The Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) is pleased to announce the New Directions in Theology Graduate Student Grants. Up to four awards in the amount of $5,000 are designated for incoming graduate students in their first year of study in 2018-2019.
The New Directions in Theology award supports promising incoming graduate students with high potential for interdisciplinary exchange in religious studies. Grantees participate as a cohort in biweekly meetings convened by BCSR faculty, receive intellectual guidance on research projects, and contribute to the building of a unified community of inquiry on the Berkeley campus in public theology.
The grant is provided by BCSR through the Public Theology Program, a three-year research initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation dedicated to charting new directions for the study of religion in the public university.
Departments in the humanities and social sciences may nominate up to two incoming students. The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 2, 2018. BCSR will notify departments of candidate selection the week of February 19 so that they can present the offer of award to students as part of the offer of admission by March 1.
Nominations consist of (1) a letter from the department chair or graduate advisor making the case for the student’s membership in the New Directions in Theology cohort, and (2) a copy of the candidate’s admissions papers, including transcript; statement of purpose; GRE scores; and letters of recommendation. Please see the attached Call for Nominations for submission instructions, or visit bcsr.berkeley.edu.
In keeping with the goal of recruiting outstanding incoming students who can participate fully in the co-curricular commitments of the grantee cohort, this funding is intended to supplement the department’s standard package. The committee will look favorably on departments that apply the grant as an extra recruitment incentive and not as replacement funds for support already pledged by the department.
Additional New Directions in Theology awards are designated for continuing second-year graduate students through a competitive application process. Look for a call for applications in early 2018.
For more information about the program or questions about the nomination process, please contact info.bcsr@berkeley.edu