Resources

Graduate Travel to Research Collections

The Center for American Literary Studies has funding available for graduate students who wish to travel to libraries or other archives for their research. Awards will be made for up to $300 per request, and will be made for work in the field of American literary studies, broadly defined. Please see the link to the left for further information.

Spring 2009 Award Winners:

Geffrey Davis, for research on Edna St. Vincent Millay at the University of Virginia
Michelle Smith, for research on Frances Wright in Tennessee

Fall 2008 Award Winners:

Lynn Feeley, for research on Theodore Winthrop at the Library Company of Philadelphia
Jesse Hicks, for research on Charles Whitman at the Austin History Center
Emily Sharpe, for research on Salaria Kee at the Library of Congress

2007-2008 Award Winners:

Dustin Kennedy, for research on Melville's Israel Potter at the Newberry Library
Gregory Pierrot, for research on Marcus Rainsford at the Library of Congress

  • resulting in the following article: Pierrot, Gregory. "'Our Hero': Toussaint Louverture in British Representations." Criticism 50.4 (Fall) 2008.

 

Graduate Award for Research or Training Seminars

The Center for American Literary Studies will award up to $700 each for one to two students to attend Summer Seminars or Institutes related to the study or teaching of American literature, culture, and history, broadly defined. The aim of this award is to encourage and facilitate Penn State graduate students' professional engagement with academic peers across rank and discipline. Summer seminars and institutes create long-term opportunities for intellectual exchange and development, and Penn State graduate students would benefit from, and strongly contribute to, such collaborative gatherings. Please see the link to the left for further information.

2008-2009 Award Winners:

Brian Neff, for the Futures of American Studies Institute, Dartmouth College
Eric Norton, for the Futures of American Studies Institute, Dartmouth College

2007-2008 Award Winner:

Michael New, for "Black Europe: Exploring Dimensions of Citizenship, Race, and Ethnic Relations," Amsterdam


CALS Humanities Initiative Dissertation Support Awards, College of Liberal Arts

The Center for American Literary Studies will offer Center and Institute Fellowship Awards as part of the College of Liberal Arts' Humanities Initiative Dissertation Support program (a full description of the program can be found here: http://www.la.psu.edu/CLA-Graduate/human_initiative.shtml).

Students who receive a CALS Dissertation Support Award through the College of Liberal Arts will not only be excused from teaching or related duties (by means of an automatic Department Dissertation Award) they will also:

  • receive an additional grant (typically between $500 and $1000) to support their research and related activities,
  • be affiliated with CALS and have opportunities to participate in (and in some cases even plan) some of its activities,
  • share common experiences with others affiliated with CALS, and share work in progress with faculty and other graduate students.

Please see the link to the left for further information.

2009-2010 Award Winners:

Brian Neff, "Frightening Masculinity: Gothic Affect and Antebellum Manhood"
Eric Norton, "Queer Mobs and Other Freaks: A Theory of Literary History"

2008-2009 Award Winner:

Amy Clukey, "Plantation Modernism"

 

CALS Collaborative Funding Opportunities

On occasion, CALS may be able to offer collaborative funding support to organizations or individuals for programming related to American literary studies.

Individuals or groups seeking funding support from CALS should submit an application, found here.