn are required; general knowledge of the University and support services is preferred.
Projects and responsibilities:
· Support the continued development and growth of a newly developed externship program for PhDs providing brief practical experiences in academic administration, with a strategic plan to move towards establishing opportunities in other non-faculty career paths of interest.
· Assist with expanding the externship program, including Penn and non-Penn opportunities
· Devise and implement new strategies for increasing student interest in and applications for the externship program
· Develop ideas for additional experiential activities and career simulations that will benefit the doctoral students and postdocs that we serve.
· Assist with online resource development, write and develop content for website, social media and other resources.
· Attend occasional team meetings.
Hours and Compensation: the Career Services Grad Fellow works for Career Services on an hourly basis. The fellow will receive $15 per hour. The fellow is expected to work 8-12 hours per week. Please check with your department to confirm that the income from this position would not affect your funding status; additionally, if you are employed at more than one campus job, you cannot work more than 20 hours per week in total if you are currently enrolled in classes per University policy.
Any student who will be enrolled in a University of Pennsylvania doctoral program in 2019-2020 is eligible to apply. Employment is contingent upon fulfilling responsibilities.
The deadline to apply is September 13th. Apply with resume and cover letter (preferably in single pdf attachment) to Marianne Lipa at mlipa@upenn.edu. No phone calls please.
University of Pennsylvania Nondiscrimination Statement
The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam Era Veteran or disabled veteran in the administration of educational policies, programs or activities; admissions policies; scholarship and loan awards; athletic, or other University administered programs or employment. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to: Executive Director, Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106 or by phone at (215) 898-6993 (Voice) or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).
Overview
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. A candidate will submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a participating country outside the U.S.
During their grants, Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.
Grant lengths and dates vary by country. Please consult the Fulbright website for details.
Open Study/Research Award
Applicants for study/research awards design their own projects and will typically work with advisers at foreign universities or other institutes of higher education. The study/research awards are available in approximately 140 countries. Program requirements vary by country, so the applicants' first step is to familiarize themselves with the program summary for the host country.
English Teaching Assistant Programs
The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETAs help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. The age and academic level of the students varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level. Applicants for ETA Programs can apply to only one country. Visit the ETA landing page for specific country requirements and numbers of awards.
Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship
The Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship, a component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, provides opportunities for selected Fulbright US Student grantees to participate in an academic year of storytelling on a globally significant theme. This Fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the National Geographic Society.
For the 2020-2021 competition, the Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship will accept proposals to undertake an in-depth examination of a globally relevant issue as an enhancement to their Fulbright research or arts project. Utilizing a variety of storytelling tools—including, but not limited to text, photography, video, audio/podcasts, public speaking, maps, and graphic illustrations - Storytellers have the opportunity to share their stories, and the stories of those they meet, through National Geographic and social media platforms. For more information, visit the Fulbright-NatGeo Storytelling Fellowship landing page.
Overview
The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in PhD programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Seventy fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $23,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research.
Eligibility
The program is open to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences—regardless of citizenship—enrolled in PhD programs in the United States. Applicants to the 2020 IDRF competition must complete all PhD requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2020, whichever comes first.
The program invites proposals for dissertation research conducted, in whole or in part, outside the United States, on non-US topics. It will consider applications for dissertation research grounded in a single site, informed by broader cross-regional and interdisciplinary perspectives, as well as applications for multi-sited, comparative, and transregional research. Proposals that identify the United States as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome; however, proposals that focus predominantly or exclusively on the United States are not eligible.
Applicants from select disciplines within the humanities (Art History, Architectural History, Classics, Drama/Theater, Film Studies, Literature, Musicology, Performance Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, and Religion) may request three or more months of funding for international on-site dissertation research in combination with site-specific research in the United States, for a total of nine to twelve months of funding. All other applicants (for instance, those in Anthropology, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology, among others) must request nine to twelve months of on-site, site-specific dissertation research with a minimum of six months of research outside of the United States. Research within the United States must be site-specific (e.g., at a particular archive) and cannot be at the applicant’s home institution unless that institution has necessary site-specific research holdings. Please note that the IDRF program supports research only and may not be used for dissertation write-up.
Applicants who have completed significant funded dissertation research in one country by the start of their proposed IDRF research may be ineligible to apply to the IDRF to extend research time in the same country. Eligibility will be at the discretion of the IDRF program, depending on completed research time and funding. The IDRF program expects fellows to remain at their research site(s) for the full nine- to twelve-month funding period. The IDRF program will not support study at foreign universities, conference participation, or dissertation write-up. The program does not accept applications from PhD programs in law, business, medicine, nursing, or journalism, nor does it accept applications in doctoral programs that do not lead to a PhD.
For more information, visit the Social Science Research Council's landing page for the fellowship.
See link for area studies specific deadlines at Penn
About FLAS Fellowships
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships program provides allocations of academic year and summer fellowships to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to assist meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or international studies or with the international aspects of professional or fields of study.
The goals of the fellowship program are:
- To assist in the development of knowledge, resources, and trained personnel for modern foreign language and area or international studies.
- To foster foreign language acquisition and fluency.
- To develop a domestic pool of international experts to meet national needs.
FLAS fellowships are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the University of Pennsylvania’s Title VI National Resource Centers to assist students in acquiring foreign language and either area or international studies competencies, including the international aspects of professional or other fields of study. FLAS awards are available only for specific languages, and are contingent on federal funding. Please direct any questions to the FLAS Coordinator of your chosen language.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Applications by students in professional fields are encouraged. Preference will be given to applicants with a high level of academic ability and with previous language training. Academic Year and Summer FLAS awards are two separate competitions requiring two complete and separate applications.
Students receiving Academic Year Fellowships must be enrolled in full-time study for the duration of the FLAS award and must take one language course and one related area or international studies course each semester. Academic Year Fellows must be admitted to or enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or professional programs at the University of Pennsylvania. FLAS awards may be used in some cases for students participating in official overseas language programs and in very limited cases for dissertators. Please see the FLAS FAQ page or contact the relevant FLAS Coordinator.
Summer Fellowships are for intensive language programs either domestically or abroad and require a separate application from the Academic Year Fellowship (minimum contact hours and duration of summer courses are outlined in the FLAS FAQ section).
In 2019, James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies will award up to three (3) grants, each in an amount up to $3,000, to assist Penn graduate students in their research on Korea. Any student enrolled in a graduate degree program at Penn is eligible to apply.
Kim Program Graduate Research Grant Application 2019
A completed application form and a faculty recommendation letter must be e-mailed to Michelle Silverio <msilveri@sas.upenn.edu> by 3:00 pm, Thursday, February 28, 2019. Award notifications will be e-mailed by mid-March.
Link
Library Research Grants
Each year, the Friends of the Princeton University Library offer short-term Library Research Grants to promote scholarly use of the research collections. The Program in Hellenic Studies with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Fund also supports a limited number of library fellowships in Hellenic studies, and the Cotsen Children’s Library supports research in its collection on aspects of children’s books. The Maxwell Fund supports research on materials dealing with Portuguese-speaking cultures. In addition, awards will be made from the Sid Lapidus '59 Research Fund for Studies of the Age of Revolution and the Enlightenment in the Atlantic World. This award covers work using materials pertinent to this topic donated by Mr. Lapidus as well as other also relevant materials in the collections.
These Library Research Grants, which have a value of up to $4,000 plus transporations costs, are meant to help defray expenses incurred in traveling to and residing in Princeton during the tenure of the grant. The length of the grant will depend on the applicant’s research proposal, but is ordinarily up to one month. Library Research Grants awarded in this academic year are tenable from May 2019 to April 2020.
Applicants are asked to read the FAQ before beginning the application process.
The application process has changed for 2019-2020 and includes setting up an account in the application system. In the system, applicants will be asked to complete an application form and upload a curriculum vitae or résumé (Word or PDF) as well as a research proposal not exceeding one thousand words in length. Two letters of recommendation are required as part of the application process, and invitations can be sent to recommenders directly within the system. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2019 at 11:59pm. The hard deadline for letters of recommendation is February 15, 2019 at 11:59pm. You are responsible for ensuring your letters are received by the due date. Applications with missing elements will not be considered.
The proposal should address specifically the relevance to the proposed research of unique resources found in the Princeton University Library collections. Applications will be considered for scholarly use of archives, manuscripts, rare books, and other rare and unique holdings of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, including Mudd Library; as well as rare books in Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, and in the East Asian Library (Gest Collection). Prospective grantees are urged to consult the Library’s home page at http://library.princeton.edu/ for detailed descriptions of the collections, especially those in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Applicants should have specific Princeton resources in mind as they prepare their proposals. The general circulating collections and electronic resources of the Princeton University Library are not relevant for purposes of this grant program.
A committee consisting of members of the faculty, the library staff, and the Friends will award the grants on the basis of the relevance of the proposal to unique holdings of the library, the merits and significance of the project, and the applicant’s scholarly qualifications.
The application period for 2019-2020 is now open:
CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE APPLICATION SYSTEM.