Deadline: 1 July 2012
The AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN STUDIES is a cooperative, non-profit organization of sixty-eight American colleges and universities that supports the advancement of knowledge and understanding of India, its people, and culture. AIIS welcomes applicants from a wide variety of disciplines. It especially encourages applicants in fields such as Development Studies, Natural Resources Management, Public Health, and Regional Planning.
APPLICATIONS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN INDIA MAY BE MADE IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowships . Available to accomplished practitioners of the performing arts of India and creative artists who demonstrate that study in India would enhance their skills, develop their capabilities to teach or perform in the U.S., enhance American involvement with India’s artistic traditions, and strengthen their links with peers in India. Awards will normally be for periods of up to four months, although proposals for periods of up to nine months can be considered.
Junior Research Fellowships . Available to doctoral candidates at U.S. universities in all fields of study. Junior Research Fellowships are specifically designed to enable doctoral candidates to pursue their dissertation research in India. Junior Research Fellows establish formal affiliation with Indian universities and Indian research supervisors. Awards are available for up to eleven months.
Senior Research Fellowships . Available to scholars who hold the Ph.D. or its equivalent. Senior Fellowships are designed to enable scholars in all disciplines who specialize in South Asia to pursue further research in India. Senior Fellows establish formal affiliation with an Indian institution. Short-term awards are available for up to four months. Long-term awards are available for six to nine months. A limited number of humanists will be granted fellowships paid in dollars funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Senior Scholarly/Professional Development Fellowships . Available to established scholars who have not previously specialized in Indian studies and to established professionals who have not previously worked or studied in India. Senior Scholarly/Professional Development Fellows are formally affiliated with an Indian institution. Awards may be granted for periods of six to nine months.
Non U.S. citizens are welcome to apply for AIIS fellowships as long as they are either graduate students or full-time faculty at a college or university in the U.S. Citizens of the United States, however, can apply for senior fellowships if they are not affiliated with an institution of higher education in the U.S. The fellowship competition is open to all applicants and is NOT restricted to applicants from AIIS member institutions. Fellowships for U.S. citizens are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (also available to permanent residents); the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States State Department and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers under the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended; and the Smithsonian Institution. Some fellowships for non-U.S. citizens and artists can be funded from the AIIS Rupee Endowment in India. Fellowships for six months or more may include limited coverage for dependents.
THE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PACKET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:
All or specific sections of the packet can be downloaded as Word documents or pdf files. Pdfs use Acrobat Reader software. A free copy of this software is available at the Abode website.
NOTE: To type on the pdf forms, you must save the documents on your hard drive. They can be opened using Adobe Acrobat (not the same as Acrobat Reader). Use the touch-up-text function to type on the forms.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES
Please read all application materials carefully. All forms in the application packet must be completed and submitted electronically.
GUIDELINES
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The Selection Committee will assess each application on the following basis:
Members of the Selection Committee represent a number of different academic disciplines within the field of Indian Studies, so the applicant must explain the nature and significance of the project in terms intelligible to a non-specialist audience. Please avoid jargon and be as concise as possible.
Applicants who are not affiliated with an AIIS member institution are WELCOME to apply.
REVIEWER WORKSHEET
The Reviewer Worksheet provides basic identifying information about the proposed project. It is used in the review process to summarize the three primary areas of competitive review:
The Reviewer Worksheet also enables the AIIS to summarize general information about the applicant pool and the range of subject matter submitted to it for consideration. Summary statements with this kind of information enable the Institute to solicit funds for its fellowship program.
AFFILIATION WITH AN INSTITUTION IN INDIA
The Indian Government requires all foreign scholars be associated with an Indian institution.
Please provide the names of three institutions with which you wish to be affiliated on the affiliate sponsor form. Please CAREFULLY read the information regarding affiliation on the affiliate sponsor form. The Institute will pursue affiliation on your behalf to expedite the project approval process.
INSTRUCTIONS
When naming your discipline, please choose one only from the following categories:
Please also include five short key phrases that would describe your project. For example for a project on agrarian social movements in the early twentieth century north India you could say: early twentieth-century history; agrarian movements in north India; agricultural workers’ rights movements; twentieth century social movements.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
Please refer to the Application Checklist when assembling your application and submit the checklist with your application materials to AIIS.
PROJECT STATEMENT
All applications must include a project statement fully describing proposed research. Be sure to clearly include:
If the completion of this project requires research outside India, or if you plan a departure from India during the time of award, please note in the timetable for completion.
The project statement must conform to the following requirements:
CONFIDENTIAL REFERENCES
Each applicant must secure three letters of recommendation. Referees should have sufficient knowledge about the applicant and the proposed project to assess the project as well as the applicant’s qualifications to carry it out.
In the past, delinquent references have been the most serious problem in giving full consideration to an applicant’s proposal. The applicant is responsible for assuring timely submission of recommendations. Referees must submit their letters by email attachment to aiis@uchicago.edu. It is strongly recommend that you request letters of recommendation as soon as you start working on the application.
PROJECT INFORMATION SHEET
In order to obtain the certificate of affiliation, applicants must submit a two-page (maximum) project information sheet. This document should also be used for non-Indian citizens when it is time to obtain a research visa for India.
The project information sheet should provide the following information:
The project information sheet should not be written in jargon. Applicants should avoid discussing theoretical frameworks, methodological issues, literature reviews, etc. Please remember that the document is to be reviewed by non-academics for the purposes of issuing a certificate of affiliation and, eventually, the research visa. The AIIS selection committee will not review the two-page information sheets. AIIS staff will review the project sheets and will advise applicants to make changes where needed.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries: call (773) 702-8638 or email aiis@uchicago.edu
For submissions: aiis@uchicago.edu
Website: http://www.indiastudies.org/
The AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INDIAN STUDIES is a cooperative, non-profit organization of sixty-eight American colleges and universities that supports the advancement of knowledge and understanding of India, its people, and culture. AIIS welcomes applicants from a wide variety of disciplines. It especially encourages applicants in fields such as Development Studies, Natural Resources Management, Public Health, and Regional Planning.
APPLICATIONS TO CONDUCT RESEARCH IN INDIA MAY BE MADE IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowships . Available to accomplished practitioners of the performing arts of India and creative artists who demonstrate that study in India would enhance their skills, develop their capabilities to teach or perform in the U.S., enhance American involvement with India’s artistic traditions, and strengthen their links with peers in India. Awards will normally be for periods of up to four months, although proposals for periods of up to nine months can be considered.
Junior Research Fellowships . Available to doctoral candidates at U.S. universities in all fields of study. Junior Research Fellowships are specifically designed to enable doctoral candidates to pursue their dissertation research in India. Junior Research Fellows establish formal affiliation with Indian universities and Indian research supervisors. Awards are available for up to eleven months.
Senior Research Fellowships . Available to scholars who hold the Ph.D. or its equivalent. Senior Fellowships are designed to enable scholars in all disciplines who specialize in South Asia to pursue further research in India. Senior Fellows establish formal affiliation with an Indian institution. Short-term awards are available for up to four months. Long-term awards are available for six to nine months. A limited number of humanists will be granted fellowships paid in dollars funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Senior Scholarly/Professional Development Fellowships . Available to established scholars who have not previously specialized in Indian studies and to established professionals who have not previously worked or studied in India. Senior Scholarly/Professional Development Fellows are formally affiliated with an Indian institution. Awards may be granted for periods of six to nine months.
Non U.S. citizens are welcome to apply for AIIS fellowships as long as they are either graduate students or full-time faculty at a college or university in the U.S. Citizens of the United States, however, can apply for senior fellowships if they are not affiliated with an institution of higher education in the U.S. The fellowship competition is open to all applicants and is NOT restricted to applicants from AIIS member institutions. Fellowships for U.S. citizens are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (also available to permanent residents); the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States State Department and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers under the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended; and the Smithsonian Institution. Some fellowships for non-U.S. citizens and artists can be funded from the AIIS Rupee Endowment in India. Fellowships for six months or more may include limited coverage for dependents.
THE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PACKET INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:
- Research Fellowship Competition Announcement (MS Word/PDF)
- Research Fellowship Competition Instructions and Guidelines (MS Word/PDF)
- Applications (MS Word/PDF)
- Confidential Reference Form (MS Word/PDF)
- Affiliate Sponsor Form (PDF)
- Reviewer Worksheet (MS Word/PDF)
- Application Checklist (MS Word/PDF)
All or specific sections of the packet can be downloaded as Word documents or pdf files. Pdfs use Acrobat Reader software. A free copy of this software is available at the Abode website.
NOTE: To type on the pdf forms, you must save the documents on your hard drive. They can be opened using Adobe Acrobat (not the same as Acrobat Reader). Use the touch-up-text function to type on the forms.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDELINES
Please read all application materials carefully. All forms in the application packet must be completed and submitted electronically.
GUIDELINES
- Applications that do not meet the requirements listed below will NOT be considered and the processing fee will not be returned.
- Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decisions by the beginning of October. The earliest possible departure date for India by awardees is eleven (11) months following the date of application submission.
- Two full years must have elapsed between the completion of a previous AIIS fellowship and the current application deadline. This rule does NOT apply to recipients of AIIS language program fellowships.
- AIIS Fellows may not hold another major grant during the fellowship period.
- Applications from scholars who are part of a collaborative project involving other scholars are welcome, though AIIS fellowships are granted to individuals not to teams. Amounts awarded to successful applicants who are members of group projects will be equivalent to fellowships awarded to scholars who submitted applications for individual projects.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The Selection Committee will assess each application on the following basis:
- The project description
- The candidate’s academic and/or professional record
- The quality of references.
Members of the Selection Committee represent a number of different academic disciplines within the field of Indian Studies, so the applicant must explain the nature and significance of the project in terms intelligible to a non-specialist audience. Please avoid jargon and be as concise as possible.
Applicants who are not affiliated with an AIIS member institution are WELCOME to apply.
REVIEWER WORKSHEET
The Reviewer Worksheet provides basic identifying information about the proposed project. It is used in the review process to summarize the three primary areas of competitive review:
- Project Description
- Academic and/or Professional Record
- Quality of References
The Reviewer Worksheet also enables the AIIS to summarize general information about the applicant pool and the range of subject matter submitted to it for consideration. Summary statements with this kind of information enable the Institute to solicit funds for its fellowship program.
AFFILIATION WITH AN INSTITUTION IN INDIA
The Indian Government requires all foreign scholars be associated with an Indian institution.
- The Institute will arrange institutional affiliation for fellows.
- Non-Indian citizens will need a research visa to do research in India. A certificate of affiliation from an Indian institution is required to obtain the research visa.
- No fellowship funds will be released until AIIS has obtained a certificate of affiliation.
Please provide the names of three institutions with which you wish to be affiliated on the affiliate sponsor form. Please CAREFULLY read the information regarding affiliation on the affiliate sponsor form. The Institute will pursue affiliation on your behalf to expedite the project approval process.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Be sure to answer each question on the form. If all questions are not answered, the application may be rejected.
- The application must be typed and all questions answered on the form itself. It is not acceptable to refer to appended material.
- The application deadline for the AIIS Fellowship Competition is July 1.
- Applications must be attached in an email to AIIS (aiis@uchicago.edu).
- It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all application materials, including letters of recommendation are received prior to the deadline. Late materials will not be considered.
- Please save your completed application for your files as you may need it for reference over the next two years.
- For the question regarding current status or title, if you are a faculty member, please indicate whether you are tenured or untenured.
- The Project Summary must be typed on both the Application for Fellowship and the Reviewer Worksheet.
- Please consult the application checklist and create ONE pdf file to include all of the components of your application.
When naming your discipline, please choose one only from the following categories:
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Architecture
- Art
- Behavioral Sciences
- Communications
- Cultural Studies
- Economics
- Education
- Environmental Studies
- Ethnomusicology
- Film/Photography
- Gender/Sexuality Studies
- Geography
- History
- History of Art/Architecture
- History of Science
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Medicine
- Natural Sciences
- Performance Studies
- Performing Arts
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Public Health
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Technology Studies
- Urban Planning
Please also include five short key phrases that would describe your project. For example for a project on agrarian social movements in the early twentieth century north India you could say: early twentieth-century history; agrarian movements in north India; agricultural workers’ rights movements; twentieth century social movements.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
Please refer to the Application Checklist when assembling your application and submit the checklist with your application materials to AIIS.
PROJECT STATEMENT
All applications must include a project statement fully describing proposed research. Be sure to clearly include:
- Reasons for pursuing this research
- The significance of your project and its relevance to other scholarship
- Research methodology
- Anticipated results of your study
- Time-table for completing the project
If the completion of this project requires research outside India, or if you plan a departure from India during the time of award, please note in the timetable for completion.
The project statement must conform to the following requirements:
- It must be no longer than six (6) pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and printed in a type size no smaller than 12 points.
- The project statement must be clearly legible. Applications that do not conform to these specifications will not be read by the Committee or returned by the Institute.
- Attach a one to three-page bibliography related to your project. Please remember that your proposal will be read and evaluated by a committee representing India specialists with diverse disciplinary expertise.
- A curriculum vitae of no more than two (2) pages must also be submitted. It should include major publications with the names of publishers and dates of publication. Citations for articles and monographs must be complete. Please identify clearly all publications resulting from prior AIIS-supported research with an asterisk.
- Applicants for the Junior Research Fellowship must include official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended in the U.S. with their application.
- Applicants for the Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowship must provide a web-based link to some significant sample of their work, e.g. high quality videotape for filmmakers, dancers and perhaps musicians; high quality audio tape (if not video) for musicians; and photographs or slides for visual artists. Video and audio recordings should be continuous, not excerpted, and at least 15 minutes, but preferably a half hour in length. Materials will be returned at the candidate’s request.
CONFIDENTIAL REFERENCES
Each applicant must secure three letters of recommendation. Referees should have sufficient knowledge about the applicant and the proposed project to assess the project as well as the applicant’s qualifications to carry it out.
In the past, delinquent references have been the most serious problem in giving full consideration to an applicant’s proposal. The applicant is responsible for assuring timely submission of recommendations. Referees must submit their letters by email attachment to aiis@uchicago.edu. It is strongly recommend that you request letters of recommendation as soon as you start working on the application.
PROJECT INFORMATION SHEET
In order to obtain the certificate of affiliation, applicants must submit a two-page (maximum) project information sheet. This document should also be used for non-Indian citizens when it is time to obtain a research visa for India.
The project information sheet should provide the following information:
- where the applicant wishes to go
- what the applicant wishes to do
- materials to be reviewed
- types of information to be collected.
The project information sheet should not be written in jargon. Applicants should avoid discussing theoretical frameworks, methodological issues, literature reviews, etc. Please remember that the document is to be reviewed by non-academics for the purposes of issuing a certificate of affiliation and, eventually, the research visa. The AIIS selection committee will not review the two-page information sheets. AIIS staff will review the project sheets and will advise applicants to make changes where needed.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries: call (773) 702-8638 or email aiis@uchicago.edu
For submissions: aiis@uchicago.edu
Website: http://www.indiastudies.org/
