The Abbasi Program Student Grants for the Study of Islam and Muslim Societies
(Applications are closed for the 2012-13 Academic Year. Next cycle will be announced in Winter 2014.)

The Sohaib and Sara Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies invites proposals from continuing Stanford students for projects pertaining to Islam and Muslim societies, including history from the beginnings of Islam to the twenty-first century, systematic study of Islamic social contexts, the religion of Islam in all its internal complexity, and the diversity of human experience as seen in literature and the arts originating in societies affected by Islamic civilizations.

Awards will be up to $4,000 per proposal and made on a competitive basis. Projects may be pursued during either the summer or the academic year. Applicants are encouraged to apply for matching funds from other Stanford units or external agencies. The deadline for 2012-13 grant applications is 5:00 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013.

Two types of projects are supported:

1. Graduate student fieldwork and research projects: Proposals should be related to advanced work connected to the dissertation topic or exploration of an area that may lead to the dissertation.
2. Intensive language study abroad or in the United States: Both undergraduate and graduate students can apply. The proposed course of language study must be integral to the applicant’s academic development and/or research such as a senior thesis or the dissertation. Priority will be given to training in languages not offered on campus or for advanced training in languages where the student has exhausted campus resources.

Eligibility

Applicants must be Stanford students in good standing who will be enrolling as undergraduate, co-terminal or graduate students during the academic year for which they are applying. Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received an Abbasi Program Student Grant. Professional school students are not eligible. Proposals submitted by a group of students will not be accepted.

Expenses

The grant may be used for travel, lodging, and living costs associated with off-campus research or language training; the purchase of research materials; research-related services (e.g. duplication costs, production of questionnaires/surveys, human subject costs, data entry, transcribing interviews, running focus groups); and costs associated with language training (e.g. tuition,  registration fees, tutoring costs).

The grant may not be used for the purchase of equipment (e.g. computer, recording equipment) and software; travel costs to attend or present at professional conferences; or dissertation write-up.

Requests must be for expenses that are not covered through other sources of funding. Applicants may simultaneously apply for other sources of funding, but they may not accept multiple sources of funding for the same expenses. The itemized budget should clearly list sources of confirmed and/or pending funding.

Requirements

Grant recipients are expected to submit a one-page report upon the completion of their project, describing how the grant project has developed, what was learned, and next steps regarding their research project and career. Recipients who use the grant toward language training are also expected to submit a transcript or training completion certificate.

Application Procedure

Proposals must be e-mailed to abbasiprogram@stanford.edu by 5PM on Friday,March 15, 2013.Please submit the following as a single MSWord or PDF file:

1. Application form and itemized budget template available here
2. Project proposal limited to 750 words, describing the project to be undertaken, its relevance to the study of Islam and Muslim societies, and its significance for the student’s research and academic development.
3. Full academic CV, listing the applicant’s academic standing, previous academic accomplishments, publications and/or conference presentations.
4. A copy of unofficial transcript from AXESS, saved as a PDF document.
5. A single letter of recommendation from the applicant’s thesis advisor or the primary faculty member with whom s/he is working. If applying for language study, please submit two recommendation letters, only one of which may be from a language instructor. The letter/s should speak to the specific project being proposed and sent directly by email to abbasiprogram@stanford.edu by March 16, 2013.

Applications that do not follow these procedures will not be accepted. Grant applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee of faculty members and staff affiliated with the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. Decisions will be made within a month after the application deadline. For questions, please contact Associate Director Dr. Burcak Keskin-Kozat.