Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholars Program (MICHHERS)

Opportunity Description:

The University of Michigan invites outstanding individuals to apply for the Michigan Humanities Emerging Research Scholars Program (MICHHERS). This program is designed to encourage rising seniors, recent B.A.s and terminal master’s students from diverse cultural, economic, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds to consider pursuing a doctoral degree in the humanities at the University of Michigan. Our goal is to attract diverse scholars with unique experiences who foster innovation and push the humanities to meet today’s challenges. For 2022, students interested in the fields of Asian Languages and Cultures, Classical Studies, Comparative Literature, History, Linguistics, Romance Languages and Literatures, Sociology (qualitative), and Women’s and Gender Studies (any humanities field) are eligible.

This summer research experience, running from Sunday, June 5, to Friday, June 17, 2022, will help students learn about the various fields within their chosen discipline along with the latest methodologies and developments from faculty in individual departments. Students will have the opportunity to work on a piece of their own scholarship or develop a research project in consultation with U-M faculty and graduate students in their field. Attention will also be given to articulating the importance of diversity to the development of the humanities. Students will receive practical instruction on applying to graduate school and pursuing careers inside and outside academia.

Currently, we are planning to offer the program as a hybrid (in-person and virtual) experience. MICHHERS participants will be on campus from June 6 to June 11, 2022 with appropriate travel days. The remainder of the program, June 12 through June 17, 2022 will continue in a virtual format.

Decisions to move the program to a totally virtual format offering will be made following public health guidance from the State of Michigan and the University of Michigan. Rackham Graduate School staff will provide timely updates on any and all changes to the program.

Benefits:

• $1,000 stipend
• University housing
• Round trip travel cost (up to $550)
• Application fee waiver to apply to a Rackham Graduate School program

Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements: 

The programs seek rising seniors, bachelor’s degree holders, and those currently in terminal M.A. programs, who are United States citizens, permanent residents, or non-U.S. citizens with DACA.Please note, those who are currently applying to enroll in a doctoral program for Fall 2022 are ineligible to participate in MICHHERS.

Applicants must also meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. Come from an educational, cultural, or geographic background that is underrepresented in graduate study in their discipline in the United States or at the University of Michigan.
2. Have demonstrated a commitment to diversity in the academic, professional, or civic realm through their work experience, volunteer engagement, or leadership of student or community organizations. By diversity, we mean efforts to reduce social, educational, or economic disparities based on race, ethnicity, or gender, or to improve race relations in the United States.
3. Have experienced financial hardship as a result of family economic circumstances.
4. Be a first-generation U.S. citizen or will be the first in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university.

For 2022, students interested in the fields of Asian Languages and Cultures, Classical Studies, Comparative Literature, History, Linguistics, Romance Languages and Literatures, Sociology (qualitative), and Women’s and Gender Studies (any humanities field) are eligible.

Application Process: 

Your application must include:

• Unofficial transcripts reflecting all undergraduate and graduate work (if applicable) through December 2021. If you completed a degree at a community college, that transcript should also be included.
• A personal statement (up to 500 words) on your graduate school, academic, and career goals; how your background has influenced those goals; how participating in MICHHERS will help you achieve those goals; and why you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.
• An academic statement (up to 600 words) describing the specific field(s) of your research interest(s); why you are interested in that field of research; relevant course work you are taking this year; and any relevant research experience(s) you have had in an academic or work setting.
• An academic writing sample (between 7 to 15 pages double-spaced). This paper should be a piece of original scholarship but does not necessarily need to have been written for a course.
• Two (2) letters of recommendation.

All application materials should be submitted through the Rackham website. Paper copies will not be accepted.

Applications and supporting documentation must be received online by Tuesday, February 21, 2022 11:59PM Eastern time. Final decisions will be made by the middle of March.

For questions email rackmichhers@umich.edu

Application Deadline: