Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a program-related question not answered below, please feel free to email the program administrator <ksteilen@stanford.edu>.
Eligibility
Is
the competition open to non-U.S. citizens?
Yes.
What
degree qualifications must I have to be eligible to apply?
You must have received or expect to receive a qualified
PhD in a relevant field of the humanities within the timeframe specified for
a given year's competition. Doctorates in Arts (D.A.), honorary doctorates,
and other degree equivalents are not considered qualifed PhDs for application
to this program.
Is
the competition open to currently employed academics?
Yes, provided they received a qualified Ph.D. within the time frame specified
for the year they apply.
Is
the competition open to those who are already serving in a postdoctoral position?
Yes, provided they received their qualified Ph.D. within the degree window.
Can
I apply for a field outside my Ph.D. field of study?
Applicants
are not necessarily required to apply to the fields in which they earned their
PhDs. An applicant applying outside of her degree field should specify what
field she would like to be considered for and demonstrate the applicability
of her work to that field. Since successful applicants work and teach in the
departments, those applying outside their degree fields are expected to explain
the relevance of their research and teaching to the department/field in which
they would conduct those activities.
Will
my application be considered for more than one field/department if my research
applies to more than one?
Yes, we will consider an application for more than one
field either at the applicant's request or at our own discretion. If your research and teaching interests would fit within either History or Religious Studies, for example, you may
feel free to specify in your cover note the fields for which you'd like to
be considered. If you do so, we advise that you be sure to familiarize yourself
with the research and teaching profiles of all Stanford departments in which
you may be considered.
We
also sometimes elect to consider applications for fields outside any specified
where this seems appropriate, and where doing so seems of some benefit to
the application.
Application
When
is the deadline for applications?
For the 2007-08 competitition,
the application deadline is December 3, 2007.
Will
receipt of my application be acknowledged?
You can check on the receipt of your
materials by accessing your online application record.
This will be your primary method of checking the status of your application; however, we may contact you periodically by email. It
is therefore especially important that applicants provide a working email
address with their other contact information.
Who
evaluates applications?
All applications are considered both
by the committee of selection, which includes faculty from several humanities
departments at Stanford, and by faculty sub-committees within the departments
in which applicants will be placed.
When
do I find out whether or not I've been awarded a fellowship?
For the 2007-08 competitition, award letters and rejection emails will be sent no later than March 1, 2008. Finalists may
be contacted earlier. Please note that the Program office
will not answer questions about the status of individual applications before
this time.
Can writing samples be in languages other than English?
Yes, as long as they are languages we can read and assess.
What
is a teaching statement? If I describe my teaching experience in a cover letter
or on my c.v., should I still include a teaching statement?
The 2-3pp. teaching statement should summarize your teaching experience,
the methodological or philosophical perspectives that inform
your teaching practice, and the kinds of courses you would be interested in
teaching. Sample syllabi may be added but are not required. For evaluation
purposes, it is important that we have a separate teaching statement rather
than a paragraph or two in a cover letter or a list of courses taught on your
c.v.
Program Requirements
What
is the teaching load? What kinds of courses do Fellows teach?
Fellows are required to teach at least one course and a course-equivalent
during each year of their participation in the program. Stanford is on a quarter
system, so every Fellow will have at least one term per year without a teaching
obligation. Teaching needs and expectations vary by department. A Fellow's
home department determines his teaching requirements and may expect him to
teach two courses per year. The types of courses taught will also vary according
to departmental and curricular needs; Fellows should generally expect to teach
either large lecture courses or smaller seminar-style classes to undergraduates,
but may be given the opportunity to teach graduate level courses.
What
is a course equivalent?
Some departments will want their Fellows to teach two courses per year; others
would like them to teach one course and then do something which is the equivalent
contribution to the department: e.g., direct senior honors theses, run a research
workshop; assist on departmental research or bibliographical projects, organize
a conference or a reading group, etc.
This page was last modified on October 4, 2007