The Center for Justice, Law, and Societies (CJLS) invites applications for our Graduate Fellows Program. CJLS is an interdisciplinary group of scholars focused on the creation, implementation, and real-world applications of law. Fellows serve a one-year term that prioritizes professionalization and mentorship.
We welcome applications from graduate students across UMass Amherst who have a strong interest in exploring the legal dimensions of their own work (e.g., law and history, law and psychology, law and social science, etc.). Each year, we select 4-6 graduate students to serve a one-year term prioritizing professionalization and mentorship. Please note that this fellowship does not take the place of a full-time TA or RA position, and is geared towards PhD students.
Benefits of the Fellowship Include:
- Assignment to one or two faculty mentors from another department or school.
- Funding to attend an interdisciplinary law-related conference (Law & Society Association; Law, Culture, and Humanities; or another law-related conference subject to the approval of the fellowship director). This funding includes coverage of each Fellow’s flight, hotel accommodations, and conference registration fees (and membership fees, if required) up to $1,000.
- Support from a community of interdisciplinary faculty and graduate students to develop an academic project (e.g., article, comp, or dissertation chapter) related to justice, law, and societies.
- Funding and support to invite a faculty member from UMass, the Five Colleges, or the broader Northeast to participate in the Five College Law, Justice, and Societies speaker series.
Graduate Fellowship Requirements:
- Attend an in-person Justice, Law, and Societies workshop lunch meeting approximately six times per semester. Meetings will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on either Wednesdays or Fridays. Note that missing more than one meeting per semester without prior approval of the fellowship director will disqualify a student from the Fellowship.
- Present your Fellowship project at one of the workshop meetings.
- Meet with your mentors twice per semester to discuss your Fellowship project, professionalization/career questions, and learn about interdisciplinary communities that interest you.
- Recruit a faculty speaker for the Five College Law, Justice, and Societies speaker series.
- Attend and present at a law-related conference during (or immediately following, with the permission of the Fellowship Director) the Fellowship year.
Applications are due April 5, with awardees announced in early April. Those interests can apply here.
Questions? Email Jamie Rowen (@email).