The Holstein Dissertation Fellowship is a competitive, annual, non-stipendiary program that brings together a small cohort of doctoral candidates working in the areas of queer and/or trans studies in religion for networking, writing support, and mentoring at UC Riverside in Southern California. Fellows travel as a group to UCR on three separate weekends during the academic year; the fellowship pays all expenses for transportation, accommodations, and meals during each trip. Typical cohorts are between four and six Fellows, depending on available funding. Applications are typically due in May for the coming academic year. The bios of past and current Fellows and Mentors can be found by clicking on the links to the right; for questions about the program please contact Professor Melissa M. Wilcox at melissa.wilcox@ucr.edu.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: HOLSTEIN DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS
DEADLINE: MAY 13, 2024

The Department for the Study of Religion at the University of California, Riverside is pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2024-25 cohort of Holstein Dissertation Fellows.

The Holstein Dissertation Fellowship is a competitive annual, non-stipendiary program that brings together a small cohort of doctoral candidates working in the areas of queer and/or trans studies in religion for networking, writing support, and mentoring at UC Riverside in Southern California. Fellows travel as a group to UCR on three separate weekends during the academic year; the fellowship pays all expenses for transportation, accommodations, and meals during each trip. Typical cohorts are between three and five Fellows, depending on available funding.

Applications are invited from PhD students in any field, both within and outside the US, whose doctoral research focuses on queer and/or trans studies in religion. Doctoral degree tracks other than the PhD may be considered on a case-by-case basis, and applications from doctoral students attending UCR are welcome. Fellows must have advanced to candidacy (CPhil), passed their upgrade from MPhil to PhD, or met their institution’s equivalent requirement, and must have their doctoral research (dissertation/thesis) project approved by their institution, by June 30, 2024. They must also anticipate completion of the PhD no sooner than spring of the fellowship year. Fellowships are intended, in other words, for those who will be doctoral candidates for at least a significant majority and ideally all of their fellowship year.

To apply, please submit a cover letter, a CV, a dissertation/doctoral thesis abstract of between one-half page and three pages, and one letter of recommendation from a member of your doctoral committee. Your cover letter should explain your background in queer and/or trans studies, religious studies, and queer and/or trans studies in religion; briefly introduce your doctoral research project (your dissertation or doctoral thesis); explain your current progress on the project and your expected timeline for completion, with particular attention to the work you plan to do during the fellowship year; and identify at least three faculty members in Southern California, listed in order of preference, with whom you would like to work in a mentoring relationship during the weekend visits to UCR. Nominated mentors should be scholars with whom you do not ordinarily have the opportunity to work, and should not include Melissa Wilcox, who works closely with all fellowship recipients. Nominated mentors do not need to be UCR faculty, but they should be located within no more than approximately 150 miles of Riverside (use a mapping app if you’re unsure). Send all application materials as email attachments to melissa.wilcox@ucr.edu by May 15, 2023. Applications will be reviewed by Dr. Wilcox and by the applicant’s nominated mentor(s); selection criteria include but are not limited to the quality of the applicant’s work, the depth of the project’s connection to queer and/or trans studies and religious studies, the availability of appropriate mentors, and the applicant’s length of time to degree completion (all other factors being equal, those who will be ineligible for later cohorts due to completion of the PhD will receive priority consideration). There are no guarantees as to the availability of nominated mentors, but every effort will be made to match accepted Fellows with mentors whose own work is close to the Fellow’s dissertation topic.

The Holstein Dissertation Fellowship is funded by the Holstein Family and Community Chair in Religious Studies at UCR, created through the generosity of Robert and Loretta Holstein and their family and friends.

For questions regarding the program or the application process, please contact Melissa M. Wilcox at melissa.wilcox@ucr.edu.