Crossing Latinidades Summer Institute
2024 Summer Institute in Latino Humanities Studies Methodologies and Theories + Professionalization Program & Predoctoral Research Fellowship, 2024–2025
Call for Applications
FIU Application Deadline: January 31, 2024
FIU's Cuban Research Institute is one of the participating institutions in "Crossing Latinidades: Emerging Scholars and New Comparative Directions," a nationwide initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and involving twenty public research universities designated as Hispanic-serving institutions. We invite applications from pre-candidacy doctoral students at FIU for the in-person Summer Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a one-week intensive training on comparative Latino Humanities Studies research methodologies and theoretical frameworks to be held on July 7–13, 2024. FIU doctoral students should send all their application materials to the Cuban Research Institute at cri@fiu.edu.
The Summer Institute brings cohorts of second and third-year pre-dissertation Ph.D. students pursuing Ph.D.'s in the humanities and humanistic social sciences in consortial universities who plan to work on Latino Studies dissertations. Through a series of lectures, seminar discussions, workshops, and presentations, the Summer Institute equips participants with increased competence to enable intellectual innovation and expanded views of the field of Latino Humanities before advancing to candidacy. Upon successful completion, participants enter a professionalization and mentorship program during the fall and spring semesters.
Eligible doctoral students must submit their applications to the designated center, institute, program, or department, and be nominated by their home institutions.
General Information
Award: $3,000 stipend*
The stipend supports air/ground and local transportation, meals, and other expenses not provided by the program. In addition, the Summer Institute covers lodging and some meals.
*Stipend is processed through UIC
Dates: July 7–13, 2024
Location: University of Illinois at Chicago
Notification of Award: March 1, 2024
Maximum Number of Awards: 30
Consortial Universities
- Arizona State University
- CUNY Graduate Center
- Florida International University
- Texas Tech University
- University of Arizona-Tucson
- University of California-Irvine
- University of California-Riverside
- University of California-Santa Barbara
- University of California-Santa Cruz
- University of Central Florida
- University of Colorado-Denver
- University of Houston
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- University of Nevada-Las Vegas
- University of New Mexico
- University of North Texas
- University of Texas at Arlington
- University of Texas at El Paso
- University of TEexas at San Antonio
Eligibility
The applicant must be:
- A doctoral student pursuing a Ph.D. in the humanities or humanistic social sciences at FIU
- At the early stages of pre-candidacy and pre-dissertation: second- or third-year nearing completion or having completed coursework and thinking of a dissertation project in Latino Studies
- Planning to enroll at FIU during the 2024–2025 academic year
- Considering a career in academia after completion of Ph.D. degree
- Developing ideas for the dissertation topic in Latino Studies during the spring semester (participants are required to do a paper presentation during the Institute)
- Willing to be in residence during the one-week Summer Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago
- Willing to participate in all sessions of a professionalization and mentorship program during the fall and spring semesters
Applicants who are selected for the Summer Institute will be required to:
- Attend and actively participate in all sessions during the week
- Do a paper presentation of the possible topic of the dissertation during the institute
- Be ready to work on the initial stages of the proposal during the institute's scheduled writing periods
After this training, participants can also become Pre-doctoral Research Fellows in a Crossing Latinidades academic research working group in Latino Studies in 2024–2025.
Predoctoral Research Fellowship 2024–2025
Participants of the Summer Institute will be considered for a Predoctoral Research Fellowship.
Stipend: $30,000 (fall, spring and summer). Stipend is processed through UIC.
Number of fellowships: 30, up to two per consortial member
Applicants who are selected for the Pre-doctoral Research Fellowships will:
- Be assigned to a comparative collaborative Latino Studies research working group composed of faculty from a minimum of three universities of the Consortium
- Receive a $30,000 stipend for one year (2024–2025 fall, spring, summer) + tuition and fee waiver and health insurance at the home institution. This is an extra year of funding to any existing assistantship/fellowship funding commitment from the home institution.
Application process for the Summer Institute and Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship
Applicants apply directly to a designated Center/Program at the home institution (in FIU's case, the Cuban Research Institute). Applicants must meet the director of the designated center to assess eligibility to continue with the application process. Those selected are then nominated to the Summer Institute by their home institution.
- Complete Cover Sheet and Application questionnaire (available here)
- CV/resume (two pages maximum)
- Two confidential letters of recommendation. Letters should be submitted to the Cuban Research Institute (cri@fiu.edu). It is suggested that letters be from faculty familiar with the applicant's academic, research history, and potential.
- A narrative (1,000 words maximum) explaining your areas of research interest, possible dissertation topic, professional goals, and how the Summer Institute and the mentorship program will benefit you at this stage of your studies.
- Combine all materials in a single PDF for electronic submission to the Cuban Research Institute (cri@fiu.edu)
Final Selection
A Selection Committee composed of faculty and members of the Crossing Latinidades Humanities Research Initiative Advisory Committee will review all nominations for compliance with pre-dissertation eligibility requirements.
