The Critical Theory Dissertation Fellowship is awarded to Critical Theory Designated Emphasis (DE) graduate students with records of achievement and promising dissertation projects. The fellowship supports students writing their dissertations with up to $36,000 toward fees and stipend. Depending on the applicant pool, the funds might be offered to two candidates as a single semester of support, at $18,000.

Applications for the 2016-2017 Critical Theory Dissertation Fellowship are due Thursday, March 31, 2016. Eligible students must be enrolled in the Critical Theory DE and not receive significant (non-teaching) financial support from their Departments during the period of the award. Applicants must have completed their Qualifying Exams and have an approved dissertation prospectus.

Application Guidelines

Applicants must submit a cover letter, a 2-3 page abstract of the dissertation, and a letter from the dissertation adviser evaluating the project’s promise. Applicants planning on having the prospectus approved by the end of May 2015 should explain this in the application cover letter, and should have the dissertation director, in his or her letter, evaluate the draft or proposed prospectus and the likelihood of its approval.

The committee will have the option of splitting the award in order to support more students.  In view of this possibility, applicants should specify in the cover letter whether they would prefer to have the award in the fall or spring semester.

Completed applications, including all supporting materials, must be received by Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 4 pm. Applicants can expect to hear from the Critical Theory Program by the end of the Spring 2016 semester. Please submit applications electronically as a single PDF to fellowships_criticaltheory@berkeley.edu.

Deadline for applications: March 31, 2016 by 4 pm
Award Announced: May 2, 2016
Award Period: July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017
Award Amount: $18,000 per semester in fee payments and stipend

The Dissertation Fellowship is open to Critical Theory students in UC Berkeley Departments including Anthropology, Boalt Law School, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, English, Ethnic Studies, Film & Media, French, Gender & Women’s Studies, German, Geography, History, History of Art, Italian, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Rhetoric, School of Education, School of Public Health, Sociology, South & Southeast Asian Studies, Spanish & Portuguese, and Theater, Dance and Performance Studies.

Past Recipients:
2015-16 – Chiara Ricciardone (Rhetoric)
2014-15 – Joshua Williams (Performance Studies)
2013-14 – Ramsey McGlazer (Comparative Literature)
2012-13 – Mareike Winchell (Anthropology)

Photo credit: Gisèle Freund, Walter Benjamin in the Bibliothèque Nationale, 1937