Supported by an endowment for Asian Studies established by family and friends in memory of James A. Linen III, Class of 1934, the Department of Asian Studies offers a limited number of grants to assist Williams College undergraduates in traveling to Asia during the summer for educational purposes. For the purposes of these grants, “Asia” refers to South, Southeast, and East Asia, defined as those parts of the continent east of the Khyber Pass and south and east of the Tian Shan Mountains and the Gobi Desert.
The Linen Grant Selection Committee will give highest priority to funding proposals that contribute to developing a student’s scholarship in a serious and well-focused way. Proposals might include conducting research for an honor’s thesis; pursuing other kinds of independent research projects under the supervision of a member of the Asian Studies faculty; or participating in an intensive language training program (at the third-year level or higher, except in very unusual circumstances).
Basic eligibility requirements are:
- Applicant should at the time of application be a junior, sophomore, or first-year (seniors who graduate this coming June are not eligible).
- Applicant should have taken (or currently be taking) at least one course related to Asia.
While any student who meets the above basic requirements is eligible to apply, priority will be given to students majoring (or planning to major) in Asian Studies, Chinese, or Japanese. Applicants’ academic records will also be taken into consideration.
Students who wish to be considered for Linen grants should 1) fill out the Application Form and 2) submit the proposal (in one PDF file) through a GLOW site by Sunday, March 6, 5:00pm.
Your proposal should include three parts (please include in one PDF file and use your name as the file name, e.g. John_Doe.pdf):
- Part One: A project proposal of 500-1000 words for a research project and 200-500 words for language study. The research proposal should describe in detail the project to be undertaken. Whether the project consists of a research project or language study, the proposal should include a detailed explanation of how the project fits in with the student’s present and future study and career plans.
- Part Two: A detailed project budget indicating the amount requested and the purposes to which it will be put. We encourage you to seek additional sources of funding; please indicate what other sources of funding have been or will be applied for and the anticipated amounts of those awards.
- Part Three: A copy of Academic Progress Report
If the applicant is proposing a research project, the applicant should request a brief statement of support from a member of the Williams faculty who has agreed to supervise or serve as advisor for the project. The statement should be emailed to Lucy Green at ljg2@williams.edu.
The grants will be awarded according to the merits of the proposal, the priorities mentioned in this announcement, and the availability of funds. A typical award based on merit ranges between $500 and $2500. Some additional need-based scholarships may also be available. Disbursement of grants will be through payment of invoices or reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses based on receipts. We hope to be able to inform applicants of the committee’s decision shortly before the beginning of Spring Recess. Students who have questions about the Linen Summer Grants may contact Professor Li YU at lyu@williams.edu.