Fellowships and Awards

Students at Northwestern can contact the Office of Fellowships at http://www.northwestern.edu/fellowships/ regarding internal and external fellowships, grants and scholarships. Recently, the Office of Fellowships launched the Graduate Fellowships website at http://www.northwestern.edu/fellowships/info/grad/graduate.html.

Fellowships and awards offered by the
Program of African Studies are listed below:

For Undergraduate Students

Melville J. Herskovits Undergraduate Research Awards

In collaboration with the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Program of African Studies administers the Herskovits Undergraduate Research Award program. Intended to encourage undergraduate research in Northwestern's world-renowned Africana collection of the Herskovits Library, these awards allow selected students to earn credit for research in the collection that will culminate in a final project.

Application Materials and Instructions

For Graduate Students

Morris Goodman Awards

It is important for PAS graduate students to study an African language in preparation for applying for national dissertation research grants and for field research. These awards, in honor of Linguistics Professor Emeritus Morris Goodman, provide $1,500 for students in their second year of study or beyond to study an African language not taught at Northwestern University. Many students find a qualified African tutor in the Chicago area, but others have taken these grants to Africa for individual study or on one of the Fulbright-Hays Language Group Projects Abroad (GPAs), or to the Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI) on one of the Title VI NRC campuses, or even to Europe (e.g. study of African Portuguese in an institution in Lisbon for fieldwork in Cape Verde). In the Chicago area, the grant normally supports 20 weeks of language study, three hours a week ($25/hour).

Applicants must submit a letter that states their research plans, justifies the need for language training, and describes how the training will be completed. If tutoring is proposed, the application must include information about the tutor, including a curriculum vitae and documentation of visa status for remuneration purposes. Awards are granted on a rolling basis.

For other types of language study, students must provide information about the strengths of the program, the syllabus, evaluations, etc.

Direct inquiries and applications to the Program of African Studies at african-studies@northwestern.edu or 847-491-7323.

Hans E. Panofsky Pre-Dissertation Awards

Established to honor the curator emeritus of the Herskovits Library, Hans E. Panofsky, these awards support Northwestern graduate students planning to do pre-dissertation fieldwork or archival research in Africa. These awards are normally granted for work during the Summer, but exceptions can be made.

Application Materials and Instructions

Guyer-Virmani Award

This award honors Jane Guyer and Akbar Virmani, former PAS Director and Associate Director, for their dedicated support of graduate students' intellectual development at PAS. It is awarded on a one-time basis to PAS graduate students in their third year or above, especially to students who have completed pre-dissertation research and who have already received a Panofsky Award. It allows them to travel to archives and participate in conferences.

Applicants should provide a page with their contact information, estimated dates of travel, references, and a brief paragraph on the applicant's recent contributions to the PAS community. They should also provide a budget, including other sources or potential sources of funds, a letter of reference from a faculty member, and a one-page, single-spaced essay on the way the funds will be used and their importance to the applicant's scholarly development or the development of a specific research project. Funding is normally in the range of $200-$400.

Application Materials and Instructions

Carter and Annan Fellowships for African PhD Students

Each year the Program of African Studies awards Gwendolen M. Carter and Kofi Annan Fellowships to as many as two outstanding African students admitted to Northwestern’s Graduate School for disciplinary studies of Africa leading to the PhD. Each fellowship provides three years of support, including full tuition for three years of graduate study and a monthly stipend, and a teaching or research assistantship within your department for two additional years.

Additional Information and Instructions

For Northwestern Faculty and Students

John Hunwick Research Fund

Established by President Henry Bienen and Provost Larry Dumas in 2007 to honor the work of Professor Emeritus John Hunwick (History and Religion Departments), this endowment supports research by Northwestern University faculty and graduate students on Islam in Africa. John Hunwick’s research and scholarship made significant contributions toward the scholarly understanding on Muslim societies in West Africa, particularly in the area of  West African Islamic scholarship and the translation of primary texts and documents. His documentary history, Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Saidi's Ta'rikh al-Sudan Down to 1613 and Other Contemporary Documents, won the 2001 African Studies Association Text Prize.

Awards of varying amounts are given annually to Northwestern University graduate students and faculty to pursue their research on a topic related to Islam in Africa.  Awards may be used for the following purposes:
*To fund travel to an archive, library, or to conduct field research.
*For graduate students: to fund expenses associated with presenting a paper related to Islam and Africa at a conference.  Faculty members are not eligible for conference support from this fund since they have access to departmental funds for such purposes.
*While the priority will be given to funding the first two areas, funds may also be made available to a  faculty member or graduate student to organize the visit of a scholar of Islam and Africa to Northwestern to give a lecture, visit a class, or interact with students.

Application:
Applications are received on a rolling basis. Applications must include a 2-3 page (single-spaced) proposal detailing your research, conference participation, or proposal for a visiting speaker. A detailed budget must also be submitted along with a CV. Please send applications to african-studies@northwestern.edu

PAS Travel Awards

These awards are available to all PAS faculty members and students. They contribute $200 towards the expenses of participating in an African-related conference, usually to present a paper. A student or faculty member may apply for this award each year. A special application form (available from the Business Administration or Academic Coordinator) is required. The application must be submitted prior to participation in the conference.

Additional Information on Available Funding Sources

Additional Funding Sources for Graduate Students

Additional Funding Sources for Undergraduate Students



Office of the Provost Offers Research Grants for Undergraduates

The Undergraduate Research Grants (URG) Program funds independent academic and creative work in all fields of study. Under faculty supervision, URG winners develop and carry out novel scholarly projects in the laboratory, library, fieldsite, or studio, on campus and around the world. Students of all years may apply for the two types of grants available. Academic Year Grants cover research expenses up to $1000 for a quarter-length project. Summer Grants provide $3000 to cover research and living expenses for full-time summer projects. Students can apply for Academic Year Grants at any of the recurring deadlines throughout Fall and Winter Quarters, and for Summer Grants at a separate deadline in late Winter Quarter. Projects with international research travel may exceed these limits as additional funds may be awarded to help defray travel expenses. For more information about URGs and the application procedure, please consult the Undergraduate Research Grants website.

For more information on awards offered by the Program of African Studies, please contact the Program of African Studies at african-studies@northwestern.edu or 847-491-7323.