The Community of Scholars (COS) is a two-month summer fellowship and the only feminist dissertation-writing workshop at the University of Michigan. It supports graduate students enrolled in any Rackham program on the Ann Arbor campus who are conducting scholarly or creative work related to women, gender, or sexuality.

COS fellows participate in a weekly seminar throughout May and June. These sessions are facilitated by faculty in the Women’s & Gender Studies Department and emphasize peer review and cross-disciplinary exchange. Facilitators offer mentorship, individualized feedback, and guidance on writing from a feminist perspective.

Participants should be prepared to engage in interdisciplinary critique and to provide thoughtful feedback on projects outside their own fields. COS is designed for students who are drafting the written components of their final graduate projects and seeking structured support, rigorous feedback, and a strong intellectual community.

Ultimately, the Community of Scholars aims to cultivate an interdisciplinary feminist space for the exchange of ideas and the development of scholarly work. In addition to the graduate seminar, COS also provides a shared physical space for awardees to write. A long-term valuable benefit of the seminar, moreover, is that participants form a peer-review community. Participants often stay in touch with each other after the seminar and continue to review and support each other’s work.

Awardees will also present their work at a public symposium during the Fall semester following their award.

Deadline: 

Monday, January 26, 2026

Notifications for graduate funding awards will be sent in March/April. 

Funding:

Graduate student participants who are supported by spring/summer funding as part of the 12-month Rackham funding guarantee receive an additional $500 honorary stipend for participating in the COS. Spring/summer support takes many forms, including internal UM fellowships, assistantships (GSI, GSSA, GSRA), and temporary appointments, as well as external sources such as grants and fellowships. Regardless of the source of funding, graduate students who are otherwise funded at the established stipend level will receive a maximum stipend of $500: Rackham funding cannot be used beyond this amount to provide a stipend above the established funding level for the term while taking into account all funding sources. Two graduate students who do not receive spring/summer support as part of the 12-month funding guarantee (for example, students who are no longer in their period of full funding, as specified in their offer of admission) may receive a stipend of up to $5,000.

Requirements:

IRWG is committed to creating environments in which a community of scholars come together for cross-disciplinary exchange. To that end, all awardees are required to participate in the in-person, weekly seminar during May and June. Awardees will be required to confirm their availability for the weekly seminar meetings prior to acceptance of the fellowship. Awardees will also be required to present their work at an in-person, public symposium during the Fall semester, even if they are not in residence at the time. Some funding is available to support travel to Ann Arbor for the fall symposium for students not in residence.

Eligibility:

• Students enrolled in any Rackham graduate program on the U-M Ann Arbor campus may apply.
• Only PhD students that have advanced to candidacy at the time of application may apply.
• Students who have received this award in the past are not eligible.
• Students applying for a Community of Scholars fellowship may also apply for the Boyd/Williams Dissertation Grant for Research on Women and Work.

Criteria for Awards:

1. Centrality of focus on women, gender, or sexuality
2. A finished or almost finished chapter or article to workshop and revise
3. Anticipated contribution of the project to scholarship or creative work on women, gender, or sexuality
4. Inclusion of appropriate attention to issues of race/ethnicity, sexuality, class, nationality, ability, or other differences
5. Quality of the scholarship or creative activity
6. Clarity of the project description
7. Use of an interdisciplinary approach to scholarship or creative activity
8. Good standing in the applicant’s academic program
9. Contribution of the project to the applicant’s professional development
10. Balance and breadth of disciplines represented by recipients

Application Procedure:

Online Applications are completed and submitted through InfoReady along with additional documents:

1. Project Title
2. Abstract (100 words)
3. Statement of how your project fits into your graduate career and professional development (250 words)
4. Project Description (800 words): Should include the goals, methods, and significance of your project in terms that are understandable by scholars from many disciplines.
5. Writing Sample (maximum of 6000 words): Excerpt from chapter or article to be workshopped 
6. A letter of recommendation from an advisor or dissertation chair 
7. Curriculum Vitae
8. Transcript(s) of graduate work from the University of Michigan*

Additional Information:

*U-M transcripts may be official or unofficial, and should be uploaded directly to the online application in InfoReady 

Human Subjects Review: Compliance with all appropriate regulations governing conduct of research will be required. Research proposals involving the use of human subjects will be subject to project review and approval by the appropriate IRB. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain IRB approval.

Notifications for graduate funding awards will be sent in April.

Questions? Email MsNicole@umich.edu

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