Visiting Fellows Program

The Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies welcomes visiting fellows from across disciplines and advocacy sectors, in the U.S. and abroad. Applications are competitive. Successful candidates will possess excellent credentials in either academic, or policy and advocacy spheres, demonstrate a strong grounding in intersectionality theory and methodologies or applications, and will propose an innovative project to be initiated or advanced during the fellowship term.   Fellowship positions are prospectively available to senior scholars or practitioners, as well as to early career stage academics or advocates.

Fellows for the 2012-2013 academic year will be expected to be in residence at Columbia University for one or two semesters, commencing September of 2012 through May of 2013. Fellows will be expected to participate in the intellectual life of the Center, participate in regular meetings, present work-in-progress through the Center’s lecture series, and contribute through dialogue and critique to intersectionality praxis projects, involving the interchange and translation of intersectional analysis between academic and advocacy sectors. There are no teaching obligations associated with the Fellows Program.

Fellows will not generally be funded by Columbia University, and should have a stipend or resource commitment from a home institution. Fellows will have access to Columbia University resources including work space, library and technology resources, and access to campus facilities, as well as to any relevant data sets or intellectual resources available through the Center. More information on the Center’s research agenda, research networks, and Methods Core is available here. Inquiries about existing projects can be directed to: [email protected].

To apply, prospective fellows should send a cover letter outlining qualifications and indicating how the proposed project will contribute to the agendas of the Center, and how residence within the Center will benefit or supplement the project. In addition, applicants should send a C.V. and a detailed project proposal. Proposals should contain the following elements:

• A project overview outlining the topic, questions or aims advanced, methodologies used, and context and significance in disciplinary, policy or advocacy realms relative to the field of intersectionality. Conceptions of or approaches to the subject of intersectionality should be defined or evident. 
• A detailed work plan identifying:
• Epistemological, theoretical, doctrinal, or practice-oriented approaches to the project. Discipline or practice-specific language and terminology should either be clearly defined or avoided when unnecessary.
•  A project timeline indicating whether all components of the projects will be accomplished during the fellowship tenure, and if not, discussing the longer-term agenda. The timeline discussion of trajectory for dissemination and/or implementation, identifying any planned or committed research or advocacy partners.
• It is particularly helpful for the Center to know how project agendas contribute to or may translate into intersecting social justice platforms and projects. Any specific expectations or requests relative to analytical support, potential collaborations with existing Center staff or research networks or other resource needs are also helpful to identify at the outset. Fellows who also seek to affiliate or participate in any of the five research networks within the Center, or with the Methods Core, should identify and explain that interest.
• Up to five appendices if needed, illustrating the project context, detailing any models, research instruments or templates used, or otherwise elaborating on the project. Letters of support from relevant policy entities or organizational bodies are not required, but may be included if appropriate. Practitioners may include case summaries, supplemental resources (i.e. media, reports), or other documents related to comprehension of the project at hand.

The maximum length for proposals, excluding appendices, is 4,000 words.

Applications should be emailed, in PDF format, to [email protected].

Applications are due no later than April 15, 2012. Invitations will be issued by May 15, 2012.

Application information for 2013-2014 will be available by January 2, 2013.