Harry Ransom CenterThe University of Texas at Austin

2010-2011 Research Fellowship Application Instructions

The Harry Ransom Center, an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum, announces its 2010-2011 Research Fellowship program.

The Ransom Center annually awards 50 fellowships to support scholarly research projects in all areas of the humanities, including literature, photography, film, art, the performing arts, music, and cultural history. Applicants must demonstrate the necessity of substantial on-site use of the Center's collections.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 1, 2010

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AVAILABLE FELLOSWHIPS INCLUDE

ONE TO THREE MONTH FELLOWSHIPS • 3,000 PER MONTH

For research in the Center's collections. A limited number of two or three month fellowships are available for projects requiring extensive work with the Ransom Center's collections.

TRAVEL STIPENDS • $1,200-$1,700

Travel stipends may be awarded to scholars with research projects that require less than one month's research at the Ransom Center. Awards of $1,200 are available for domestic U.S. travel; $1,700 for foreign travel. There is not a specific required length of residency for travel stipends. Travel stipends may not be combined with other Ransom Center fellowships and are not available to graduate students.

DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS • $1,500

Six 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. Dissertation fellowship residencies must be taken up during the period from September 1, 2010 through August 31, 2011. There is not a specific required length of residency for dissertation fellowships.

View a complete list of the supporting endowments and annual donors

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APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Consideration for all fellowships requires only a single application. The Ransom Center matches scholars with appropriate fellowships. A complete application consists of three copies of a four-page proposal and two letters of recommendation in sealed, signed envelopes. The applicant should submit all materials together. Dissertation fellowship applicants need submit only one letter of recommendation. Complete applications for 2010-2011 Research Fellowships must be received by February 1, 2010.

Eligibility. All applicants, with the exception of applicants for dissertation fellowships, must be post-doctorates or independent scholars with a substantial record of achievement. United States citizens and foreign nationals are eligible to apply. Individuals who have previously received a Ransom Center fellowship are eligible to reapply after one year has passed.

Proposal Page One. List your name, institutional affiliation (if any), mailing address, email address, telephone and fax numbers, the category of fellowship requested (one, two, or three months, or travel stipend or dissertation fellowship), and a brief project title. Please also indicate whether you are currently a member of the American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies (ASECS) or the South Central Modern Language Association (SCMLA). At the end of the page, let us know whether you have received a Ransom Center fellowship in the past, or where you learned about the Ransom Center fellowships.

Proposal Page Two. The second page of the proposal should consist of a summary of the proposed research project. Bear 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. The final page of the proposal should consist of an abbreviated one-page curriculum vitae stressing 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. All letters should be sent to the applicant in a sealed and signed envelope, to be submitted to the Center with the proposal. Letters of recommendation should not be submitted to the Center independently. Faxed and emailed letters will not be accepted.

Application Deadline. Complete applications for 2010-2011 Research Fellowships must be received by February 1, 2010. Applications received after this deadline or transmitted by fax or email will not be considered. The Ransom Center will acknowledge the receipt of complete applications if a self-addressed, stamped postcard is sent with the proposal. We will return the card upon receipt of the complete application.

Complete applications should be sent to:

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

Award Announcement. Awards will be announced by letter on or before April 1, 2010. Queries about applications in process cannot be acknowledged. Award winners and their research projects will be acknowledged in Ransom Center publicity.

Residency. Residencies must be taken up during the period from June 1, 2010 through August 31, 2011, or from September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011 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 awards may split the residency, with a minimum stay at any time of one month. 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 during their residency. Detailed information about the fellowship policies and expectations may be found in the Fellowship Guidelines.

Final Report. All fellows are asked 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. Most of the Center's books are listed in the online library catalog of The University of Texas at Austin, which can be accessed through the Center's website. Many of the Center's finding aids for manuscript collections are similarly available on the website. Additional information on the Center's collections may be found in the Guide to the Collections (2003), which may be ordered at www.hrc.utexas.edu/store or accessed online at www.hrc.utexas.edu/collections/guide. Specific inquiries about the relevance of the Center's holdings to a research project may be directed to the appropriate curator. Please request information from curators by January 1. After that date, we cannot guarantee a response before the application deadline. We advise that you 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.

Modern British & American:	Molly Schwartzburg   512.471.4430 schwartzburg@mail.utexas.edu
Photography:	David Coleman   512.471.6795 davidcoleman@mail.utexas.edu
Film:	Steve Wilson   512.471.6352 swilson@mail.utexas.edu
French:	Elizabeth Garver   512.471.6350 elgarver@mail.utexas.edu
Music:	Richard Workman   512.471.3374 rworkman@mail.utexas.edu
Performing Arts:	Helen Adair   512.475.6502 helen.adair@mail.utexas.edu
Renaissance & 18th Century:	Richard Oram   512.471.4458 roram@mail.utexas.edu
Art:	Peter Mears   512.471.6593 pmears@mail.utexas.edu
All Other Inquiries:	Richard Workman   512.471.3374 rworkman@mail.utexas.edu