Dissertation Proposal Development Program
The 2025 RIDGS Dissertation Proposal Development Program Announcement and Call for Proposals
The Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality (RIDGS) Studies will once again hold a Dissertation Proposal Development (DPD) Program for early-career PhD students in the summer of 2025. Applications open!
The RIDGS DPD Program encourages applications from students from underrepresented groups and whose research engages broadly with issues of inequality with an intensive week-long dissertation proposal workshop in May 2025.
Our focus is to support graduate students, approximately in their second to fourth years of graduate study, who are in the middle of developing their dissertation proposals. We are looking for projects in the humanities, education, policy, and the social sciences, that are committed to addressing and engaging with some of the most pressing socio-economic issues and inequalities of our time.
The RIDGS DPD Program will run from May 12 through May 15, 2025 in-person, and active participation in this workshop is a requirement of the fellowship Meals will be provided.
What Happens at the Workshops
- Meet in pre-assigned, interdisciplinary small groups of graduate students to workshop proposals with faculty mentors
- Meet with faculty mentors throughout the week to further develop your dissertation proposal
- Learn more about the dissertation proposal process and grant writing
- Interact with RIDGS affiliated faculty and staff across the University of Minnesota
- Build relationships with graduate students and faculty outside of your program
Important Dates
Application Opens: Monday, January 13, 2025
Application Closes: Friday, February 21, 2025
Notification: On or before March 5, 2025
Fellowship Begins: Monday, May 12, 2025
Application Materials
To apply, please submit a completed copy of the application form, along with the following to [email protected]:
- 300-500 word abstract of your dissertation as you currently envision it
- 1 page describing how your dissertation will draw upon previous scholarly literature relevant to your topic, including key information, theoretical understandings, and methodological models or critical approaches. Also comment on how your research will contribute to the existing literature on your topic.
- 1 page statement on how your work aligns with RIDGS’ mission to pursue lines of inquiry that challenge systems of power and inequality, assert human dignity, and imagine social transformation through intersectional and interdisciplinary works. Additionally comment on how you would benefit from a RIDGS-centered workshopping space
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Your department’s dissertation proposal/prospectus requirements (can be a link to a departmental document)
Email [email protected] with any questions