Instructions

The Birgit Baldwin Fellowship in French Medieval History provides a grant of $20,000 to support a graduate student in a North American university who is researching and writing a significant dissertation for the Ph.D. on any subject in French medieval history that can be realized only by sustained research in the archives and libraries of France.

Eligibility

Applicants must be graduate students whose dissertation proposals have been approved by their dissertation committees. They must be members of the Medieval Academy as of 15 September of the year in which they apply. In accordance with the terms of the gift, applicants must be graduate students studying at a North American university.

Application deadline

The fellowship competition is held every two years beginning 2004. The current deadline for the receipt of all materials for the 2014 competition is 15 November 2013.

Application instructions

The application form is available from the Medieval Academy office (info@themedievalacademy.org) or may be printed from the Web: Baldwin Fellowship Application Form

Along with the completed application form, applicants must submit the following:

1. A dissertation proposal that has been approved by the applicant's dissertation committee.

2. A letter of recommendation from the applicant's dissertation director certifying that the applicant has passed qualifying exams and received approval for the dissertation project and discussing the merits of the project and the applicant's preparation to complete it successfully.

3. A second letter of recommendation from a graduate professor discussing the merits of the dissertation project and the applicant's preparation to complete it successfully.

A completed application consists of five copies of the application form, of the dissertation proposal and the two letters of recommendation. The letters of recommendation may be submitted by the applicant in a sealed envelope that has been signed by the authors of the letters on the back across the seal; or the letters may be mailed directly by their authors to the Medieval Academy office. Letters must be received no later than 15 November. Please note that e-mail letters are not acceptable.

Submit all materials to:
Baldwin Fellowship
Medieval Academy of America
104 Mt. Auburn St., 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. The originality of the dissertation project, the clarity of its methodology, and the significance of the subject to be studied for understanding French medieval history.

2. The cogency of the writing and organization of the dissertation proposal.

3. The letters of recommendation from the dissertation director and graduate professor regarding the excellence of the project and the applicant's preparation to complete the project.

4. The applicant's need to work in France and the feasibility of accomplishing the project's objectives.