The Watson Fellowship

For thirty-nine years, Wesleyan has been invited to nominate four seniors every Fall for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Watson Fellows receive $25,000 for their project year abroad.  In addition, they may be eligible for the Foundation’s 12-month student loan assistance program.  In 2006-07, two Wesleyan nominees were chosen to be a Fellow and anywhere from one to three have been selected as Fellows over the past several years. We are proud that Wesleyan's nominees have been of such high quality and promise, and hope that you will join them.

Only students receiving their degree in May 2008 are eligible to apply in the Fall of 2007 for one of Wesleyan's nominations. Seriously interested students should get a headstart on their proposals over the summer.

Please visit the Watson Foundation at http://www.watsonfellowship.org for a detailed description of the Fellowship. An informational video, “The Essence of a Year,” and DVD slideshow of the Fellows Conference is available in the Dean's Office to loan to interested students.

The Application and Selection Process

With the Watson Foundation’s description in mind, students should develop a project about which they are passionate and which has a depth or breadth that would sustain them for a year's worth of work and exploration. The project should demonstrate serious creativity in the subject area chosen, challenge the student on many fronts, and be a personal stretch.  In this regard, the project should not repeat something a student has already done or involve a return to a place where a student has studied abroad or lived. However, since the project grows out of a long-term interest, past experiences should serve as a springboard for its development.

Students will be selected for an interview in early October on the basis of the written proposal, submitted without any supporting documentation. The proposal should be well thought-out, well-organized, and clearly written. The quality of the thinking, the creativeness and strength of the project itself, and the project's feasibility and challenge are crucial criteria for the Wesleyan Selection Committee. The Committee will consider a student’s academic record in its deliberations, but nominations are made primarily on the basis of the proposal and the interview.

Wesleyan nominees will be interviewed by a Watson Foundation representative on campus sometime between December and February, and notified by the Foundation of its decision in mid-March. This past year, 50 Fellows were selected from over 180 nominees from 50 of the country's finest colleges and universities. Nearly 1,000 students applied for the award.

Applicants must submit six copies of their proposal to the Dean's Office, North College #201, by noon on Friday, September 14, 2007. You are encouraged to complete most of your proposal over the summer.  The proposal must be no more than three pages, and be double-spaced with 12-point font and one-inch margins. Succinctness is a necessity.  Please note that proposals that do not follow this format or are submitted late may not be considered.

Your proposal should concretely address what you want to do and why it is important, how you will do it, and why you should be the one to do it. A strong proposal includes, for example, some contacts in the country(ies) the student wishes to visit, and a consideration of language issues and personal ability, which demonstrates access to the places, people or things the student is interested in exploring.  The more detail included in the proposal, the stronger it is.  

The title page must include your project’s title, your name, Wes ID, e-mail address, phone number, campus box number, and major(s).

Questions about the application process or a specific proposal idea should be directed to Dean Louise S. Brown, Watson Fellowship Campus Liaison, at 860-685-2758 or North College #201.

Best wishes and have fun thinking about the Watson wanderjahr!

Listed below are some topics of successful proposals. The project sites are in parentheses.

From Punta to Palos: Exploring the Hidden Afro-Latino Musics (Dominican Republic, Honduras, Uruguay, Educador, Brazil), Marlon Bishop ‘07 

Taboo and Tolerance: Reproductive Health Choices in Cultural Context (Peru, Senegal, South Africa,Turkey), Leigh Senderowicz ‘07

This is Not Altogether Fool, My Lord: Comedy as Political Activism (Greece, England, Honduras, Chile, Brazil), William Gould '06

The Practice of Movement: Nomadic Domestic Architecture (Mongolia, India, Mauritania, Ireland), Stephanie Carlisle '05

Understanding Cross-Cultural Health Care for Refugees (Thailand, Egypt, Norway, India), Lauren Graber '04

Framing Culture: Classical Percussion in the Arab World (Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco), Aaron Paige '04

Outreach or Evangelism? Integrating Technology into Unexposed Communities (China, South Africa, Cape Verde, Argentina, Costa Rica), Josh Blumenstock '03

I See What You Mean: The Study of Deaf Culture (France, England, South Africa, Australia), Hollie Ecker '02

HIV/AIDS in Perspective (Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Papua New Guinea), Mina Halpern '02

The Pedagogy of Music: A Comparative Study (Bolivia, Ireland, Ghana, India), Schuyler Wheldon '02

Conservation with a Human Face: Reconciling Agriculture with Nature (Jamaica, Bolivia, Uganda, Philippines), Lindsey Fransen '01

Implementing the Cairo Programme of Action for Women's Reproductive Rights (Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Mali), Ruth Goldstein '01

Scornful Mother: The Active Volcano as Cultural Nurturer and Destroyer ( Costa Rica, Italy, Montserrat, Cameroon), Adam Goss '01

Teaching the Disenfranchised (Mexico, Romania, Zimbabwe), Michael Feigelson '00

Approaches to AIDS (Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, and Zimbabwe), Damien Szyld '00

Mask Traditions and Production (Ghana, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Bali), Melissa Rocklen '99

American Identities (France, Turkey, Israel, Italy, Armenia), Carl Robichaud '99

Innovation, Tradition and the Individual in Contemporary Religious Community (United Kingdom, France, People's Republic of China, Thailand and Japan), Nathan Eddy '98

Curds, Whey & Culture: The Cheese Traditions of Rural Europe (United Kingdom, Greece and Italy), Anya Fernald '98

Interface of Knowledge: Biotechnology and Local Practice (Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica), Sarah Rae Osterhoudt '97

Beyond the Conquistadors: Urban Growth in Former Spanish Colonies (Spain, El Salvador, Ecuador and The Philippines), Larisalena Ortiz '97

Cross-cultural Pathways through Musical Expressions and Structures (Egypt, India and Morocco), Benjamin Harbert '97

Green Tea & Coffee: Stories of Japan's Changing Women (Japan)

The Impact of Hip Hop, Jazz, Reggae and Other Black Music (United Kingdom, South Africa, Jamaica, Brazil, Japan)

Literature & Irish Youth (Ireland)

Traditional Music Education (Ghana)

Rediscovering the Structures of Ibn Battuta's South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives)

Photography in India (India)

Women Entrepreneurs in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland)

Problem of Jewish Identity in Contemporary China (China)

Biodynamic Farming (Australia, New Zealand, Sweden)

Cultural Boundaries Between the Deaf and the Hearing (Spain)

A more complete listing of topics is available in the Dean's Office in North College.