Graduate Student Grants and Awards

UNC’s Program in Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) announces a series of grants for graduate student development, which are supported with funds awarded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Graduate students whose research addresses cross-cultural or global issues are especially encouraged to apply. Graduate students may apply to more than one grant simultaneously.

There are four categories of grants:

1. NOT offered this year is the one-semester Ryan-Headley Dissertation Fellowship for graduate students in any discipline who are working in the area of the Renaissance (1350–1700). The fellowship will be awarded in alternate years. Preference will be given to students whose dissertation is based in intellectual history or whose work has obvious implications for intellectual history. Students should provide some indication that they have been able to situate their dissertation topic with reference to global context or issue.
2. One-semester dissertation fellowships, up to two per year, ideally one in medieval, one in early modern. Click here to download the application form.
3. Research awards, up to $4,000 each, ideally split between graduate students in medieval and early modern. Presentation of receipts is required. Click here to download the application form.
4. Conference travel awards in amounts up to $1,000 for domestic conferences and $2,000 for international conferences. Ideally these awards will be split between graduate students in medieval and early modern. Preference will be given to applicants presenting papers. Award recipients will be reimbursed for actual cost of transportation, lodging, and meals. Presentation of receipts is required. Click here to download the application form.

Application Procedures

Only completed applications will be considered. Please review the specific materials required to apply for each of the different MEMS Graduate Grants, including their respective deadlines for application.

ALL grant applications require a MEMS application form: Download & complete the MEMS form(s) for the grant(s) for which you wish to apply. Please see specific directions for each type of award.

Email your completed application materials to: Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, nancys@email.unc.edu

DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP (1 semester)

Eligibility

Applicants should have completed all coursework toward the Ph.D. and successfully completed their Ph.D. examinations no later than October 2011. Applicants must be working on a dissertation on a medieval or early modern topic. Amount of Award: at least $10,000 minus tuition and benefits (approx. $7,500). The dissertation fellowship may be taken in spring or fall 2012.

Application Process

Please prepare Microsoft Word files for each of the following items. Then save them, in the order given here, in one Word or PDF file and submit that file to Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, nancys@email.unc.edu:

• Dissertation Fellowship Application Form
• Statement of purpose (no longer than 1,000 words, double-spaced, 12-point font). Indicate in your statement which semester you would prefer to receive the award
• CV (no longer than two pages)

Please fill out and forward the Faculty Recommendation Cover Sheet to a faculty member who will recommend you, preferably your principal faculty adviser. Click here to download the recommendation form. Please ask your recommender to submit the recommendation by email to Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, nancys@email.unc.edu.

DEADLINE: Friday, September 30, 2011.

RESEARCH AWARD

Eligibility

These grants may be used to conduct research at libraries or archives in order to support scholarly projects (either the dissertation or a similar large-scale research project). They may also be used to purchase materials needed to complete research projects (microfilms, etc.). Applications from students working on cross-cultural or global issues are especially encouraged.

Students should have completed their M.A. degree at the time of application. Applicants must be Ph.D. candidates from any program working on a medieval or early modern topic. Preference will be given to applicants who make a strong case for their need to conduct research beyond UNC (and its library holdings) and who possess the necessary skills to conduct such research.

The amount of the award is up to $4,000 (final amount TBD at the selection committee’s discretion and announced to the award recipient at the time of notification).

Application Process

Please prepare Microsoft Word files for each of the following items. Then save them, in the order given here, in one Word or PDF file and submit that file to Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, nancys@email.unc.edu:

• Research Award Application Form
• Statement of purpose (double-spaced, 12-point font, and no longer than 1,000 words)
• CV (no longer than two pages)

Please fill out and forward (either on paper or electronically) the Faculty Recommendation Cover Sheet to a faculty member who will recommend you, preferably your principal faculty adviser. Click here to download form. Please ask your recommender to submit the recommendation either by email to Nancy Gray Schoonmaker: nancys@email.unc.edu, or by campus mail to CB#3195.

DEADLINE: Friday, March 30, 2012.

CONFERENCE TRAVEL GRANT

Eligibility

Students must already have a paper or papers on a medieval and/or early modern topic accepted for delivery at an academic conference. Applicants must be graduate students working on a medieval or early modern dissertation topic. Applications may be submitted for future conferences or for conferences that have taken place in the last three months (November 1–January 20). Preference will, however, be given to applicants seeking to attend future conferences. Amount of Award: up to $1,000 for domestic conferences, $2,000 for international conferences. Grant recipients will be reimbursed for actual cost of transportation, lodging, and meals. Presentation of receipts will be required, and will determine the final amount awarded to the recipient.

Application Process

Please prepare Microsoft Word files for each of the following items. Then save them, in the order given here, in one Word or PDF file and submit that file to Nancy Gray Schoonmaker, nancys@email.unc.edu:

• Conference Award Application Form
• Statement of purpose (double-spaced, 12-point font, and no longer than 300 words)
• CV (no longer than two pages)

Please fill out and forward (either on paper or electronically) the Faculty Recommendation Cover Sheet to a faculty member who will recommend you, preferably your principal faculty adviser. Click here to download form. Please ask your recommender to submit the recommendation either by email to Nancy Gray Schoonmaker: nancys@email.unc.edu, or by campus mail to CB#3195.

DEADLINE: Friday, January 20, 2012