ach year, the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals (RSVP) grants one and sometimes two Linda H. Peterson Fellowships the amount of $20, 000 to a single researcher for a period equivalent to four, full time months. Please note that the award will be paid in U.S dollars.
The Peterson Fellowship supports the study of any aspects of the periodical press in any of its manifold forms, and may range from within Britain itself to the many countries, within and outside of the Empire, where British magazines and newspapers were bought, sold, and read during the "long nineteenth century" (ca. 1780-1914).
Funds could be used to supplement sabbatical or other grant income, provide course "buy outs," and/or conduct travel related to the project. During the award period, a grantee could conduct secondary research, write, or pursue other scholarly activities related to a proposed project. However, eligible projects must include substantial research in nineteenth century primary sources, whether those sources appear in print, manuscript, or digital facsimile.
The Peterson Fellowship is intended to provide a researcher with the most valuable scholarly resource—time. Thus, an awardee is expected to hold the fellowship for a continuous period for the equivalent of four, full time months. In the event that a full time tenure is not possible, a part time (or combination part time/full time) tenure can be requested. (Those who are seeking less than four months should consider RSVP's Curran Fellowships Program.)
The fellowship is named for the late Linda H. Peterson (1948-2015), Niel Gray, Jr. Professor of English at Yale University. Linda was a pioneering scholar and mentor in periodical studies who served as RSVP vice president from 2009-2013 and whose spirit of collegiality and scholarly rigor remains a hallmark of the Society. The fellowship is funded by a generous bequest from the estate of Eileen Curran (1927-2013).
The Peterson Fellowship is intended to support, first and foremost, primary research on the nineteenth-century newspaper and periodical press. Therefore, eligible projects must engage primary sources, whether those sources appear in print, manuscript, or digital facsimile.
Only one applicant is permitted per application. Awards cannot be shared or split among collaborators. (Those seeking support for collaborative projects should consider the Patrick Leary Field Development Grant. The fellowship period must begin during the same calendar year as the application deadline, or during the subsequent calendar year.
Those holding academic appointments as well as independent or retired scholars are equally welcome to apply. An academic degree is not required; however, those enrolled in a degree program at the deadline are not eligible.
Officers or Directors of RSVP are not eligible.
Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to become RSVP members.
Applicants may hold grants or fellowships from other organizations concurrent with the Peterson Fellowship. However, the Peterson Fellowship winner may not hold other RSVP awards in the same calendar year.
All applications must be submitted through our online application portal no later than 11:59 PM US Pacific time (PDT/UTC-7) on the application deadline.
Once the application portal opens, applicants may create an account and begin preparing and submitting their proposals. At the application portal you may start your application and finish submitting it at a later date.
As a courtesy to evaluators, RSVP strongly recommends that applicants prepare their proposals using a readable font, not smaller than 11 point, with margins of at least one inch. Documents may be single spaced.
An application includes the following components:
- 1. An online application form, which collects the following information: Full name, postal address, email address, telephone number, proposed period of the fellowship, affiliation (if applicable), project title, a brief project summary (75-100 words)
- 2. A c.v. not to exceed two single spaced pages, uploaded in PDF, .docx, or RTF format. This document should include current and past employment; education; recent publications, awards, and honors; and other information relevant to the review of the proposed project.
- 3.A narrative proposal not to exceed three single spaced pages, uploaded in PDF, .docx, or RTF format. This document must describe the project as well as the work you hope to accomplish with the award. A competitive application will articulate in clear prose how the project will illuminate some aspect of the nineteenth century periodical press and indicate the audience(s) for the proposed publication(s) and/or other grant outcomes. A competitive application will also include a brief yet detailed plan of work for the proposed, four month award period as well as a timeline for completion of the entire project.
- 4. A summary not to exceed two pages, uploaded in PDF, .docx, or RTF format. This document should list primary source materials, archives to be consulted during the project, and selected secondary sources that bear directly on the project.
- 5. The names and email addresses for two recommenders familiar with the proposed project. Once the applicant enters these into the application portal, each recommender will receive an email with a link to upload a recommendation letter directly into the application system. Recommendation letters are due March 31. Applicants are responsible for soliciting letters of recommendation. It is the responsibility of the applicant to supply recommenders with relevant information about the project. Letters should address the evaluation criteria below. While the absence of letters from an application will not make it ineligible, letters that arrive late (or not at all) may make an application less competitive.
A group of interdisciplinary evaluators with knowledge of periodicals in the long nineteenth century will use the following criteria to evaluate applications. Applications and letters of recommendation should be crafted with these criteria in mind.
- 1. The importance of the project, including its use of materials relevant to deeper understanding of the periodical press in nineteenth-century Britain and its empire.
- 2. The quality of the application, including its clarity of expression.
- 3. The applicant’s preparation to pursue the project.
- 4. The feasibility of the plan of work and the likelihood that the applicant will be able to bring the entire project to a successful completion in due course.
Please note that need is not a criterion
If quality applications are received, RSVP intends to award one Fellowship and may name up to two alternates at the end of the competition.
Notification will take place by email. The winner will have one month to accept or decline the award.
All decisions are final. Unsuccessful applicants may choose to revise and resubmit their applications at later deadlines.
At the conclusion of the grant period, awardees must submit a narrative report describing the work completed during the fellowship period and outcomes achieved or expected as a result. All publications resulting from fellowship support must include the following acknowledgment: “This publication received support of a Linda H. Peterson Fellowship awarded by the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals and funded from the bequest of the Eileen Curran estate.”
The Peterson application deadline is Nov 15.
Created 10 September 2024