AWARDS
updated April 3, 2008

Our program currently offers five annual dissertation awards. These awards are entitled: The Best Dissertation in American Politics; The Best Dissertation in Comparative Politics; The Best Dissertation in International Politics; The Best Dissertation in Public Policy; and The Best Dissertation in Political Theory. Faculty sponsoring dissertations (or other members of dissertation committees) can nominate students who filed their dissertations between September 2007 and September 2008. Nominations should be made to the Awards Committee no later than May 1st and sent in writing (either by email or by letter) to Jessica Landis at jlandis@gc.cuny.edu .

The Randolph L. Braham Dissertation Award ($10,000) is an award for dissertation-level students whose doctoral research is in the area of Jewish, Eastern European, or Holocaust-related studies. This award was established by Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Political Science Randolf Braham who directs the Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. Applications must be submitted to: Office of the Associate Provost & Dean, Room 8113, The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.  Deadline for receipt of a completed application is due February 1, 2008. 

The Ralph Bunche Dissertation Fellowship ($10,000), established in honor of the late Nobel Laureate by the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, is for a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or foreign national who is an advanced social science doctoral candidate working on areas that preoccupied Ralph Bunche, especially the United Nations and multilateralism, international politics, African and Middle Eastern affairs, U.S. foreign policy, race relations, and human rights.  The recipient may be in residence at the Ralph Bunche Institute during the 2005-2006 academic year and participate in ongoing events.  Applications and references should be submitted to: Office of the Associate Provost & Dean, The CUNY Graduate Center, Room 8113, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.  Deadline for receipt of a completed application is due February 1, 2008. 

The Ivo Duchacek Award will be awarded for the best article published in a national or international refereed journal or in a referenced book in the past year. All students in the Ph.D./M.A. Program in Political Science who have written and published such an article within the last year are eligible. This award is named for Professor Ivo Duchacek, a member of our doctoral faculty, specializing in International Politics, and a former Executive Officer of the Program. Applicants for this award should send a letter and a copy of their article to: Awards Committee, PhD/MA Program in Political Science, The Graduate Center of CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, Room 5202, New York, NY 10016.  Deadline: April 28, 2008.

The John H. E. Fried Memorial Fellowship in International Human Rights will be awarded to support research by an advanced Ph.D. student in political science (normally level 2 or 3) who is exploring international human rights. The $5,000 award is given annually to foster original research and analysis that result in a conference paper, published article, dissertation proposal or dissertation chapter dealing with the causes of or possible solutions to human rights violations as well as strategies for promoting international human rights. The successful fellow's perspective should be comparative politics or international relations, organizations, or law. Applicants should submit a short proposal (not more than 1,000 words), a current curriculum vitae, and a transcript no later than April 1, 2008.  In addition, brief confidential letters of recommendation from two faculty members who are familiar with the proposal should be sent separately before the deadline.  Please address correspondence to: Fried Memorial Fellowship, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The CUNY Graduate Center, Suite 5203, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.  Download application (PDF) online.

The Joseph Murphy Award goes to the best paper presented by a student in the Program to a major social science conference. This award is named in honor of Professor Joseph Murphy, who was Chancellor of the City University before joining our doctoral faculty in the Political Theory subfield. Applicants for this award should send a letter, a copy of their paper and proof of conference participation to:  Awards Committee, PhD/MA Program in Political Science, The Graduate Center of CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, Room 5202, New York, NY 10016.  Deadline: April 28, 2008.

Athena Pollis Fellowship in Human Rights was established by Professor Adamantia Pollis for outstanding Political Science Ph.D. students whose dissertation involves international, comparative, or theoretical human rights issues or who wishes to intern at a human rights NGO (non-governmental organization). Preference will be given to applicants of color or from other countries. Selection will be made by the Political Science program. Award amount: $10,000. Applications and references should be submitted to: Office of the Associate Provost & Dean, The CUNY Graduate Center, Room 8113, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.  Deadline for receipt of a completed application is due February 1, 2008.

George D. Schwab Fellowship in American Foreign Policy was established by an anonymous donor to honor the president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. An annual $1,000 award is available for costs related to dissertation research relevant to a topic that leads to an improved understanding of U.S. foreign policy.  Application should be submitted to: The Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, The CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, suite 5203, New York, NY 10016, 212-817-2100.  Deadline for receipt of completed application is due April 30, 2008.  Download application (PDF) online.

The Richard Styskal Dissertation Fellowship ($3,500) is presented on a competitive basis to an American student who has passed the Second Exam. Professor Styskal was a member of our doctoral faculty. He taught courses in methodology, statistics, and American Politics. He also served as Deputy Executive Officer of the Program. Applicants for this award should send a copy of their dissertation proposal (approved by their Second Exam Committee), a personal statement, and the names, addresses and home phone numbers of two academic references to: Awards Committee, PhD/MA Program in Political Science, The Graduate Center of CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, Room 5202, New York, NY 10016. Deadline: April 28, 2008.

For departmental awards, an advisory committee of faculty members will make the selection of successful candidates. The announcement of awardees will be made in June. For more information on these awards, please contact the Program office.