The Fulbright Commission Queen’s University Belfast Summer Institute
is a four-week cultural and academic programme for US students held at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, UK.
The theme of the institute is Understanding Ireland: Northern Perspectives
Participants in this summer school will get the opportunity to:
• Develop their knowledge in the academic programme in Irish Studies taught by world leaders in their field and receive credit they can transfer to their US University.
•
Learn about Northern Ireland in terms of its political, economic and
cultural relationships within the United Kingdom and in the world
• Gain academic credit that can be transferred back to their home institution in the US
• Participate in field trips to various cultural and historical sites in Northern Ireland
• Participate in a range of social events
•
Interact with a range of people including politicians, police officers,
community workers and people involved in conflict resolution
• Develop their learning skills, improving research and communication skills
• Meet people from all over the world, make friends and experience life as a real student in the UK
•
Become an ambassador for studying in the United Kingdom, and for the
prestigious internationally renowned Queen’s University Belfast.
The institute will take place from 9 July – 3 August 2012
Award Benefits
The majority of the participant costs will be covered. This includes:
• round-trip airfare from the US to the UK;
• tuition and fees at the Queen’s University Belfast;
• accommodation and social programme;
• subsistence e.g. food and drink
Participants are expected to pay for their own travel, health and accident insurance.
Participants will be housed in university accommodation close to the university campus.
Special
Programmes do not preclude participants from applying for a Fulbright
Award later in their academic career. The summer institutes are
intentionally designed in such a way that allows participants to come
back to the UK at postgraduate or postdoctoral level as a Fulbright Student or Scholar.
Selection Criteria
To meet the minimum eligibility for this Institute you need to:
• be a US citizen (resident anywhere except the UK) and possess a US passport;
• be at least 18 years old by the start of the programme;
• be able to participate in the programme in its entirety;
• have a high level of academic achievement with a minimum GPA of 3.5 (confirmed by academic marks, awards and references);
•
have at least two years of undergraduate study left to complete, i.e.
applicants should currently be a Freshman or Sophomore in
college/university;
• be mature, responsible, independent, and open-minded;
•
be willing and able to fully participate in an academically intensive
programme that includes attending all sessions, completing all
assignments, contributing to classroom discussions and supporting
student ambassador style work as required;
• have had little or no study or travel experience in the UK or elsewhere outside of the US and;
• expect to return to the US and continue your undergraduate education.
Note: The programme is open to students in all courses of study.
Those holding permanent residency ‘green cards’ may not apply.
Please read the Terms and Conditions for this award before making an application.
In making these awards the Commission is looking not only for
academic excellence but a focused application, a range of
extracurricular and community activities, an indication of ambassadorial
skills, a desire to further the Fulbright Programme and a plan to give
back to your home country upon returning.
Candidates will be
considered without respect to race, colour, religion, national origin,
ethnicity, sexual preference or gender (including gender reassignment).
Individuals from a broad range of ethnic, religious, geographic, and
socio-economic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Applying
All applications are due Friday 16 March 2012 by 5pm (UK Time)
To apply please download an application form
If you have a query about applying please read the FAQs document before contacting the Commission.
Please note: Applications which arrive by email, by fax or late will
not be considered. Please ensure that you attach sufficient postage when
sending forms/letters to the US-UK Fulbright Commission in London. We
will not accept excess charges for items of mail which have been
underpaid – they will be returned unopened.
If you would like
confirmation that your application has been received by the Fulbright
Commission, you must send your application via Recorded Delivery.
Commission staff will not confirm receipt of applications by email or
phone.
Interviews
Applications will be short-listed and successful applicants will be
invited to telephone interview sometime between the dates of 18 April – 27 April 2012. Interviews will only be held these days and may not be rescheduled.
If you are making an application, please save these dates as an
invitation to interview may come within a few days of the interview
date. The selection committee will be comprised of Fulbright Commission
staff and on occasion representatives from a relevant field, academics,
US Embassy and/or Consulate representatives.
Important note: The
US-UK Fulbright Commission is unable to give feedback on individual
applications or to provide reasons for their refusal.
Candidates will be considered without respect to race, colour,
religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual preference or gender
(including gender reassignment). Individuals from a broad range of
ethnic, religious, geographic, and socio-economic backgrounds are
encouraged to apply.
Timeline
December Competition opens
16 March Application deadline
Early April Short-listed candidates invited to Interview
18-27 April Telephone Interviews
Early May Notification for successful applicants
May/June Preparation and Pre-Departure Information
8 July Departure for UK
9 July Arrival in the UK
3 August Return to USA
Additional Information
Programme Outline
The four week programme is divided into two parts:
1. Fulbright Week
For the first week, the selected Fulbright participants will be
together experiencing an introduction to the University and the city of
Belfast. Students receive a day’s induction and orientation to the
University followed by a trip around the city. On the following days
they will also get to experience the Twelfth of July along with Dr
Dominic Bryan, an expert in the area. Fulbright students will also be
prepared to be group leaders when international students arrive for the
next part of the Summer School a week later.
2. Queen’s University Belfast Irish Studies Summer School
In weeks 2-4 Fulbright students will be joined by a group of
international students to follow a three week academic, social and
cultural programme based around the theme of Understanding Ireland: Northern Perspectives.
The Summer School introduces students to the broad range of topics in
Irish Studies but with particular references to the influence of the
north of Ireland on history, culture and politics in Ireland, focussing
on the nature of conflict. Students learn about and experience the
underlying difficulties in a divided society, along with cultural
outworking’s of forms of British and Irish identity. They will also be
able to examine Northern Ireland in terms of its relationships,
political, economic and cultural, within the United Kingdom and in the
world. A key element of this will be to discuss the nature of conflict
in a comparative way looking not only at other ethnic conflicts, but
also urban experiences in other parts of the world. In the third week of
the Summer School there will also be to option to take a specialist
option in Irish History.
Students will undertake a series of lectures (around 40 hours total)
delivered by specialists in the discipline. There will be four day-long
field trips: to the Antrim Coast; Derry/Londonderry; the Centre for Migration Studies Ulster American Folk Park
in Omagh; and PSNI Public Order training unit in Antrim. Whilst in
Derry/Londonderry students will visit the city Tower Museum and the
community organised Free Derry Museum in order to examine different
perspectives on the city. In addition, there will be half-day tours of Belfast
and the Titanic quarter of the city and a visit to Stormont where
students will meet politicians from all major political parties in
Northern Ireland.
Over the course of the Summer School, students will meet at least
twenty people from non-academic backgrounds including politicians,
police officers, community workers, people involved in conflict
resolution including ex-prisoners and leaders of the main churches.
See the full 2011 programme here
All course content is subject to change. The information is intended
to provide an initial scope of the programme and should not be
considered final. Content will be updated as details are finalised by
Queen’s University.
Support
Students will be fully supported by a dedicated team of Institute staff.