[USA] Postdoctoral Fellowships in Japanese Studies, Harvard University

The Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University offers several postdoctoral fellowships in Japanese studies to recent PhDs of exceptional promise, to give them the opportunity to turn their dissertation into publishable manuscripts.

Eligibility:
Applicants must have received their PhD degree in 2006 or later, in Japanese studies in any area of the humanities or social sciences. Those who are chosen to receive fellowships must have completed all requirements for the PhD degree by July 1, 2011.

Responsibilities of Postdoctoral Fellows:
Residence in the Cambridge/Boston area and participation in Institute activities are required during the appointment. Postdoctoral fellows will be expected to give a presentation at the Reischauer Institute's Japan Forum lecture series.

During their term of appointment, postdoctoral fellows will be expected to contribute to the teaching program at Harvard, normally by offering one undergraduate course during the fall or spring semester of the academic year. Areas of particular interest for 2011-12 tentatively include Japanese film; Japanese popular culture; Meiji history; 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.

Application Process
Applicants should submit one original & five copies of a complete, collated application consisting of the following:
Cover sheet: on a separate sheet, please provide the following information, retyping each question in this order.

1. Name
2. University & dept. (of Ph.D.)
3. Field of Study
4. Thesis title
5. Date Ph.D. received (or, if pending, give specific timeline)
6. Name of 2 recommenders
7. Short summary (c. 40 words) of research plan
8. Brief statement on teaching interests
9. Do you have a continuing teaching position? If yes, where? N.B. If teaching, have you obtained approval from your dept. to accept a postdoctoral position (if received) for 2010-11?
10. Have you previously applied for a Harvard postdoctoral fellowship? If yes, when?
11. Are you currently applying for other postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard? If so, which?
    • Curriculum vitae: please include citizenship, Social Security number, current and permanent addresses, telephone number(s), email address; academic degrees with dates of conferral, discipline and institution.
    • List of publications (this may be included in your CV)
    • Official transcript of grades *(Only 1 original necessary; other 5 copies may be duplicates.)
    • Dissertation abstract and table of contents (up to 3 pages; be sure your name is designated at top of each page)
    • Plan of research (on separate sheet, up to 2 pages): What do you plan to do at each stage of your research during the fellowship? What particular resources do you intend to use at each stage? What are the advantages of doing your postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard; are there specific individuals you hope to seek out while in residence?
    • Brief statement (up to one page) on your teaching interests, and on your ideas about a few undergraduate courses you might teach, with a sentence or two on how you might approach each if you were to offer it. See above for areas of possible need in 2010-11. In addition, we are especially open to courses that are framed more broadly and that are not limited to Japan. (e.g., Warriors; Literature and Environment; Depressions; East Asia in the International Political Economy.) Because this is a new requirement and arrangements will need to be negotiated with the relevant departments or programs, applicants are encouraged to list several course titles, in the event that their preferred topic does not correspond with departmental priorities. Successful applicants will be asked to submit course descriptions at a later date.
    • Two letters of recommendation (signed and sealed). These must be enclosed with application unless an exception is granted (in which case recommendations being sent separately must reach the Reischauer Institute by the application deadline). *(Only one original of each recommendation needed; the Reischauer Institute will duplicate these.)