African Studies Graduate Student Summer Fieldwork Awards

Purpose

African Studies Graduate Student Summer Fieldwork Awards are intended to support UW-Madison graduate students working on a master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation pertaining to Africa. Students may propose to conduct a minimum of six weeks of library or field research (preliminary or otherwise) related to their thesis or dissertation during summer 2019.

Eligibility

Applicants must be UW-Madison graduate students enrolled in Spring Semester 2019 and making progress toward a research-based master’s or doctoral degree focused substantially on Africa in any department or program. Students graduating in the Spring or Summer 2019 term are not eligible to apply.

Award Details

  • Awards will total $3,000 each.
  • Changing your proposed travel dates after receiving an offer is allowable, in consultation with the African Studies Program.
  • Due to a change in UW-Madison policy, awardees who are non-resident aliens will have taxes deducted from their award prior to payout.

Application Deadline

Monday, February 18, 2019 by 4:00 pm. Letters of recommendation are due by the application deadline.

Application Procedure

  • Submit an application packet as a single pdf to awards@iris.wisc.edu. Your application packet should include the following:
  1. cover sheet clearly listing the following: your name; email address; department of study & current degree program; proposed destination; proposed departure and return dates; other sources of support received or applied for; a brief statement of language competency (as appropriate); and the names, departmental affiliation, and email addresses of your two recommenders (see below);
  2. a project statement (750-word maximum), including how the proposed fieldwork fits your overall research plan and prior experience in the country/region;
  3. a copy of your UW-Madison student record or transcript and, if appropriate, graduate transcript/s for courses taken at other institutions.
  • Arrange for two (2) letters of recommendation, one of which must come from the applicant’s advisor. We recommend applicants contact their references before listing them in their applications. Letters of recommendation should be pdfs, on letterhead and signed, and sent directly to IRIS at awards@iris.wisc.edu.

Notes on application procedure:

  • Students applying both to the African Studies Program Graduate Student Summer Fieldwork Awards and the IRIS Graduate Student Summer Fieldwork Award need only submit one application. For full consideration, BE SURE to indicate your application to both awards in the cover sheet and in the email body when submitting to awards@iris.wisc.edu.

Special Conditions

  1. UW-Madison precludes student travel to locations under a US Department of State (DoS) travel warning.  To learn more visit the University International Travel Committee website and contact Ron Machoian (ronald.machoian@wisc.edu, 608-890-2446) with specific questions.  Students may propose travel to a location currently under a travel warning, but awardees must secure necessary waivers prior to award distribution.
  2. All awardees are required to submit a brief report at the conclusion of their time abroad.

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