fulbright ddra nov 2010

TIPS ON PREPARING EARLY FOR THE FULBRIGHT-­‐HAYS (DDRA) APPLICATION

Thursday, November 11, 2010 Walt Hakala

▼ Timeline: Closing Notice: PDF • Applications become available in mid-­‐September • Are due to the program ofGicer by around the end of October. ▼ Use the deadlines to your advantage:

• Fulbright IIE project narrative is very short (~2 pages). Will force you

to describe your project in a succinct way.

• Fulbright-­‐Hays is an academic grant. Compared with baby Fulbright, 10 pages is a lot of space to work with.

• SSRC is the most involved of all three, the last one due, and the appli-­‐ cation that requires the clearest articulation of your disciplinary ap-­‐ proach ▼ Before you begin, you should secure • A letter of support (if not afGiliation) from a reputable educational institution/faculty person in your host country/countries • A commitment from faculty from whom you will be requesting letters of recommendation • A commitment from the faculty that will be evaluating your language competence ▼ What you can do now ▼ Update your C.V.

▼ You should consider showing it to your faculty advisor

• Things that seem impressive to you may not actually impress the award committee

• “Peer-­‐reviewed CV” ▼ Seek out summer grants for preliminary research or language develop-­‐ ment

• Being able to show that you are familiar with the lay of the land will make your application a lot stronger

▼ If you can demonstrate superior ability in one or more languages spo-­‐ ken in the countries to which you are applying, you will appear to be a far more competitive candidate.

• 5 points for "a research project that focuses on any of the seventy-­‐

eight (78) languages selected from the U.S. Department of Educa-­‐ tion’s list of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs):"

• 5 points for "Research projects that are proposed by applicants us-­‐ ing advanced language proGiciency in one of the 78 languages se-­‐ lected from the U.S. Department of Education’s list of LCTLs, which are also listed in competitive preference priority 1, in their re-­‐ search and focus on one of the following Gields or topics: Environ-­‐ mental Science, Economics, Public Health, Education, or Political Science."

• Use this to develop a relationship with an institution and faculty in the host country ▼ If your research involves human subjects, seek clearance from the Uni-­‐ versity of Pennsylvania OfGice of Regulatory Affairs | 3624 Market Street, Suite 301 S., Philadelphia, PA 19104-­‐6006

• Website: www.upenn.edu—index.php • Contact past DDRA fellows who have worked in the country/countries to which you are applying • Apply to other fellowships (e.g., American Institute of Pakistan Studies in January, American Institute of Indian Studies in June, etc.) ▼ Get busy with your dissertation proposal

• Join or create a working group for your dissertation proposal and pro-­‐ ject narratives. ▼ Structure • Make it obvious to your readers why you have arranged your narrative in the way you have. ▼ Consider using the evaluation criteria to structure your narrative:

• (1) The statement of the major hypotheses to be tested or questions to be examined, and the description and justiGication of the research methods to be used (15 points);

• (2) The relationship of the research to the literature on the topic and to major theoretical issues in the Gield, and the project’s originality and importance in terms of the concerns of the discipline (10 points);

• (3) The preliminary research already completed in the United States and overseas or plans for such research prior to going overseas, and the kinds, quality and availability of data for the research in the host country or countries (10 points);

• (4) The justiGication for overseas Gield research and preparations to establish appropriate and sufGicient research contacts and afGiliations abroad (10 points);

• (5) The applicant’s plans to share the results of the research in pro-­‐

gress and a copy of the dissertation with scholars and ofGicials of the host country or countries (5 points); and

• (6) The guidance and supervision of the dissertation advisor or com-­‐ mittee at all stages of the project, including guidance in developing the project, understanding research conditions abroad, and acquainting the applicant with research in the Gield (10 points). ▼ Intro

• Use a hook in your introduction that will connect your obscure pro-­‐ ject, brilliant though it may be, with an important contemporary issue that is familiar to your readers ▼ Review of Literature

• If you belong to a department with a strong disciplinary culture (e.g. sociology, anthropology), don't waste too much space covering the ba-­‐ sics in your review of literature

• If you DON'T belong to a disciplinary program (e.g., area studies), take a bit more space in your review of literature to connect your project with a discipline ▼ Logistics

• Be speciGic: Establish a month-­‐by-­‐month schedule

• Don't be afraid to drop names, especially if they are famous! ▼ General advice on layout • In general: be consistent (e.g., italicize all foreign terms, use single quotes for glosses, etc.)

• Do not use diacritics • Double space, use one of the following three fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial • Use parenthetical citations since they take up less space • Avoid conditional/subjunctive statements: "I feel", "Should I have the op-­‐ portunity", etc. Write with certainty, even if you aren't!

• Convey your enthusiasm for the project. If you hate your project, they probably will, too. Ask yourself: do I really want to go to a foreign coun-­‐ try to do this for a year?!?!