Applied Humanities Summer Fellows – Application Instructions

OVERVIEW

The Hall Center's Applied Humanities Summer Fellows program supports PhD or MA students who would like to explore ways they can apply the research skills they have acquired as graduate students to projects that collaborate with community organizations and/or career paths other than academic research or teaching. 

The Hall Center is partnering with local non-profit organizations, a range of units at KU, and non-humanities organizations and units that would value input from a humanities scholar to appoint Applied Humanities Summer Fellows. Fellows will work either with a community organization on a project that incorporates humanities-oriented research skills, or with a unit at KU on a project that will give them experience in programming development, grant development, or other university administrative activities. 

Fellows will receive $3,000 for 200 hours of work, generally 20 hours a week for 10 weeks (late-May through July). The fellow and the agency or unit will determine specific schedules on a case-by-case basis. Travel expenses may be added to the stipend, based on the fellow's home location and the internship location.

Fellowship opportunities will be posted in January 2025. Please do not submit an application prior to the posting of the specific fellowships available. 

DEADLINE: Monday, March 24, 2025 at 11:59PM

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible applicants will:

1. Be currently enrolled KU graduate students in any humanities, arts, or social science discipline who have successfully completed at least one semester of full-time coursework toward an MA or PhD degree;

2. Demonstrate a high level of motivation, including the ability to work independently and establish and achieve goals; and

3. Have the ability to do humanities research and to write cogently and with economy.

REQUIREMENTS

Applied Humanities Summer Fellows are required to:

1. Fulfill the terms of their agreement with the community partner.

2. Submit a brief report to the Hall Center detailing the work they completed and explaining how this experience will further their research and/or career aspirations in the humanities.  The report is due within 30 days of completion of the fellowship work.

APPLICATION PROCESS

All application materials must be submitted through the Hall Center Competitions Portal.  Paper submissions will not be accepted.  For an application to be verified as complete, and thus forwarded for committee review, applicants must:

1. Create an account or log in to an existing account.

2. Select the Apply Now button next to this competition. 

3. Complete the Applicant Information form in the Portal.

NOTE: The demographic questions in the application form are optional. We would appreciate your responses as they allow us to chart demographic data and better comprehend the communities we reach and serve through this competition and award program. This information will not be used for determining awards. 

4. Upload a ranked list of your top three fellowship opportunities as a PDF file.

5. Upload a one-page Cover Letter explaining your interest in the applied summer fellowships program and your ability to work in a non-academic environment. Please do not list specific fellowship organizations in your cover letter.

6. Upload a Curriculum Vitae as a PDF file.

No extraneous materials will be considered.

REVIEW PROCESS

Community partners review applications and select candidates for interview, in consultation with the Hall Center Director.  

CRITERIA

The criteria for selection is determined by each community partner and is dependent upon the particular work required during the internship period.

QUESTIONS

Applicants should direct questions about the Applied Humanities Summer Fellows Competition to Hall Center Assistant Director Andrew Hodgson (ahodgson@ku.edu).