The application period is now open for a new student fellowship that supports public-facing research at the intersection of history, gender studies, and sustainability studies. Sponsored by the libraries' Collections Convergence Initiative and presented in partnership with the USC Van Hunnick History Department and the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, the fellowship runs for ten weeks this summer and offers students a $5,000 stipend. Applications are due May 18. (Please note: You must be signed into Google with a USC account to access the form.)
See the call for applications below for guidelines, eligibility requirements, and other details.
USC Libraries Summer Primary Source Research Fellowships on Sustainability
Call for Applications
The Collections Convergence Initiative at USC Libraries is pleased to announce funding from the USC Van Hunnick History Department and the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability for student fellowships to conduct primary source research on sustainability studies during summer 2023. Each fellow will receive a stipend of $5,000.
The USC Libraries are home to a wide range of primary source collections that speak to concerns about, activism around, and policy making approaches to sustainability across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These include archival collections on topics ranging from community-led conservation efforts to city planning records; artists’ books on environmental activism; and rare books on the history of science. Many of these primary sources speak to intersections with gender studies and other fields of historical inquiry. Examining historical discussions can inform contemporary decision making and inspire new approaches to old questions.
Student fellows are invited to work with USC Libraries collections and generate public-facing research on sustainability studies, in the form of libraries-wide lectures and workshops, content for a research guide, social media posts, blog entries, exhibition and programming proposals (physical or digital), research papers, or proposals for USC Arts & Climate Collective funding. Operating as a lab for the humanities, the libraries will provide student fellows with experience in conducting independent research with primary sources and creating public humanities content in service of their own research interests and those of broader public audiences.
Student fellows will meet with the director of special projects for the USC Libraries’ specialized collections on a weekly basis for check-ins, and subject specialist librarians and library staff will also be available for consultation. The full cohort of fellows will meet for informal lunches twice a month to share ideas, updates, and reflections. As a group they will identify guests to invite with whom they can network, share ideas, and learn about professional development opportunities in public humanities and sustainability studies.
Fellowships Available ($5000 each)
The fellowships are available to USC Van Hunnick Department of History undergraduate majors and PhD students who can discuss intersections among gender and history and their research on sustainability studies, and graduate students affiliated with the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability.
Application Process
Students who meet one of the above criteria should apply here. Please note: You must be signed into Google with a USC account to access the form.
Important Dates
Applications due: May 18, 2023
Fellows announced: May 26, 2023
Fellowship period: June 1–August 10, 2023 (10 weeks)