The Program on U.S.-Japan Relations seeks applications from outstanding scholars in the social sciences who are conducting research that illuminates Japan’s relations with the rest of the world. Applicants are welcomed from various fields, including anthropology, economics, (modern) history, law, political science, public health, and sociology, among others. Scholars may examine domestic issues that bear on Japan’s external relations or problems that Japan shares with other countries. Projects that compare Japan’s experience cross-nationally are also encouraged.
FELLOWSHIP GRANT:
1. Fellows spend a ten-month period in residence at Harvard that typically begins in September.
2. The award is for $50,000 paid in monthly installments, health insurance coverage for the grantee, and up to $5,000 for research/travel funds.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF U.S.-JAPAN PROGRAM POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS:
1. Fellows are expected to take part in all Program activities throughout the academic year.
2. Fellows are required to present their research findings at a Program seminar and to submit a 40 to 50-page research paper on a relevant topic for possible inclusion in the Program’s Occasional Papers series. This does not preclude publication of the same research elsewhere. 3. Because fellows are expected to devote themselves full-time to a major research project, working elsewhere during one’s tenure at Harvard is not permitted.
During their term of appointment, Postdoctoral Fellows have an option to teach an undergraduate course at Harvard during the fall or spring semester. Having a record of teaching at Harvard may enhance a Postdoctoral Fellow’s professional credentials in the academic job market. Areas of particular interest include Japanese popular culture; Japanese imperialism/war memory; gender and politics in East Asia; political economy of Japan; and Japanese Americans in history, culture, politics, and/or society. Broader courses that include, but are not limited to, Japan are especially encouraged. If you are interested in teaching a course, please submit a brief teaching statement on your teaching interest (see “The Application Process” below). Please note: whether the applicant expresses an interest in teaching has no impact on the evaluation of her/his application.
ELIGIBILITY:
Candidates must hold a doctoral degree in a discipline bearing on the Program’s research areas. Research projects that focus on Japan or Japan’s international role from a comparative, historical, or global perspective are welcome. A knowledge of the Japanese language is not required.
Awardees must complete all requirements of their doctoral degree to receive a fellowship. If a successful applicant has not already earned a Ph.D. at the time of his or her application, the applicant’s advisers must submit a formal letter to the effect that he or she “has completed all the requirements of the Ph.D.” by August 1. The letter must include that precise wording, and no mitigating circumstances will be considered. Because advisers may not be prepared to confirm this until they have collectively approved the dissertation and all required changes have been made to put it in its final (deposit) form, we strongly urge you to schedule your defense, if it is still pending, by July 1. No funds can be disbursed until such a letter is received, and the fellowship will be reduced by one-tenth for each month’s delay. Depending on the length of the delay, a prospective fellow may be asked to begin the Program in the second semester, and in extreme cases, the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations reserves the right to revoke the fellowship altogether.
DEADLINE: Complete application AND three letters of recommendation must be received by: January 16, 2018 (Tuesday)
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
* Application form can be downloaded from U.S.-Japan Program website.