Fellowships
Application deadline: Friday, April 26, 2024 at 4 pm.
The Critical Theory Dissertation Fellowship is awarded to UC Berkeley Critical Theory Designated Emphasis (DE) graduate students with records of achievement and promising dissertation projects. The fellowships support students writing their dissertations, providing full fee remission (where required) and a full stipend, usually for a semester.
Applications for the 2024-2025 Critical Theory Dissertation Fellowship are due Friday, April 26, 2024 by 4 pm. Eligible students must be enrolled in the Critical Theory DE and not receive significant (non-teaching) financial support from their home departments during the period of the award. Applicants must have completed their Qualifying Exams and have an approved dissertation prospectus.
Application Guidelines
Applicants must submit:
- a cover letter;
- a 2-3 page abstract of the dissertation;
- an academic CV;
- a letter from the dissertation adviser evaluating the project’s promise.
Applicants planning on having the prospectus approved by the end of May 2025 should explain this in the application cover letter and should have the dissertation director, in their letter, evaluate the draft or proposed prospectus and the likelihood of its approval.
Applicants should specify in the cover letter whether they would prefer to have the award in the fall or spring semester.
Completed applications, including all supporting materials, must be received by Friday, April 26, 2024, at 4 pm.
Please submit applications to critical_theory@berkeley.edu.
Deadline for applications: April 26, 2024 by 4 pm
Award Announced: May 2024
Award Period: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025
Award Amount: Varies according to the applicant pool and funds available.
The Dissertation Fellowship is open to Critical Theory students in UC Berkeley Departments including African American Studies, Anthropology, Berkeley Law, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, English, Ethnic Studies, Film & Media, French, Gender & Women’s Studies, German, Geography, History, History of Art, Italian, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Rhetoric, School of Education, School of Public Health, Slavic Languages and Cultures, Social Welfare, Sociology, South & Southeast Asian Studies, Spanish & Portuguese, and Theater, Dance and Performance Studies.
Past Recipients
Support for this year’s awardees is generously provided by the Magistretti Graduate Fellowship Fund through the Division of Arts and Humanities, the Class of 1936 First Professor of Political Science, and the International Consortium of Critical Theory Programs.
Previous recipients:
2023-2024 - Zachary Hicks (Slavic Languages and Literature), Maria Fatima-Santos (Sociology) Nejat Kedir (African American Studies)
2022-23 - Saniya Taher (Comparative Literature), Kevin Stone (Comparative Literature), Laila Riazi (Comparative Literature) Philip Campanile (Geography)
2021–22 – Brent Eng (Anthropology), Pedro Javier Rolón Machado (Comparative Literature), and Wendi Bootes (Comparative Literature), Alfonso Fierro (Spanish and Portuguese), Thiti Jamkajornkeiat (South and Southeast Asian Studies), Lubna Safi (Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures), Camila YaDeau (Rhetoric)
2020–21 – Jessica Ruffin (Film & Media), Elisa Russian (Italian Studies), Phillip Campanile (Geography), Aaron Eldridge (Anthropology), Donna Honarpisheh (Comparative Literature), Jaeyoon Park (Political Science)
2019–20 – Veronica Jacome (Energy and Resources Group), Ryan Rhadigan (Rhetoric), and Taylor Johnston (Comparative Literature)
2018–19 – Molly Borowitz (Spanish & Portuguese), Basit Iqbal (Anthropology), and Philip Gerard (Comparative Literature)
2017–18 – William Callison (Political Science) and Stephen McIsaac (Anthropology)
2016–17 – Paul Martorelli (Political Science) and Milad Odabaei (Anthropology)
2015–16 – Chiara Ricciardone (Rhetoric)
2014–15 – Joshua Williams (Performance Studies)
2013–14 – Ramsey McGlazer (Comparative Literature)
2012–13 – Mareike Winchell (Anthropology)
Additional fellowship opportunities are posted as they become available.