Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Sagan Grant for Graduate Research

This grant was established in 1986 by the Sagan family to recognize an outstanding research project in the field of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. All Brandeis graduate students in any program are eligible to apply.

Prize amount: $1,000

Stipend and Duties

The grant may be applied to any expense associated with research; including book purchases, travel, computer assistance, photocopying or living expenses.

Eligibility

Graduate students in any program are eligible. Preference will be given to students at the dissertation level and to students enrolled in the WGS graduate program. Research may focus on any topic or field within women’s, gender and sexuality studies and should demonstrate knowledge of relevant feminist scholarship.

Completed application includes:

• Application cover sheet
• 4-6 page synopsis of research project which should identify:
• critical issues covered by your research
• your method, research design or procedure
• importance of this to your field and women’s, gender and sexuality
• current stage or status of the project
• Brief one page abstract highlighting specific focus of your proposal
• Bibliography (25 items or fewer)
• Statement of project’s relationship to your overall course of study in 1- 2 pages, summarize the relationship of this research project to your graduate work as a whole. Is this project dissertation research? What further evolution will this research most likely go in your future studies?
• Letters of recommendation
• Copy of student’s transcript and cv/resume
• Itemized budget (estimated)

Evaluation

Applications are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• Strength and articulation of the research project’s presentation
• Coherency of the research methodology
• Project’s significance and original contribution to the field of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies
• Student’s demonstrated knowledge of relevant research sources, scholarship on women’s, gender and sexuality studies,  and skills required to perform research (i.e., skills in quantitative methods, knowledge of foreign language, etc.)

Recent Award Recipients