We invite applications from pre-candidacy doctoral students for the in-person Summer Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a two-week intensive training on comparative Latino Humanities Studies research methodologies and theoretical frameworks to be held on June 26-July 10, 2022.

The Summer Institute brings cohorts of second and third-year pre-dissertation Ph.D. students

pursuing PhDs in the humanities and humanistic social sciences in consortial universities who plan to work on Latino Studies dissertations. Through a series of lectures, seminar discussions, workshops, and presentations, the Summer Institute equips participants with increased competence to enable intellectual innovation and expanded views of the field of Latino Humanities Studies before advancing to candidacy. Upon successful completion, participants enter a professionalization and mentorship Program during the fall and spring semesters.

Eligible doctoral students must submit their applications to the designated center, institute, program, department and be nominated by their home institutions.

General Information

Award: $3,000 stipend

The stipend supports air/ground and local transportation, meals, and other expenses not provided by the program. In addition, the Summer Institute covers lodging and some meals.

*Stipend is processed through UIC

Dates: June 26 – July 10, 2022

Location: University of Illinois at Chicago

Application Deadline: January 31, 2022

Notification of Award: February 28, 2022

Maximum number of Awards: 32, two per consortial member

Consortial Universities: CUNY Graduate Center, Florida International University, Texas Tech University, University of Arizona, University of California-Irvine, University of California- Riverside, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of California-Santa Cruz, University of Central Florida, University of Houston, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of New Mexico, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at El Paso.

Eligibility

Must be:

• A doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in the humanities or humanistic social sciences at one of the consortium member institutions and focusing on Latino Studies

• At the early stages of pre-candidacy and pre-dissertation: second- or third year nearing completion or having completed coursework and thinking of a dissertation project in Latino Studies

• Planning to enroll in the home institution during the 2022-2023 academic year

• Considering a career in academia after completion of Ph.D. degree

• Developing ideas for the dissertation topic in Latino Studies during the spring semester. (Participants are required to do a paper presentation during the Institute)

• Willing to be in residence during the two-week Summer Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Selected applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the Latino Studies Association Conference at the University of Notre Dame, July 11-14, 2022. Notre Dame is about a two-hour train/bus ride from Chicago.

• Willing to participate in all sessions of a professionalization and mentorship program during the fall and spring semesters

Applicants who are selected for the Summer Institute will be required to:

• Attend and actively participate in all sessions during the two weeks

• Do a paper presentation of the possible topic of the dissertation during the seminar

• Be ready to work on the initial stages of the proposal during the institute’s scheduled writing periods.

After this training, participants can also become a Pre-doctoral Research Fellow in a Crossing Latinidades academic research working group in Latino Studies in 2022-2023.

Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship 2022-2023

Participants of the Summer Institute will be considered for a Predoctoral Research Fellowship.

Stipend: $30,000 (fall, spring and summer) *

Number of fellowships: 30, up to two per consortial member

*Stipend is processed through UIC

Applicants who are selected for the Pre-doctoral Research Fellowships will:

• Be assigned to a comparative collaborative Latino Humanities Studies research working group composed of faculty from a minimum of three universities of the Consortium

• Receive a $30,000 stipend for one year (2022-2023 fall, spring, summer) + tuition and fee waiver and health insurance at the home institution — This is an extra year of funding to any existing assistantship/fellowship funding commitment from the home institution

Application process for the Summer Institute and Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship

CUNY summer institute applicants apply directly to CLACLS – Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies. Applications will be reviewed by the Crossing Latinidades CUNY Steering Committee, after eligibility review by CLACLS Executive Director, Laird Bergad, a distinguished professor of history at Lehman College and the Graduate Center. Those selected are then nominated to the Summer Institute by the CUNY Graduate Center.

Interested students should contact CLACLS directly at clacls@gc.cuny.edu. Victoria Stone-Cadena, PhD, associate director of the CLACLS, and a member of the Crossing Latinidades Initiative, is available to answer any questions and can be reached at vstone@gc.cuny.edu.

Applications should include the following. All materials must be submitted in a single PDF.

• Complete Cover Sheet and Eligibility questionnaire (included here)

• CV/resume (two pages maximum)

• A narrative (1000 words maximum) explaining your areas of research interest, possible dissertation topic, professional goals, and how the Summer Institute and the mentorship program will benefit you at this stage of your studies.

• Combine all materials in a single PDF for electronic submission to the CLACLS. Submissions must include subject header line “Crossing Latinidades Summer Institute Application – Student Name.”

• Two confidential letters of recommendation. Letters should be submitted to the CLACLS application email at clacls@gc.cuny.edu. Please advise all letter writers to include “Confidential Letter of Recommendation – Student Name” in subject line. It is suggested letters be from faculty familiar with the applicant’s academic, research history, and potential.

Final Selection

A Selection Committee composed of faculty and members of the Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative Advisory Committee will review all nominations for compliance with pre-dissertation eligibility requirements.