MITH offers a fellowship opportunity, the Winnemore Digital Humanities Dissertation Fellowship Program, which is awarded periodically.

The Clara and Robert Vambery Distinguished Professor of Comparative Studies award is offered by the Comparative Literature Department, with MITH as a collaborator. Those candidates selected for the Vambery Distinguished Professorship who propose projects involving digital media are eligible to become MITH Vambery Fellows.

Winnemore Digital Humanities Dissertation Fellows Program

MITH is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the Spring 2020 Winnemore Digital Humanities Dissertation Fellowship. The Winnemore Fellowship provides support to a University of Maryland graduate student whose dissertation engages with digital humanities or new media and the arts and humanities.

Eligibility

Eligible graduate students must be enrolled in an appropriate terminal degree program (Ph.D. or M.F.A) at the University of Maryland and must agree not to accept any other form of financial support from the University or other fellowships of $2,000 or more during the term for which this fellowship is awarded. Winnemore Fellows are provided  a stipend of $9,929 and a $1,509 contribution toward health insurance fees. Fellows are also provided with work space at MITH, consultation with MITH staff about their project, and technical support (including server space) where applicable.

Fellows are expected to be in-residence throughout the duration of their fellowship.  They are encouraged to attend MITH events such as Digital Dialogues, contribute to the intellectual community of MITH, share their work on the MITH blog, participate in professional development opportunities, and be engaged with the digital humanities more broadly.

Interested applicants should submit:

  • a cover letter that includes your name, program/department, college, email, phone, title of dissertation, and advisor’s name, phone, and email. The cover letter should also include the date that you completed coursework and any other degree requirements, the date that you passed your prospectus/proposal examination, the date you advanced to candidacy, and the proposed date for your dissertation defense. All dates should include month and year;
  • a current short CV;
  • a 250-word abstract written for a general audience including your name and the title of your dissertation or project.
  • the proposal itself, which should be no longer than three pages and which should specifically address the following points:
    • the project that you will work on if awarded the fellowship;
    • how the use of advanced technology would help achieve your research goals and contribute to the intellectual outcome
    • a statement of work completed to date;
    • a detailed timetable or work plan for duration of the fellowship including the projected date of completion.
  • two confidential letters of recommendation, including one from your dissertation director that outlines how the applicant’s advisor will support the student’s effort for the duration of the fellowship in addition to the merit of the applicant.

Selection Process

A committee composed of digital humanities faculty and staff will review applications. Proposals should specify how a Winnemore Fellowship would be crucial to the dissertation or equivalent project’s development. The committee will place emphasis on projects that center the perspectives of underrepresented or oppressed groups and such proposals are highly encouraged. Also encouraged are projects addressing complex ethical issues inherent to engagement with new media, cultural heritage data, and the digital humanities.

We will begin accepting applications in Fall 2019 for Spring 2020 fellowships.

Clara and Robert Vambery Distinguished Professor of Comparative Studies

In December 1996 the Clara and Robert Vambery Fund was established to honor the memory of Clara Vambery and the significant achievements of Robert Vambery, the dramaturge for the original production of Bertoldt Brecht’s Three Penny Opera, who made substantial contributions to the history of German drama and had an abiding interest in the use of music in the theater. The Clara and Robert Vambery Fund provides for appointment of a Clara and Robert Vambery Distinguished Professor of Comparative Studies.

Faculty recipients of the Clara and Robert Vambery Distinguished Professor of Comparative Studies are selected on the basis of demonstrated work in European and American comparative literary studies in print, in film, or in other newly discovered technological forms. Those candidates selected for the Vambery Distinguished Professorship who propose projects involving digital media are eligible to become MITH Vambery Fellows and receive MITH workspace and consultation.

Eligibility

Affiliates of the Program in Comparative Literature, and Core Faculty Members are eligible to apply for the Vambery Award. Winners of the Vambery Professorship may not reapply for three years after having won the award. In other words, it is only possible to be named a Vambery Distinguished Professor once every four years.

Selection Process

The Vambery Distinguished Professor will be selected every spring by a committee of three: The Director of Graduate Studies of Comparative Literature, and the two Vambery Distinguished Professors immediately preceding the current cycle. Calls for applications will be issued through the Comparative Literature Department. Contact sjelen@umd.edu.