Course Description:

The course will explore the past and present of Korea, diving into its history and contemporary issues with a balanced and engaging approach. It will be a great session for anyone interested in understanding the two Koreas:

This course is designed to help students develop a solid background of contemporary history, politics and society of two Koreas and their impact on the broader context of Asia. The course explores key historical processes that have shaped the contemporary societies of two Koreas through multidisciplinary lenses. The course will help students understand the origins of, and influences stemming from, the stark political, social and economic differences between the two Koreas, amidst their underlying core cultural similarities. Themes to be covered in this course include modernization, colonialism, nationalism, democratic transition and consolidation, industrialization, reunification, and gender relations.

The School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in collaboration with the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University sponsors an annual Dissertation and Thesis Grant Program in the field of retirement, health and disability research through their Retirement and Disability Research Center (RDRC).  This RDRC program provides grant support to master’s and/or doctoral students to pursue research or support a thesis or capstone study focused on retirement, health and disability, with funding from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). 

The grant proposal must address one of SSA’s 2025 research focal areas:

Focal Area 1: Understanding Service Needs and Improving Service Delivery

Focal Area 2: Studying Causes and Inequities of Overpayment and Underpayment

Focal Area 3. Addressing Barriers to Disability and SSI Programs Participation and Processes

Focal Area 4: Understanding and Improving Communication

Focal Area 5. Identifying Disparities by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex

Focal Area 6: Examining Economic Security of Program Applicants and Beneficiaries

Focal Area 7: Addressing Employment Barriers for People with Disabilities

FY 2025 SSA focal areas can be found here: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/extramural/index.html#rdrc

Dissertation and Thesis Grants

$8,000 grants will be awarded to master’s and doctoral students enrolled in an accredited program at a U.S. university.  We encourage individuals from historically underserved or underrepresented communities to apply.  We are interested in supporting doctoral students both pre and post comprehensive examination completion and candidacy, as well as master’s students conducting thesis research or conducting a capstone study. The grant recipients may be asked to present their work to the Social Security Administration in Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD. Awardees may also be asked to attend the RDRC Annual Meeting.  

Submission

Applicants should submit a 1,000-word proposal that describes the research work they propose and its connection to an SSA research focal area, as well as a discussion of how the grant will be used; a CV; and a letter of support from the applicant’s advisor. Materials should be emailed to Melanie Keys (mkeys3@umbc.edu).  The deadline for the 2025 Dissertation and Thesis Grant Program is January 14, 2025. 

Additional information

Please contact Melanie Keys (mkeys3@umbc.edu) with any questions about the Dissertation and Thesis Grant Program. 

The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) seeks candidates for its 2025 Summer Internship in Archaeology. Interns serve a maximum of 400 hours over a period of 10 consecutive weeks to begin on or about May 19, 2025. Current graduate students in anthropology/archaeology are preferred. We also encourage applications from students who are currently enrolled in or have recently graduated from an accredited undergraduate program in anthropology/archaeology or another closely related field.

This is a paid internship. Students will receive a total amount not to exceed $6,600.00 paid in bi-weekly increments based on the number of hours worked at a base rate of $16.50 per hour. Application materials must be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Monday, February 10, 2025. See the full announcement at the link below for more info!

The announcement and application information are available HERE.

Make 2025 the year you decide to study abroad in Asia! There are more scholarship opportunities to fund your trip than you imagine. 

The Fund for Education Abroad Scholarship is now open for students who are interested in studying abroad and demonstrate financial need. The application closes on February 5th, 2025 at noon. You can find more information here:

https://fundforeducationabroad.org/apply/

Please read prior postings for other opportunities and of course visit the Asian Studies website for still more.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to study overseas in Asia. It will change your life!

Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 Center for Social Science Scholarship
Summer Fellowships!

Apply here.

Applications are now being accepted for the Center for Social Science Scholarship Summer Fellowship.  The purpose of this fellowship is to support significant social science research by tenure-track or tenured faculty in the UMBC College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, resulting in a submittable product by December 2025.  Up to three fellows will receive a $6,000 award during the summer of 2025. 

By December 2025, each Fellow agrees to complete a submittable product, which can include an external grant or fellowship proposal, journal article, policy paper, book manuscript, or book chapter; upon completion, Fellows shall provide a copy of this submitted product to the Director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship. 

Applications are due by February 15, 2024.

Applications will be reviewed and ranked by members of the Center for Social Science Scholarship Advisory Board, according to the following criteria:

• Quality of proposed research project;
• Significance of the project in its field;
• Publishing/funding potential of the work;
• Qualification of the faculty member to carry out the work, including the requisite expertise in the topic area and prior research productivity;
• Likelihood that the proposed work can be successfully completed with fellowship support and that it will result in a submittable product within the specified time period;
• Approval and recommendation of faculty member's department chair.

For more information, interested faculty may contact Eric Stokan, Director.  

Funds for this fellowship are provided by the Center for Social Science Scholarship and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS).