Funded Fellowship Program in Humanities or Humanistic Social Sciences for Emerging Displaced Scholars at Columbia Global Centers in Amman 2019

Through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Program in Higher Education and Scholarship in the Humanities, Columbia Global Centers in Amman has established a fellowship program starting on January 1^st, 2019, that offers 12-month fellowships for emerging displaced scholars interested in the humanities to continue and further develop their scholarly pursuits. This opportunity can serve as a vital component in ensuring that emerging displaced scholars obtain relevant skills and embark on viable career paths in academia or other sectors serving the public good.

To support the fellows the program will:

• Build academic capacity of incoming fellows through access to online courses at Columbia University and other platforms, and/or through training workshops held at the Center;
• Support the academic development of fellows by matching them with a relevant faculty member that would provide mentorship, advice and support;
• Strengthen global connectedness by linking emerging displaced scholars to academics, practitioners, and experts across the Columbia Global Centers’ network;
• Facilitate experiential learning opportunities for fellows, where they could assume a supporting role in program administration and implementation;
• Support fellows with convening roundtable discussions, planning conferences, and giving talks related to their subject areas;
• Enable emerging displaced scholars to embark on academic projects, including publication of their work, in a safe environment;
• Highlight the research work of emerging displaced scholars by disseminating their intellectual products and facilitating exchange through the Columbia Global Centers’ network and with relevant Columbia University schools and institutes.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible candidates are:

• PhD students who have had their doctorate disrupted, post-doctoral fellows who were awarded a doctorate in the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Candidates are eligible to apply for the fellowship program only if their projects are based in the humanities. This generally covers any discipline that studies the human experience. It includes the familiar subjects such as literature, linguistics, philosophy, archaeology, religious studies, musicology, as well as the history, criticism and theory of the arts. Aspects of social sciences that have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods, such as anthropology, sociology, gender and ethnic studies, and history will also be considered.
• Early career scholars who were employed at an accredited institution of higher learning and were forcibly uprooted from their home countries and respective academic institutions for reasons related to the emergence of security concerns and/or armed conflict.

Funding:

1. The fellow will receive a stipend of $25,000 USD for the duration of the 12-month fellowship, including individual health insurance.
2. Fellows will be provided with office space at the offices of Columbia’s Global Center in Amman, access to meeting rooms and conference facilities, as well as IT equipment, including a computer device, internet connection, printer, scanner, phone line, and IT technical support.
3. The fellows will have access to Columbia University online library resources as well as online courses at Columbia University and other platforms. As part of the program, fellows will be matched with a relevant faculty member at Columbia University who will guide them throughout the year.

Selection process

The principal criteria for selection are: 

1. The overall substance and validity of the proposed research project
2. A well-developed plan for the research project that can be completed in an one-year time frame
3. The candidate’s trajectory prior to their displacement
4. The quality and depth of the applicant’s previous work
5. Language proficiency.

Applicant materials will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of Columbia University faculty, the Amman Center’s Program Manager, and two local/regional academics. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by the selection committee.