COSAS Graduate Student Fellowships

Deadline: Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Duration: Varied

Amount: Varied

The Committee on Southern Asian Studies announces its annual fellowship competition for summer 2013 and AY 2013-14.  COSAS fellowships will be of four kinds: dissertation write-up support; summer language study support; short-term pre-dissertation overseas travel; and other.  Each type of fellowship has a separate application.  Please select and submit the correct form, available at:

http://southasia.uchicago.edu/cosas_fellowships.shtml

Students will be allowed a maximum of seven quarters of support, including all COSAS fellowship support they have received to date.  The committee reminds students that few sources of funding may be available at the dissertation write-up stage and strongly recommends that students consider applying for six dissertation write-up fellowships and one fellowship in any of the other three categories during their careers as graduate students.  Other patterns of funding may be considered by the committee with good cause. You may request no more than at total of 3 quarters of support in any given year.

Priorities and Eligibility by Category

Category I: Dissertation Write-up  

Purpose: This category receives the highest priority in the allocation of funds by the committee.  It is ordinarily intended to support students in the stage following primary research during dissertation write-up.  Eligibility: Students must 1) have completed at least two years of course work in a program of graduate study directly relevant to Southern Asian studies and 2) be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.  Students must apply annually for this support.

Category II: Summer Language Study

Priority and Purpose: A limited number of fellowships may be awarded in this category.  These fellowships are designed to provide or supplement support for summer language study.  Funds may be applied to programs in the U.S. or abroad.  Students must be accepted into an appropriate language study or tutorial program. Eligibility: Students must 1) have successfully completed all first year requirements in a graduate degree program prior to the commencement of the summer program and 2) be planning to continue studies at the University of Chicago during the autumn quarter following the summer program.  Students should make every attempt possible to apply for alternate sources of funding for summer language study before applying to COSAS.

Category III: Pre-Dissertation Overseas Travel

Priority and Purpose:  A limited number of fellowships may be awarded in this category.  This typically supports a short-term (often summer quarter) overseas trip. Eligibility: Students must 1) have completed at least two years of course work in a program of graduate study directly relevant to Southern Asian studies and must 2) also plan to continue studies at the University of Chicago during the quarter following the research period.

Category IV: Other

Priority and Purpose: This category receives the lowest priority.  The committee will use its discretion in reviewing the statement of purpose and strongly recommends that the student indicate that he/she has considered all possible sources of funding for the proposed project before applying to COSAS.  Eligibility: Students must 1) have completed at least two years of course work in a program of graduate study directly relevant to Southern Asian studies and 2) be planning to continue studies at the University of Chicago during the quarter following the project. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

1) COSAS grants are available to University of Chicago graduate students of any citizenship whose research deals with Southern Asia.  Southern Asia is defined by COSAS as including countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Tibet (TAR).  These specifically include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, East Timor, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka; Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia (Kampuchea), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam; and Tibet (TAR). 

2) Students should make every effort to apply for other sources of funding (e.g., Summer FLAS, SSRC grants, AIIS grants, Fulbright grants, Divisional funding). Applications that show evidence of such efforts will be looked on more favorably than those that do not.  In addition, the level of COSAS funding is subject to change based on the COSAS annual budget. 

3) COSAS must abide by the Deans of Students' decisions regarding a student's eligibility for COSAS funding.  The terms of a student's previous grant, residency status and other university guidelines may affect these decisions.  Especially note that some grants, including some types of write-up grants (e.g. Mellon, Whiting, etc.), may restrict a recipient from accepting further institutional funds.  COSAS may also consider a student's anticipated employment during the anticipated award period.   Students who have entered a fulltime academic career, for example, generally are not viewed as eligible for COSAS support.

4) We encourage applicants to contact at least one member of the Committee on Southern Asian Studies regarding their proposal.   ___________________________________________________________________________

Applications and recommendation forms are available at:

http://southasia.uchicago.edu/cosas_fellowships.shtml

For information and questions, contact Irving Birkner at ibirkner@uchicago.edu or 773-834-9994.  The completed application forms and all supporting documents are due no later than:

5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Recommendations may be submitted online or to Irving Birkner at ibirkner@uchicago.edu , by regular mail, or by fax.  Hard-copy mailings should be in envelopes with the recommender's name across the seal.Faxed and emailed recommendations should be sent directly from the recommender's fax machine or email account, so the information may be verified if necessary. The application materials include a form and instructions that can be emailed to faculty members. 

                         Email:             ibirkner@uchicago.edu

                         Fax:                773-702-1309 

                         Mail:               Committee on Southern Asian Studies

                                                Kelly Hall 104

                                                5848 S. University Avenue

                                                Chicago, IL 60637