Research Funding
The History Department has funds to support archival and field research in the United States and abroad. In recent years, History majors have utilized these funds to conduct research in China, Florida, England, Hungary, Singapore, and Texas. Three fellowships of varying award amounts are available to juniors and seniors: Hook, Tow, and Vapnek.
Lucyle Hook Travel Grants
The Lucyle Hook Travel Grants (endowed by an emerita Barnard faculty member) provide funding for travel related to research for the Barnard senior thesis. Candidates apply to the Faculty Committee on Honors, which typically awards four or five grants each year. The award amount varies, but normally ranges from $100-$500. Interested students should speak with Dean Leong by early October of the senior year and obtain the Committee guidelines for application from her at that time. Decisions will be announced by mid-December. More information can be found on the Beyond Barnard Website.
Please note: The Lucyle Hook Travel Grants will not be offered this year due to COVID-19.
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Tow Fellowship Travel Grants
Tow Fellowships support travel related to research for the senior thesis. Candidates apply to the Committee on Honors (CoH) in the spring of their junior year to seek support for travel that will take place during the summer between their junior and senior years. The awards generally range from $1,000-$4,000. Interested students should see Dean Leong during the fall semester of their junior year.
Please note: The Tow Summer Research Grants may not be offered due to COVID-19. The question will be revisited in early spring.
More info here: Tow Fellowships
Bertha Vapnek Research Fellowship for Junior History Majors
This fellowship is intended for students currently in their junior year for thesis research conducted in the summer before their senior year. The student is required to work with a faculty member in the History department to develop a project that may be relevant to the student's intended senior thesis topic for the following year. Please note that the fellowship may meet part but not all of an awardee's request for funds, and funds may be distributed between two or more individuals.
Applications should include the following: 1. A brief description (two pages, maximum) of the proposed research project, which should describe both the significance of the project and the applicant's concrete plans for carrying it out; 2. A brief budget of projected expenses; 3. The name of a faculty member who has been consulted about the proposed project. Deadline for applications is March 25, 2020. Applications should be emailed to dko@barnard.edu
Senior Thesis Fellowships in European History
*Cancelled for Summer 2020* Current junior history majors in Barnard and CC are eligible to apply for summer research fellowships of $4,500 to fund senior thesis research in European archives. (Research topics need not be in European history, but your research must take you to archives in Europe.) Successful fellowship recipients will also have the opportunity to participate in a workshop at the Columbia Global Center in Paris, led by History Department faculty.
Application dates TBA for 2021. In addition, all history majors are warmly invited to attend two workshops prior to the application deadline, on identifying potential archives and writing a research proposal. For details of those workshops, please see the flyer. For questions and to sign up for the workshops, please contact the Columbia History Department.