SSRC Application Instructions

2019 UMN-SSRC Interdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development Program
Application Instructions for Student Participants

Application deadline: Noon, Monday, February 4, 2019

This program aims to expand and improve formal dissertation prospectus and grant proposal development for humanities and social science doctoral students at the University of Minnesota. Twenty-four students will be selected to participate in 2019. The program includes an intensive five-day workshop in May, followed by student summer research, and another intensive five-day workshop in September, prior to fall research grant proposal deadlines. Students will register for a 3-credit graduate seminar in Fall 2019 as part of the program. More information on the UMN SSRC-DPD program.

In applying for this program, you are committing to completing all three components: the Spring workshop, May 19-23, 2019; at least six weeks of summer exploratory research or other intellectual work aimed at developing your dissertation proposal; and the Fall workshop, September 18-22, 2019. You are also committing to registering for the seminar in fall 2019. The program provides stipends of up to $3,000 for summer research and living expenses.

If you become a finalist, we will request your transcript and a commitment from your advisor to participate in evaluating the program.

The application form consists of six sections. Please note that you cannot partially complete the application and save it to edit it later. We strongly recommend that you create a document with all of your responses to the questions below, and copy and paste the text into the form. In addition to text responses, you will be prompted to upload a research budget and a 2-page CV. Please have all of these files prepared before you start an application. The link to the application form is below.

Here is all of the information you will need for the application:

Personal Information

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Department or Graduate Program
  • College
  • Name of Advisor
  • Advisor Email Address
  • Date of enrollment in PhD Program. If you don’t remember the exact date, use the first of the month (e.g., 09/01/2017)
  • Date or anticipated date of your preliminary examination: If you don’t have an exact date, use the first of the month you expect (e.g., 10/01/2019)
  • Does your department or program have a formal dissertation prospectus defense or discussion?
  • If so, what is the date of or anticipated date of your prospectus defense?
  • If you are selected as a finalist, we will request your transcript. If there is anything you would like to explain about your academic history, please do so here: (up to 100 words)

Information about Proposed Dissertation Project

  • Proposed Dissertation Research Title:
  • Introduce your dissertation project for an academic reader who is unfamiliar with your particular topic, region of study, and disciplinary approach. What is the central research question, problem, or puzzle that you want to investigate? Why is your project important? (up to 400 words)
  • How do you expect your dissertation project can draw from and contribute to existing literature about the topic in a novel or interesting way? (up to 400 words)
  • List up to 20 scholarly publications or texts that have most significantly informed the formulation of your research topic, questions, theories, and methods.
  • What sources, sites, and/or time periods do you propose to examine as a part of your dissertation research, and what are your justifications for choosing them? (up to 300 words)
  • What techniques of investigation might you employ to carry out your research, and how do you expect they will enable you to collect, identify, interpret, and analyze the sources of information (interviews, texts, images, surveys, etc.), for your dissertation research? (up to 400 words)
  • Summarize as best you can where you feel most confident in the progress you have made thus far in developing your dissertation research project and what issues or questions you must still resolve in order to prepare a dissertation research proposal. Explain how you hope participating in the DPD program might help you to resolve these issues. (up to 250 words)

Summer Research Plans and Budget

  • What exploratory research or intellectual work do you propose to conduct this summer with UMN DPD support, and how do you anticipate these efforts will contribute to the development of your dissertation project? If you have already conducted preliminary research for this project, what further do you hope to learn from additional work this summer? (up to 400 words)
  • Preliminary research start date
  • Preliminary research end date
  • Anticipated Research Site(s) or Institution(s):
  • City/Region:
  • Country:
  • Do you have summer funding from your department, program, or other University unit for 2019?
  • If yes, what is the purpose of this funding?
  • If you have summer funding for 2019, what is the amount?
  • You will submit a detailed research budget for up to $3,000 to cover living and research expenses, including research travel. Total amount requested:
  • Upload your budget with a breakdown of funds requested and a short description and justification for their uses (up to 250 words).

Additional Information

  • In addition to your current doctoral training, how might your personal background or non-academic experiences inform the perspectives you will bring to your proposed dissertation project? (up to 250 words)
  • Language Self-Assessment: For each language, list institution of study, levels, proficiency level, and total duration of study:
  • Previous, Current, and Pending Funding: List all scholarships or fellowships you have received in support of graduate training or research while in graduate school, including name of award, duration of award, amount received, and purpose:
  • List all other funding sources to which you have applied, or expect to apply, to support pre-dissertation research in summer 2019. If you are selected for the UMN SSRC DPD program, you will be required to notify the UMN SSRC DPD program of any additional funding you might receive. Include source, date applied/awarded, start/end dates, amount requested/received, and purpose of funds:

CV

Upload a 2-page CV as a .pdf document.

Signature

In the signature section, you will be committing to participate fully in all three parts of the program (the spring and fall workshops and the summer research) and register for a 3-credit graduate seminar in Fall 2019. You will confirm that you can attend all of the Spring Workshop May 19-23, 2019, and the Fall Workshop September 18-22, 2019.

Click here to complete the application.