Andrew W. Mellon Graduate Student Fellowship, Indiana University
“Documentary Media and Historical Transformations”
The Sawyer Seminar and the Center for Documentary Research and Practice (CDRP) at Indiana University will award two Andrew W. Mellon Sawyer Graduate Fellowships for a one-year appointment beginning July 1, 2016. The graduate fellow must be enrolled at Indiana University-Bloomington. The Fellow will receive a stipend of $20,000 for the year as well as health insurance. This Sawyer Seminar is interdisciplinary in nature, bringing together filmmakers, historians, legal scholars, film and media scholars, anthropologists, cognitive scientists, and journalists. It will consist of five 2-day conferences, hosted by Indiana University Cinema, and encompass film screenings, lectures, panels, and roundtables. Each conference will address the relationship between documentary and major historical transformations (colonialism, human/civil rights, neoliberalism, Arab Spring), examining how documentaries both reveal and shape socio-political change.
Among others, we will explore the following questions: How do films made during historical transformations reveal a new understanding of the status of the nonfiction image? How do documentary filmmakers work with and for communities and do so not only during the initial release of the film but over the extended ‘life” of a film? How does accounting for the circulation of documentary films reveal the historical networks that shaped the reception of the films and the key players’ (individual, institutional, governmental) interests in the films? How are the dynamics between political urgency and ethical treatment often revealingly reconfigured in moments of historical transition? How have changes in media technologies related to documentary informed its role in shaping social imaginaries? In addition to pursuing a research project that speaks to central themes of the seminar, the fellowship recipients will play an active role in the intellectual life of the Sawyer Seminar and help with organization. There will be no teaching responsibilities.
Applicants should read the seminar proposal before beginning their application. Applicants will be notified of fellowship decisions in April 2016.
Requirements
Applicants should be either a) be ABD in Cinema and Media Studies no later than August 31, 2016 with a demonstrable background in History, Law, History and Philosophy of Science, Anthropology, Sociology, Journalism or related discipline or b) have a J.D. or be ABD in History, Law, History and Philosophy of Science, Anthropology, Sociology, Journalism or related discipline no later than August 31, 2016 and have a demonstrable background in the study or production of documentaries.
The Application Should Include:
- 500 words describing how applicants’ research interests connect to one or more the Sawyer Seminar’s themes
- Curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation
Email application (and direct any questions) to:
Prof. Joshua Malitsky
Director, Center for Documentary Research and Practice
jmalitsk@indiana.edu
Indiana University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Scholars who are members of traditionally under-represented groups are encouraged to apply.
There is no citizenship requirement or restriction for this fellowship. Non-U.S. nationals are welcome to apply. Employment eligibility verifications requested upon hire.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://mediaschool.indiana.edu/cdrp/2015/12/18/graduate-student-fellowship-announcement/