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Dissertation Fellowship Application Information
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The Wayne Morse Center, with the support of the Graduate School, awards two fellowships to Ph.D. candidates each academic year. Dissertation Fellows receive a tuition waiver and a stipend of $3,000 for one academic term, allowing them to focus on their dissertation research and writing.

Objectives of the Dissertation Fellowship program

• Support graduate students conducting research related to the Wayne Morse Center theme and Politics and Policy Program
• Enhance UO graduate student participation in Wayne Morse Center activities
• Deepen the intellectual and academic environment of the Wayne Morse Center

Applications for 2012-13 are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012.
Applicants may submit proposals related to EITHER the Morse Center Theme of Inquiry OR the Politics and Policy Program.

Research Priorities

Theme of Inquiry
The Wayne Morse Center theme for 2011-13 is From Wall Street to Main Street: Capitalism and the Common Good. Priority focus topics for 2012-13 include:

• Financial and regulatory reform
• The continuing debt crisis (particularly foreclosures and student debt)
• Race, capitalism and inequality
• Social movements such as Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party and their relationship to economic populism
• Taxes and funding the common good
  

Politics and Public Policy Program
Coordinated by Senior Faculty Fellow Dan Tichenor, the Politics and Policy Program addresses significant political and policy issues in the United States at the national, state, and local levels. Proposals related to American governance are welcome, including analysis of political processes and institutions, specific policy problems, or studies of U.S. political culture and behavior.

Eligibility
The Wayne Morse Dissertation Fellowship program is open to all UO Ph.D. candidates. Students must be present at the UO during the term of the fellowship. Preference will be given to students who will not hold a GTF appointment, other fellowship, or training grant during the term of the fellowship. Preference will also be given to students who have an approved dissertation proposal.

Duties and Conditions

1. Wayne Morse Dissertation Fellows will research or write their dissertation.
2. The dissertation must be related to public policy or the Wayne Morse Center theme and be interdisciplinary in nature and interest.
3. Wayne Morse Dissertation Fellows will participate in the intellectual life of the Wayne Morse Center in appropriate and feasible ways. For example, fellows might give a paper at a Wayne Morse Center symposium or assist with hosting a visiting scholar.
4. Wayne Morse Dissertation Fellows will acknowledge the Wayne Morse Center in all publications and events related to the research and activity supported by the center.

Application Process
Applications must be written in language accessible to readers from several disciplines and must include the following:

1. Application cover sheet, including abstract
2. A narrative description, not exceeding 1500 words and including the following points:
   • Conception and definition of the research or dissertation: An explanation of the basic ideas, problems or questions to be addressed.
   • Significance of the project: Relationship to your previous and future research, and the relationship of the project to work of other scholars.
   • Plan of work and expected results: Be as precise as possible about the plan of work and objectives for the term of the fellowship year. Is the work already in progress? What specifically will be accomplished? When do you expect to complete the dissertation?
   • Contribution to the Wayne Morse Center: How your work relates to other center activities and your interest in the activities of the Wayne Morse Center.
3. Bibliography or Citation List, as appropriate (one-page limit)
4. Curriculum Vita (two-page limit)
5. Letter of recommendation from your dissertation advisor
   

Mail or deliver six collated and stapled copies of the complete application packet to:

Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics  
220 Knight Law Center  
1221 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403 

Double-sided copies are encouraged. The letter of recommendation from the dissertation advisor may be sent separately, and the Wayne Morse Center will make the appropriate copies.

Deadline
 Applications are due by 5 p.m. on January 20, 2012. Awards will be announced by mid-February. 

Selection Committee
The selection committee will be interdisciplinary and drawn from the following Wayne Morse Center positions and committees: the director and senior faculty fellow, advisory board, and the steering committee.
 
Please direct questions to Margaret Hallock, Wayne Morse Center Director, 541-346-3699 or hallock@uoregon.edu.