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North American Studies PhD Scholarships, Berlin

Description

The Graduate School of the John F. Kennedy-Institute for North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin invites applications for the academic year 2013/2014. The School’s program is interdisciplinary in its approach and focuses on the social, economic and cultural changes impacting the United States and Canada at the beginning of the 21st century. Special attention is given to the crisis-prone transformations running through American society today. Areas of emphasis include domestic and foreign policy, economic development, ethnic identity and relations, as well as recent transformations in media, art, literature, culture, and religion. The language of instruction is English.

Grants are awarded for a maximum of three years for doctoral candidates and for two years for postdoctoral reseachers. Continued funding past the first year is based upon a positive annual evaluation of progress.

• Doctoral scholarships amount to 1.500 Euro per month.
• Postdoctoral stipends amount to 2.000 Euro per month.
   

Eligibility

Applicants interested in pursuing a doctoral or postdoctoral research project with an emphasis in North American Studies must have a completed degree (Master or the equivalent/Doctorate) with above average marks in one of the following disciplines or closely related academic programs: American Cultural Studies, American Literature, History, Political Science, Sociology, Economics.

It is also possible to apply for admission to the program independently from applying for a stipend. Guest students are welcome to stay for a period of up to one year. Guest students must be self-supporting.
 

Application

All application materials must be sent by January 31, 2013. The following documents must be submitted:

• A completed application form - form for doctoral candidates HERE and form for postdoctoral candidates HERE.
   
• A curriculum vitae in English.
• A Statement of Purpose: The Statement of Purpose should be in English, no longer than three pages and provide a clear picture of the applicant’s academic and professional background and interests.
• An Outline of the Dissertation / Research Project: Applicants are The outline encompasses 10 pages at the maximum and should be written in English. It should include a short summary of the subject in question (referring to the state of research and highlighting theoretical and empirical debates on the topic and deficits in the literature that the dissertation / research project would address), objectives and methods of the project as well as a short bibliography of recent research within the given field.
• Two Recent Letters of Reference: Letters of reference should be sent in a sealed envelope along with the application materials. If referees prefer to send letters directly to the program, they should do so before the application deadline. Your referees may send their recommendations via email in advance. But please make sure that they provide a hardcopy via regular mail as soon as possible. Letters of reference will be accepted in either English or German.
• Certified Copies of Earned Degrees: Copies of higher education entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, High School Diploma), certified copies of original university degrees (B.A., M.A. or equivalent, doctorate).
• Proof of Language Skills: All applicants who are neither native English speakers nor have earned a degree at a university with English as language of instruction are required to submit certification of their English proficiency: minimum TOEFL scores of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based) and 100 (internet-based) or equivalent minimum CAE (A and B), CPE (A, B, C) or IELTS (7.0) scores.
• A degree or doctorate in North American Studies or English Language and Literature, earned at a German university is not sufficient as a proof of English language skills. It will be accepted only if the language of instruction has been 100% English, which has to be confirmed by the university’s administration office. Also, stays/semesters abroad will not be accepted as a substitute for a language test.
• Foreign students are expected to attain an intermediate level of German by the end of the 3-year program. International students without German proficiency will be offered German language classes at the Dahlem Research School.
• A Writing Sample (e.g. Master thesis, seminar paper, or published article). Writing samples are accepted in English and German.

Please send your application together with the requested documents by January 31, 2013 (Postmark) to:

Freie Universität Berlin
Graduate School of North American Studies
Dr. Katja Mertin, Managing Director
Lansstrasse 5-9
14195 Berlin, Germany

Please address all inquiries to their Program Assistant at office@gsnas.fu-berlin.de,

Tel. 030-83852868. For further information on application requirements and materials see the admission website HERE or the official website HERE.