Advice for Tashjian Study Fellowships

Applicants for the Tashjian Study Fellowship should consult with the Director for advice about applying. A strong application will generally have the following elements: 

• Cover letter or Project summary
  • Clearly written for general academic audience
  • Provides quick overview of planned activities and rationale
• A proposal narrative, which should contain:
  • Academic purpose/context of the project including how it explores early medieval England or manuscripts (or language/skill training needed to prepare for such research)
  • Why research or travel is needed to do the project
  • If it is archival research:
    • A clear plan for conducting research that demonstrates that it is feasible or practical given the time allowed
    • It should make clear what the final product is—be it a conference paper, research paper, thesis chapter, etc.
    • What manuscripts or records are going to be consulted and why. (Note that funding is not given for “exploratory” research)
  • Evidence of codicological, paleographical, and linguistic skills necessary to conduct the project
  • Explains your career goals and how the project helps meet them
• Budget
  • An itemized list of expenses which gives the basis for estimating costs
  • Rationale justifying the various expenses
  • The total budget for the project (even if more than the award) and other funding you are seeking or receiving 
  • Submitting a parallel grant proposal to the graduate college travel or research funds is required as part of the process.
     

What can the Tashjian Study Fellowship be used for?

If you are unsure if your potential research project can be supported by the Tashjian Study Fellowship, some examples of acceptable projects are as follows: 

• Archival research on manuscript materials (anywhere)
• Research on Early Medieval England (of any kind)
• Language training in summer for languages not offered at WMU
• Rare Book School classes (at the University of Virginia)
• Taking a relevant international summer program course at the Institute for Continuing Education at University of Cambridge, or equivalent at University of Oxford or other UK university
• Archeological field schools in the UK
• Summer Paleography training at the Newberry Library, Folger Library, or Huntington Library (also qualifies for Newberry Consortium funding)