Panofsky Award

Northwestern graduate students planning to do preliminary fieldwork or archival research in Africa during the summer may apply for Hans E. Panofsky Predissertation Research
Awards in honor of the Curator Emeritus of the Africana Library, Hans Panofsky. Grants of approximately $2,000 will be awarded to help fund short-term visits to prospective field sites and research institutions in Africa, where students can evaluate research opportunities, consult with scholars, increase their competency in an African language, arrange for institutional affiliation, or undertake pre-dissertation research.

Doctoral students who have completed their second year of course work and will seek PhD candidacy the following year are eligible to apply. Some students who have completed a Master's Degree prior to studying at Northwestern and who are ready for pre-dissertation fieldwork after the first year (and who are strongly supported by thier faculty mentor) may also apply. Applicants must be enrolled at Northwestern both at the time of application and during the quarter immediately following their research trips. Upon return to campus, awardees are expected to continue progress toward attaining candidacy for the Ph.D., develop a full-length dissertation proposal for department approval, and prepare funding proposals for extended fieldwork.

All applicants are expected to concurrently seek predissertation research support from other sources. Panofsky Awards are normally granted for work during the summer, but exceptions will be made if warranted. Returning award recipients are expected to prepare written summaries of their trips (approximately 5 pages, single-spaced) and make presentations at Africa Seminar or at an event at PAS.

Application deadline is April 1, 2008. Applications must include a one-page résumé; a 1,000 to 1,200 word statement of the objectives of the research trip; a budget including expected costs, as well as other possible or definate sources of funding; and a sealed letter of recommendation from a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s research and academic standing.

For more information contact the Program of African Studies at african-studies@northwestern.edu or 847.491.7323. The Committee on African Studies will review all applications and announce awards by April 30.