Sketching a whirling dervish
2015-16 The Abbasi Program Undergraduate Student Grants for the Study of Islam and Muslim Societies
Deadline: Wednesday, March 30, 2016
We invite proposals from continuing undergraduate and co-term students for projects pertaining to the study of Islam and Muslim societies. Projects may focus on any historical period and on Muslim-majority or Muslim–minority contexts. Projects may be pursued during the 2016 Summer Quarter or the 2016-17 academic year. Awards will be up to $4,000 and made on a competitive basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply for matching funds from other Stanford units or external agencies.
The following types of projects are supported:
- Intensive language study
The proposed course of language study must be integral to the applicant’s academic or professional development. Priority will be given to training in languages not offered on campus or for advanced training in languages where the student has exhausted campus resources. - Fieldwork or Advanced Research Projects
Priority will be given to projects that may lead to a senior or honors thesis. - Community or Public Service Internships in the U.S. and Abroad
Funds may be used to fully or partially defray the costs of a relevant internship opportunity in a local, national, or international organization. - Study Abroad Programs
Funds may be used to fully or partially defray the costs of attending an overseas study program with an academic focus on Islam and Muslim societies.
The grant projects can be conducted in the United States or in a country not included on the U.S. State Department’s Travel Warning list.
Eligibility
Applicants must be continuing undergraduate or co-term students at Stanford while conducting the proposed grant project. Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received an Abbasi Program grant. Professional school students are not eligible. Proposals submitted by a group of students will not be accepted.
According to Stanford University’s International Travel policy, we cannot fund undergraduate travel to countries where a U.S. State Department Travel Warning has been issued or where there is other reliable information of significant health or safety risks. Please click here for Stanford University’s International Travel Policy and here for a list of current travel warnings.
Expenses
The grant may be used for travel, lodging, and living costs associated with off-campus research or training; the purchase of research materials; research-related services (e.g. duplication costs, production of questionnaires/surveys, human subject costs, data entry, transcribing interviews, running focus groups); and costs associated with training (e.g. tuition, registration fees, tutoring costs).
The grant may not be used for the purchase of equipment (e.g. computer, recording equipment) and software; or travel costs to attend or present at professional conferences.
Requests must be for expenses that are not covered through other sources of funding. Applicants may simultaneously apply for other sources of funding, but they may not accept multiple sources of funding for the same expenses. The itemized budget should clearly list sources of confirmed and/or pending funding.
Requirements
Recipients are expected to submit a 1-2 page report upon the completion of their project, describing how the grant project has developed, what was learned, and next steps regarding their research project and career. Recipients who use the grant toward language training or a study abroad program are also expected to submit a transcript or training completion certificate.
Application Procedure
Applications must be submitted online at Wednesday, March 30, 2015. Please complete the application form and submit the following documents as a single MSWord or PDF file:
- Project proposal limited to 750 words, describing the project to be undertaken, its relevance to the study of Islam and Muslim societies, and its significance for the student’s academic or professional development.
- Full academic CV, listing the applicant’s academic standing, previous academic accomplishments, publications and/or conference presentations.
- Completed itemized budget template available
here - A copy of unofficial transcript from AXESS, saved as a PDF document.
- A single letter of recommendation from the applicant’s thesis advisor or the primary faculty member with whom s/he is working. If applying for language study, please submit two recommendation letters, only one of which may be from a language instructor. The letter/s should speak to the specific project being proposed and sent directly by email to omohamed@stanford.edu by March 30, 2016.
Applications that do not follow these procedures will not be accepted.
Grant applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty members and staff affiliated with the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. Decisions will be announced within a month after the application deadline.
For questions, please contact Abbasi Program Associate Director Dr. Burcak Keskin-Kozat.
