Harry Ransom CenterThe University of Texas at Austin

2013-2014 Research Fellowship Application Instructions

The Harry Ransom Center annually awards over 50 fellowships to support projects that require substantial on-site use of its collections. The fellowships support research in all areas of the humanities, including literature, photography, film, art, the performing arts, music, and cultural history.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Please note that the application deadline for the 2013-2014 Research Fellowships has passed. Decisions will be announced by email on or before April 1, 2013. Application instructions for 2014-2015 will be posted in the summer.

Fellowship Guidelines (PDF)

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AVAILABLE FELLOSWHIPS INCLUDE

ONE TO THREE MONTH FELLOWSHIPS • 3,000 PER MONTH

One to three month fellowships are available for post-doctorates or independent scholars whose projects require extensive work with the Ransom Center's collections.

TRAVEL STIPENDS • $1,200 (Domestic) • $1,700 (International)

Travel stipends are available for post-doctorates or independent scholars whose projects require less than one month’s work with the Center’s collections. Travel stipends may not be combined with other Ransom Center fellowships.

DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS • $1,500

Eight fellowships jointly sponsored by the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at Austin Office of Graduate Studies are designated for graduate students who are working on doctoral dissertations.

The Center gratefully acknowledges the principals of the supporting endowments and annual sponsors.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURES

A complete application consists of a four-page proposal and two letters of recommendation. Dissertation fellowship applications require only one letter of recommendation. Application materials for 2013–2014 research fellowships may be submitted by mail or email, and must be received by February 1, 2013.

Eligibility. All applicants, with the exception of applicants for dissertation fellowships, must hold a Ph.D. or be an independent scholar with a substantial record of publication. If the Ph.D. is in-progress, the proposal and letters of recommendation must clearly indicate a June 1, 2013, completion in order to be eligible for 2013–2014 fellowships. Dissertation fellowship applicants must be doctoral candidates engaged in dissertation research by the time of application. United States citizens and foreign nationals are eligible to apply. Previous recipients of Ransom Center fellowships are eligible to reapply after two years have passed. All things being equal, however, preference is given to applicants who have not previously held a Ransom Center fellowship.

Proposal Page One. List your name; institutional affiliation (if any); preferred mailing address, email address, and telephone number; the category of fellowship requested (one, two, or three months; travel stipend; or dissertation fellowship); and a brief project title. For administrative purposes, please also indicate where you learned about the Ransom Center fellowships (e.g., colleague, advertisement, promotional poster, listserv). Previous recipients of Ransom Center fellowships must list the year of the fellowship(s) and any resulting publications, indicating whether copies were provided to the Center. Current members of ASECS or SCMLA must indicate their membership in order to be considered for the ASECS or SCMLA fellowships.

Proposal Page Two. Provide a summary of the proposed research project. Keep in mind that you are writing for a multi-disciplinary faculty committee, so research topics and their significance should be thoroughly explained. Place the project in the context of its larger field of study and describe the anticipated result of the project (journal article, book, edited volume, or other format).

Proposal Page Three. Describe in detail your anticipated use of Ransom Center collections. Please discuss specific collection materials and their relevance to the project.

Proposal Page Four. Provide an abbreviated, one-page curriculum vitae emphasizing relevant publications. No other items should be appended to the proposal, which should not exceed four pages in length.

Letters of Recommendation. Applications for one to three month fellowships and travel stipends must include two confidential letters of recommendation from individuals who are qualified to judge the proposal. Applications for dissertation fellowships must include a single letter of recommendation from the dissertation director or an appropriate member of the dissertation committee. Letters of recommendation must be submitted directly to the Ransom Center by the referee, either by mail or email.

Submission. Application materials may be submitted by mail or email using the addresses below.

Primary mailing address:

Harry Ransom Center
ATTN: Research Fellowships
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Drawer 7219
Austin, TX 78713-7219
U.S.A.

Mailing address for FedEx, DHL, UPS, or other courier service requiring a physical address:

Harry Ransom Center
ATTN: Research Fellowships

 The University of Texas at Austin

 300 West 21st Street
Austin, TX 78712
U.S.A.
512-471-8944

Email:

ransomfellowships@utexas.edu
Four-page proposals should be submitted by the applicant as an attachment. Letters of recommendation should be submitted either as an attachment bearing a scanned image of the letter on institutional letterhead or as text in the body of an email sent directly from the academic or institutional email address of the referee. Attachments should be word documents or PDF files.

Please note: due to the large volume of materials we receive, we cannot accept re-submissions of application materials. Once an application or letter has been received, we will not accept an additional, revised document.

Application Deadline. All application materials for 2013–2014 fellowships, whether submitted by mail or email, must be received by February 1, 2013, 5 p.m. CST. Applications received by the Ransom Center after this deadline will not be considered.

Announcement of Decisions. Decisions will be announced by email on April 1, 2013. Fellowship recipients will additionally receive materials related to their award by mail. Queries about applications in process cannot be acknowledged. Fellowship recipients and their research projects will be acknowledged in Ransom Center publicity.

Residency. Residencies must be completed during the period from June 1, 2013, through August 31, 2014, or from September 1, 2013, through August 31, 2014, for dissertation fellowships. Recipients of one month fellowships are expected to be in continuous residence for the duration of their award. Recipients with longer-term fellowships may split the residency, with a minimum stay at any time of one month. There is not a specific required length of residency for travel stipends or dissertation fellowships. During their residency period, fellows are expected to have a significant, consistent presence at the Center. Fellows are invited and encouraged to participate in the intellectual life of the Center and The University of Texas at Austin. Complete information about the policies and expectations may be found in the Fellowship Guidelines.

Final Report. All fellows are required to write a brief research report on their work at the Ransom Center to be submitted after the residency has been completed.

About the Collections. General information about the Center's collections may be found online. The Center's website includes many of the finding aids for manuscript collections. Additional information on the Center's collections may be found in the Guide to the Collections and the Library Chronicle. Most of the Center's books are listed in the online library catalog of The University of Texas at Austin. Specific inquiries about the relevance of the Center's holdings to a research project may be directed to the appropriate curator. Please contact only one curator or librarian to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. If more than one collection is involved, we will see that your message is properly forwarded. Please request information from curators by January 1. After that date, we cannot guarantee a response before the application deadline.

Modern British & American Literature:	Rick Watson   512-471-3374 watsonrb@austin.utexas.edu
Pre-1900 English & American Literature:	Richard Oram   512-471-4458 roram@austin.utexas.edu
Photography:	Roy Flukinger   512-471-6793 fluke@utexas.edu
	Linda Briscoe Myers   512-471-6281 briscoe@utexas.edu
Film:	Steve Wilson   512-471-6352 swilson@utexas.edu
French:	Elizabeth Garver   512-471-6008 elgarver@utexas.edu
Performing Arts:	Helen Baer   512-475-6502 helen.baer@austin.utexas.edu
Art:	Peter Mears   512-471-6593 pmears@utexas.edu
Other Collection Inquiries:	Rick Watson   512-471-3374 watsonrb@austin.utexas.edu

Questions about the fellowship program or application instructions should be directed to Bridget Gayle Ground at 512-232-3214 or bgayleground@austin.utexas.edu.