The application for the 2025-2026 GJEC Dissertation Fellowships are due by March 1st, 2025.

The Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change (GJEC) Program, at the Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen), offers fellowships for MSU graduate students annually. Enrollment in the GJEC program is not required. Generous funding provided by MSU’s Graduate School allows us to offer fellowship opportunities in the following two categories:

GJEC Dissertation Research Fellowship (Up to $10,000)

Eligibility: 

Ph.D. students at MSU who have completed all requirements for their degree with the exception of their dissertation research. Applicants must have dissertation projects that focus specifically on the gender dimensions of environmental and/or agricultural change. Students must have a dissertation proposal approved by their home department prior to the disbursement of funding.

Application requirements:

• Completed Application Form [.docx] with Research Budget Itemization
• Five-page (double-spaced) Summary of the Dissertation Research
• Letter of Recommendation from Dissertation Committee Chair
• Curriculum Vitae

GJEC Dissertation Writing Fellowship (Up to $8,500)

Eligibility: 

Ph.D. students at MSU who have completed dissertation research and all other requirements for their degree program, except for the final stages of the dissertation, and expect to graduate within the upcoming academic year. Students must have a dissertation proposal approved by their home department prior to the disbursement of funding.

Application requirements:

• Completed Application Form [.docx]
• Five-page (double-spaced) Summary of the Dissertation Proposal
• Letter of Recommendation from Dissertation Committee Chair
• Curriculum Vitae

We encourage previously unsuccessful applicants to reapply.

Submit completed applications and all supporting documents in .doc, .docx, or .PDF format to the GJEC Advisor.

*Awards are contingent upon funds approval and funding will first be applied to any outstanding MSU bills, including MSU short-term loans, tuition bills, etc. 

Note: Fellowships are awarded as a lump sum and do not include tuition waivers or benefits. Students awarded the fellowships cannot receive more than the equivalent of a one-quarter time assistantship from other sources during the semester in which they receive the award. It is highly recommended that students also consult with their department and home college regarding their policies for the award of dissertation funding.

With the generous support of the GJEC Fellowship, I am able to conduct extensive ethnographic research in Nzulezo, a small community located in the middle of the Amanzule River in southern Ghana. The people of Nzulezo have lived on the river for over four centuries; yet, their history only travels as far as by word of mouth. GJEC funding has allowed me to take up the task of studying and documenting Nzulezo history, which proffers profound insights into how prolonged human interactions with water have led to the formation of a complex relationship among culture, ecology, and gender. Who will support researchers to undertake such critical studies? GJEC will!!!

-Eric Kesse, 2019-2020 GJEC Dissertation Research Fellow

The application for the 2025-2026 WGS Dissertation Fellowships are due by March 1st, 2025.

The Women's & Gender Studies (WGS) Program and the Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) offers Women's and Gender Studies fellowships for MSU graduate students annually. Enrollment in the WGS graduate specialization is not required. Generous funding provided by MSU’s Graduate School allows us to offer between 8-10 fellowship opportunities in the following two categories:

WGS Dissertation Research Fellowship (Up to $10,000)

Eligibility: 

Ph.D. students at MSU who have completed all requirements for their degree with the exception of their dissertation research. Applicants must have dissertation projects that incorporate a significant focus on women, gender, or sexuality. Students must have a dissertation proposal approved by their home department prior to the disbursement of funding.

Application requirements:

• Completed Application Form [.docx] with Research Budget Itemization
• Five-page (double-spaced) Summary of the Dissertation Research
• Letter of Recommendation from Dissertation Committee Chair
• Curriculum Vitae

WGS Dissertation Writing Fellowship (Up to $8,500)

Eligibility: 

Ph.D. students at MSU who have completed dissertation research and all other requirements for their degree program, except for the final stages of the dissertation, and expect to graduate in the upcoming academic year. Applicants must have dissertation projects that incorporate a significant focus on women, gender, or sexuality. Students must have a dissertation proposal approved by their home department prior to the disbursement of funding.

Application requirements:

• Completed Application Form [.docx]
  
• Five-page (double-spaced) Summary of the Dissertation Proposal
• Letter of Recommendation from Dissertation Committee Chair
• Curriculum Vitae

We encourage previously unsuccessful applicants to reapply.

Submit completed applications and all supporting documents in .doc, .docx, or .PDF format to the WGS Advisor.

*Awards are contingent upon funds approval and funding will first be applied to any outstanding MSU bills, including MSU short-term loans, tuition bills, etc. 

Note: Fellowships are awarded as a lump sum and do not include tuition waivers or benefits. Students awarded the fellowships cannot receive more than the equivalent of a one-quarter time assistantship from other sources during the semester in which they receive the award. It is highly recommended that students also consult with their department and home college regarding their policies for the award of dissertation funding.

These awards are awarded on a rolling basis.

GenCen will be awarding a number of grants of up to $300 to support graduate students who will be delivering papers or other presentations on research related to Women's and Gender Studies at academic conferences. A student may only apply for this grant once per academic year, and preference will be given to qualified applicants who have not previously received these funds. These funds should be used to supplement support from the student's home department or the Graduate School. Students must apply for this funding prior to their travel; funding will not be retroactively applied to travel already undertaken. Please note that the student must be registered for at least one credit in the semester that funding is awarded.

Recipients will be selected by the Graduate Sub-Committee of the GenCen Curriculum committee and funds will be awarded on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.

Applications must include:

• Evidence that a paper/presentation was accepted at an academic conference.
• A current CV.
• A letter of support from the student's major advisor.
• Evidence of support from student's home department.
• An estimated budget of costs to be incurred.
• Evidence, such as an abstract, that the presentation has a strong emphasis on gender

Electronic submission of materials is encouraged. Please email materials in Word or PDF format to gencen(at)msu.edu.

These awards are awarded on a rolling basis.

GenCen will be awarding a number of research grants of up to $500 each to graduate students whose major research focus is women's and gender studies. These funds will be used to support engagement in preliminary exploratory research in advance of writing a dissertation grant proposal. A student may only apply and be awarded this grant once in their graduate career, and these funds should supplement funds awarded by the student's home department and/or the Graduate School. Please note that the student must be registered for at least one credit in the semester that funding is awarded.

Recipients will be selected by the Graduate Sub-Committee of the GenCen Curriculum Committee and funds will be awarded on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.

Applications must include:

• A cover letter describing the student's graduate program and project.
• A current CV.
• A letter of support from the student's major advisor.
• Evidence of support from student's home department and/or the Graduate School.
• An estimated budget of costs to be incurred.
• Evidence, such as an abstract, that the project has a strong emphasis on gender

Electronic submission of materials is encouraged. Please email materials in Word or PDF format to gencen(at)msu.edu.

Applications for Summer 2025 Teaching Roles are due by February 12th, 2025 to arnoldp5(at)msu.edu

The Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) hires advanced PhD students as instructors to teach online, asynchronous WGS core courses each summer, including:

WS 201: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (two sections: summer I and summer II)

WS 202: Introduction to Contemporary Feminisms and Gender Theories 

WS 301: Sexual Violence Against Women and Children

WS 304: LGBTQ and Sexuality Studies

WS 403: Women and Change in Developing Countries 

These courses are offered in online and asynchronous modality only.

Preferred Applicant Qualifications:

• Enrollment in or completion of GenCen graduate specialization:
• Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change (GJEC)
• Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS)
• International Development (GSID)
• Previous teaching experience
• Women's and Gender Studies coursework completed

Application Requirements:

• A cover letter expressing:
• interest and experience in a specified course
• qualifications for teaching that course
• 1-2 paragraph teaching philosophy
• A proposed course syllabus
• Sample WS 201 Syllabus
• Sample WS 201 Summer Syllabus
• Sample WS 201 Summer Syllabus 2
• Sample WS 202 Syllabus
• Sample WS 202 Summer Syllabus
• Sample WS 301 Syllabus
• Sample WS 304 Syllabus
• Sample WS 304 Summer Syllabus
• Sample WS 403 Syllabus 
• Sample WS403 Summer Syllabus
• A current C.V. that lists relevant coursework completed
• A letter of support from the student’s program advisor (recommended)

GenCen sponsors one paper competition for graduate students (the Rita S. Gallin Award), two paper competitions for undergraduates, and a feminist activism award. Information on these awards, lists of previous winners, and the current call for submissions can all be found on our Paper and Activism Awards page.