المنتدى

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota announces the availability of a limited number of fellowships for social scientists from Arab universities to spend a semester in residence at the Humphrey School in the Fall semester of 2014.  The fellowships are funded by Andrew Carnegie Centennial Fellowship, a program of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.  The visiting scholars will work closely with Professor Ragui Assaad, Professor James Ron, Professor Sarah Parkinson and other faculty members at the Humphrey School and the University of Minnesota on research relating to youth and gender, human rights, and mobilization in the context of the Arab Spring.  Sub-themes include, but are not limited to:

- Youth unemployment and school-to-work transitions

- Transitions to adulthood, including transitions through schooling, work, marriage and sexuality

- Inequality of opportunity in education and labor markets

- Obstacles to youth and women’s employment and ways to overcome them

- Informality, poverty, social protection, and job quality

- Migration, displacement, and refugees

- Youth social movements and mobilization

- Multi- and cross-generational political activism

- Participation in high-risk mobilization and militant organizations

- Trends in and consequences of political violence

- Youth civic and political engagement

- Role of youth and youth groups in transitions to democracy

- Participation in local movements and organizations for human rights, broadly construed

- Popular attitudes towards human rights

- Analysis of public opinion and household surveys

Eligibility Requirements:
Visiting scholars must be a member of the staff of a university situated in the Arab World and be in a social science or related discipline and is working in areas relating to the above research theme and sub-themes.  The ideal candidate is a junior faculty member who has obtained his/her PhD in the past five years, but pre-doctoral candidates (ABD status) and those with more than five years since the PhD will also be considered. 

Logistical Arrangements:
The fellowship will cover economy class round-trip air fare and will provide the visiting scholar with a monthly stipend to cover expenses while in residence in Minnesota.  The duration of the fellowship is negotiable, but is not to be inferior to three months or exceed six months.  The visiting scholar will be provided with a university ID, access to university libraries and to the internet, and a place to work. 

Application Procedure:
Interested candidates should send the following:
- A cover letter detailing:

• The research project the candidate would undertake during the fellowship;
• A description of previous research and academic preparation; and
• A statement of why and how a fellowship at the University of Minnesota may benefit, deepen, or extend his/her own research.

- A detailed curriculum vitae
- A sample of written work (published paper, conference paper, book chapter, etc..)

These materials should be sent by e-mail to: Professor Ragui Assaad (assaad@umn.edu)

The application deadline for fellowships during the Fall semester of 2014 is March 31st, 2014.