Dissertation Grants in Japanese Studies

The Japan Fund announces the availability of limited funds to support research-related activities for advanced-level graduate students specializing in Japanese studies.

Current application period starts on January 1

Applications must be received by February 15

The program is intended to fill in the gaps between the availability of university and external funding for graduate dissertation work. As a result, awards will be made on a competitive basis to students who are conducting dissertation field research, or writing up the results of dissertation research.

General Requirements and Overview:

• Advanced standing assumes that residency requirements have been met.  Recipients must be registered in TGR status by the time of award disbursal, i.e. during the period of support.
• Applicants required to have completed course work before the period covered by the grant, and should be prepared to undertake full-time research and write-up of the dissertation topic.
• Former recipients who have received 6 or more quarters, or equivalent, of support from the Japan Fund are ineligible to reapply.
• A full fellowship offer may provide up to three [3] quarters of TGR tuition, up to three [3] quarterly cost of living stipends, and may include a one-time travel stipend for research travel to, from, and within Japan. Cost of living expenses as listed budget items are reflected in the Financial Aid Office standard single graduate student budget. No funds will be available to cover travel or maintenance costs of dependents.

Application Process:

Applicants should submit the following components with their applications:

1. Curriculum Vitae

2. Detailed Project Description

This description should be clear and concise, especially to readers outside of your discipline, and should be no longer than five double-spaced or three single-spaced typewritten pages. The description should include the following:

• The principal focus of the dissertation research;
• How the data will be organized in the dissertation;
• How the topic relates to Japanese Studies;
• An indication of what you expect will develop in the dissertation (hypotheses, no matter how tentative, which will enable the committee to determine the direction of your thinking and what you hope to accomplish intellectually);
• For applicants in Ph.D. programs in the professional schools, career plans and objectives should also be described, with particular emphasis given to background factors demonstrating a commitment to a career involving Japan or Japanese-American relations.

3. Research Timetable - one page maximum

Timetable for the Completion of Research or of Dissertation. State where your research now stands, what remains to be done, and the estimated date of completion. Should be no longer than one page.

4. Statement of Income - one page maximum

A statement of anticipated grants, loans, and other sources of income should be disclosed with every application. Unless receipient is living outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, cost of living awards to students in the dissertation write-up stage of their academic career will be awarded at a standardized level (to be established annually by FSI) and a detailed expense budget is not required.  Stipend portion of awards may be adjusted, for recipients residing in areas with a different cost of living index.

5. Detailed Budget - one page maximum

*Required when requesting travel funds or living outside of the San Francisco Bay Area

Include an itemized list of estimated costs and expenditures to be covered during the grant period. The budget should be no longer than one page, with a separate page for budget justification when appropriate (whenever proposed expenses are unusually high).

6. Transcripts

Transcripts should cover all coursework, including evidence of work most recently completed. It need not be an official transcript (i.e. Axess print outs are acceptable).

Request Letters of Recommendation (maximum 2 letters)

A letter of recommendation (no more than 2 pages) is required. All letters should be submitted directly from faculty members, one of whom is the applicant's major advisor.  All letters should be sent directly to Patrick Laboon at plaboon@stanford.edu.

PLEASE SEND APPLICATION TO: Patrick Laboon at plaboon@stanford.edu

An e-mail notification will be sent to every applicant approximately 6-8 weeks after the deadline.